Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>]

Uri,

You are right. These images appear to originate with pagan, sea  
faring, deep-water, fishermen having glimpsed the behemoth of the  
see, or stood in awe before the mysteries of the watery THOMOT. Yet I  
am surprised that king David, even in a moment of poetic outburst,  
God loving exuberance, searching for words of ultimate praise, chose  
to recall this foreign figuration. The almighty God of Israel,  
creator of heaven and earth, Y' CBA)OT, QDO$ ISRAEL, CUR (OLAMIM, is  
not engaged in slaying, for no apparent purpose, his own handiwork  
frolicking in the big YAM.
For this reason I tend to think that in Isaiah 51:9 HA-MA-XACEBET is  
'forming' and M-XOLELET is 'generating'. This would correspond to  
Psalms 104:26
לִוְיָתָן זֶה-יָצַרְתָּ לְשַׂחֶק-בּוֹ
"there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein".

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Sep 11, 2007, at 12:11 PM, Uri Hurwitz wrote:

> The two quotations below, from Isaiah and Psalms, are
>
>  direct echoes from Canaanite mythology as found in
>
>  Ugaritic literature. There are more such examples in
>
>  the HB.
>
> You can check this out in the recent Rise of Yahwism
>
> by De Moor, with many bibliographic references.
>
>
>
>  Uri Hurwitz
>
> "There is, of course, Isaiah 27:1  áÌÇéÌåÉí äÇäåÌà  
> éÄôÀ÷Éã éÀäåÈä    áÌÀçÇøÀáÌåÉ  
> äÇ÷ÌÈùÑÈä    åÀäÇâÌÀãåÉìÈä  
> åÀäÇçÂæÈ÷Èä òÇì    ìÄåÀéÈúÈï ðÈçÈùÑ  
> áÌÈøÄçÇ åÀòÇì    ìÄåÀéÈúÈï ðÈçÈùÑ  
> òÂ÷ÇìÌÈúåÉï    åÀäÈøÇâ àÆú- 
> äÇúÌÇðÌÄéï àÂùÑÆø áÌÇéÌÈí  But here  
> reference, I think, is to A$UR and MICRAIM.  Also the poetical  
> flair of Psalms 74:13-14  àÇúÌÈä ôåÉøÇøÀúÌÈ  
> áÀòÈæÌÀêÈ éÈí    ùÑÄáÌÇøÀúÌÈ øÈàùÑÅé  
> úÇðÌÄéðÄéí òÇì-   äÇîÌÈéÄí àÇúÌÈä  
> øÄöÌÇöÀúÌÈ øÈàùÑÅé    ìÄåÀéÈúÈï    Isaac  
> Fried, Boston University "
>
>
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