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  • From: JimStinehart AT aol.com
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Genesis 20: 1
  • Date: Mon, 15 Oct 2007 12:42:51 EDT


James Christian Read
Thanks for your nice post. I will use two posts of my own to answer your
post.
1. You wrote: "Firstly, I would like to say that the concerns raised with
regard to inseperable Hebrew constructions are valid concerns and any
translation you offer should be in harmony with them. At this point I would
like to
request that you provide a colloquial English translation of what you are
proposing, as the punctuation scheme you seem to be offering does nothing,
in my
mind, to illuminate new meaning to the verse but does everything to
completely obscure any sensible meaning from it."
I realize that the reading of Genesis 20: 1 that I am proposing stretches
Hebrew grammar. In most all cases, and perhaps in all cases, when a new
clause
begins with a vav and a verb in Biblical Hebrew, that new clause will not be
picking up words from the preceding clause. And in most all cases, and
perhaps in all cases, a comma or break would not follow the Hebrew word for
"between". But in my view, it is the author of the Patriarchal narratives
who is
straining the Hebrew grammar here. For example, any normal Hebrew analysis
of
the name "Reuben" would say that the name means "Behold -- a son!". And
that
analysis would also seem very natural for Jacob's firstborn son. But
instead, the author of the Patriarchal narratives strains the Hebrew
language and
comes up with an alternative pun that is far, far from obvious: "And Leah
conceived, and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said:
'Because the LORD [YHWH] hath looked upon my affliction; for now my
husband will
love me.'" Genesis 29: 32 That to me shows an author who is wedded to
clever Hebrew wordplay (which is incessant throughout the Patriarchal
narratives),
and who often forces us to look for non-obvious constructions of the Hebrew
wording.
Here at Genesis 20: 1, under normal Hebrew grammar, one would think that the
references to "land" and "south" have nothing to do whatsoever with the next
clause, which clearly states that Abraham "settled between Qadesh and
S(h)ur". I am straining the Hebrew syntax (as the Hebrew author strains to
get his
pun on "Rebuen" above) to get the references to "land" (or "region") and
"south" in the preceding clause to modify the following clause, so that the
hidden meaning is that Abraham settled in the southern region of the land
between
Qadesh and Sur. On that reading, Abraham went to Sur in southern Lebanon
as the place where Sarah would bear Isaac. I admit that my reading of
Genesis
20: 1 strains Hebrew grammar, but I see my reading as being the hidden,
intentional meaning of the author. The reason why the author uses this
roundabout wording is that the author wants us to first think that Abraham
appears to
be meekly following in Hagar's path from Genesis 16: 7, 14 in leaving
Hebron.
But instead, in light of the rest of chapters 20, 21 and 26 of Genesis, we
eventually figure out that Abraham in fact went in the opposite direction
than Hagar, with Abraham going north from Bethel/Ai to Sur ("Tyre") in
southern
Lebanon.
The "strained" translation that I myself use, which makes my meaning clear,
but which admittedly is not normal Hebrew grammar, is as follows:
"And departed from there Abraham to the southern region of, and he settled
between, Qadesh and Sur, and he sojourned in Gerar."
2. You wrote: "Finally, a polite request. Could you please separate your
paragraphs with empty lines and in some way signify where your quotation of
another list member ends (preferably also with a line space and some sort of
indication of where your comments start)?"
I try to do that, but for some unknown reason, my E-mails show up on the
b-Hebrew list with no spacing between paragraphs.
Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois



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