Biblical Hebrew Forum

["K Randolph" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Ron & Yitzhak:

On Dec 18, 2007 3:51 PM, Yitzhak Sapir <yitzhaksapir AT gmail.com> wrote:

> On Dec 18, 2007 11:45 PM, Yitzhak Sapir wrote:
>
> > The first solution proposed by BHQ is to read mtnh as "his vigor."
> > BHQ provides Deut 33:11, Ez 21:11, Job 40:16, and Nah 2:2 as
> > additional examples where a reading "vigor" can be accepted for
> > mtn, esp Deut 33:11 where "strength" appears in a parallelism.
> >
> > Other solutions include: mtnh as an adjective of lb, "calm, restrained"
> > and lb read as feminine as in Prov 12:25
>

?? D)GH is a feminine noun, not an adjective in Proverbs 12:25. LB is still
masculine. I'm not perfect, I make mistakes, but this is elementary: the
grammar, syntax, context, etc. all point to the fact that the Hebrew it
reads, "Anxiety in a heart ..."

>
>
> I sent the post without looking up the verses referenced by BHQ,
> something I always mean to do but many times forget.  In any case,
> I think Job 40:16 and especially Nah 2:2 are much better examples of
> mtn as "vigor."  But as I said, I prefer an adaptation of the first
> solution
> offered by BHQ.
>
> Yitzhak Sapir
>

MTNYM referring to loins, both literally and as a symbol of strength and
vigor, is always found in plural, never singular in Tanakh.

However, MTN as well as MTNH refer to "gift", and TNH is a verb attested to
in Tanakh.

Whatever BHQ is, that it noted three oddities should have been a red flag
that they were going up the wrong path. In #1 that MTNH is taken as feminine
means that it cannot be the subject of WY)BD, rather that should point back
to the first part of the parallelism for the masculine subject found there,
as is common in Hebrew poetry. Point #2 indicates what follows is the object
of the verb. Point #3 is not that important, as it is found elsewhere as
well.

The other option is that this verse has been corrupted by copyist error(s).

Karl W. Randolph.