Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Reinhard G. Lehmann" <lehmann AT uni-mainz.de>]

> I know that no one will agree with this next idea, but just for fun I think it is interesting that the 
> words "Hagar" and"there" could be combined into "their being driven out" 
> (niphal infinitive?) in Genesis 21:14.
>
> It could say "and he (Abraham) gave to their being driven out her shoulder yoke 
> and the boy's spade (alef tav)." So he could have given her food, water, a 
> shoulder yoke, and her son's spade. I know people don't like to regroup the letters, 
> but in this case it is interesting that the recombined letters fit the situation a 
> little bit.
>
> Kenneth Greifer
>   
Not so bad idea at all. Verse 14 is an old crux interpretum in object 
matter an dsyntax.
You betcha there is someone in the old commentaries (late 19th / early 
20th) who already tried this. I am anxious to learn who it was.