Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Calvin Lindstrom <pclindstrom AT yahoo.com>]

Dear Karl,

Thanks for your reply. I realize that ng' has a wide variety of  
meanings and I don't in any way think that it has a sexual meaning in  
Gen. 12:17. But since the verb can have that meaning as it does in  
Gen. 20:6, is there any way it might be a play on words or ironic in  
Gen. 12:17 where it speaks of YHWH inflicting great plagues on  
Pharaoh and his house?


On Feb 15, 2008, at 2:27 PM, K Randolph wrote:

> Dear Calvin:
>
> The verb has a wide range of meaning, to focus on the sexual which  
> is a very minority use is distorting the understanding. From a  
> concordance, it has a meaning: "to reach out to touch, used for all  
> touching from soft caresses to a hard blow intended to injure or  
> kill, also for sexual contact" used also for such concepts as "a  
> touch of leprosy" or to "touch with a sword in order to kill", etc.  
> Thus the reading that this is a touch of some sort of plague fits  
> the context best.
>
> Karl W. Randolph.
>
>
> On Fri, Feb 15, 2008 at 11:29 AM, Calvin Lindstrom  
> <pclindstrom AT yahoo.com> wrote:
>
>  Dear B-Hebrew,
>
>  I have a simple question on Genesis 12:17.
>
>  The verb used at the beginning of the verse is ng' which can have a
>  sexual usage (Gen. 20:6). Is it correct to see irony in this story at
>  this point? Verse 15 speaks of Sarai being taken into Pharaoh's
>  house. Verse 16 speaks of Avram being treated well for Sarai's sake.
>  And now in verse 17, where we might expect to read the Pharaoh
>  touched (sexually) Sarai, we  instead read that YHWH touched
>  (plagued) Pharaoh and his house.
>
>  Any comments would be helpful.
>
>  Calvin Lindstrom
>  Church of Christian Liberty
>  Arlington Heights, IL
>  www.christianliberty.com