Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Ron Snider <sarasotapt AT comcast.net>]

> I am not in the habit of looking at foreign translations of the HB.  
> In my Qoren edition of the TN"K the word BOR)-EY-KA is written with a  
> yod [so also in the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia] and I see it as  
> plural. Indeed, "Remember your Creator in the days of your youth"  
> does not make as much sense as "Keep in mind your forebears [some  
> old, some dead] in the days of your youth".
> I would relate this BR) to the BAR, 'son, child', of Proverbs 31:2

I do agree that the participle is plural, other than than I disagree 
completely with the rest of your response.  First, the Qal stem is only 
used of the creative activity of God in the OT.  Second, the plural may 
well be plural since Elohiym is plural.  Third, the term is never used 
in the Qal of human creations, which rules out the idea of forebears.  
Fourth, immediate context from the previous verses suggests that this is 
advice to a young person with respect to how he lives his life and the 
fact that God will ultimately judge every action.  Fifth, remembering 
your forbears has nothing to do with whether or not one grows old and 
enjoys life, Solomon has already stated repeatedly in this book that 
real life comes from God.  Eccles. 2:25-26, 5:18-20, 7:14, 9:1,9

Lastly, while you may not feel the need to consult other translations, 
when you digress dramatically from the orthodox understanding of a 
verse, the burden of proof is on you to document your assertions.  One 
cannot merely say that the word means something and expect others to 
simply accept it without proof.  Since this term only appears in the Qal 
partciple plural one time, proof is probably not available.

Respectfully,

Ron Snider,
Pastor-teacher