Biblical Hebrew Forum

[<pporta AT oham.net>]

Karl,

I realize that LXX took this word (C for "tree" as well (xylon). But... to 
give an answer to your question, I think of a unique possibility: if (C were 
a verb, it would be the Qal Participle, singular masculine, of Y(C, to 
counsel or advice.
And then the right vowel with it would be qamats, not tsere.
In some moods (for instance in Imperative), verb Y(C matches the pattern of 
verbs ayin-waw ((WC <> QWM Gn 13:17).
Then... maybe this is the case also for the Beynony (where this form (C <> 
QM would be in addition to the usual or regular form having holam (haser or 
male') with (or after) the first consonant).

Maybe this helps.

Heartly,

Pere Porta
Barcelona (Catalonia, Spain)




----- Original Message ----- 
From: "K Randolph" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>
To: "b-hebrew" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Wednesday, May 21, 2008 6:24 PM
Subject: [b-hebrew] (C in Deuteronomy 20:19, "tree" or what?


> B-Hebrew chavurim:
> In reading Deuteronomy 20:19, last section, I came across the sentence KY
> H)DM (C H%DH LB) MPNYK BMCWR
>
> כי האדם עץ השדה לבא מפניך במצור
>
> In this clause we expect to find an active verb, or an implicit "to be". 
> But
> which would it be? The implicit "to be" doesn't fit, "…for the man is a 
> tree
> of the field to go from your face in siege." unless the H- prefix on )DM 
> is
> an interrogative H-, which would make it say "…for is a tree of the field 
> a
> man to go from your face (before you) in siege?" i.e. the tree is not the
> enemy nor a soldier.
>
> The context for (C in verses around this verse as well as a concordance,
> indicate that this is a noun meaning "tree". If it were a verb, which root
> and meaning would it have?
>
> The other possibility for an active verb is H)DM as a hiphil verb, but I
> don't recognize how causing to be red fits the context.
>
> I may have answered my question by asking it, as I didn't think of the
> interrogative H- until writing this message, and it looks like that may be
> the answer. What do you all think?
>
> Karl W. Randolph.
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