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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Sun and moon in Joshua 10 (was "Silver Scrolls")

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  • From: George Athas <George.Athas AT moore.edu.au>
  • To: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Sun and moon in Joshua 10 (was "Silver Scrolls")
  • Date: Tue, 27 Jan 2009 10:25:26 +1100

Hi Kevin!

The Sumerian parallel you raise is interesting. However, I don't think it's
right to call it an idiom. An idiom is an expression whose meaning means more
than just the sum of the individual words, so that the phrase needs to be
taken as a singular whole. And usually the idiom comes in fixed phrasing. The
Sumerian parallel you raise appears in extended poetry and runs over many
lines, with lots of other imagery mixed throughout it as well. I think what
we have there is either a metaphor, simile, or a supernatural imaging of a
catastrophic event. 'Idiom' does not seem to be the right classification.

And yet, even if it were an idiom, you would still need to bridge the gap
between an ancient Sumerian idiom and a much younger Hebrew phrase.

Either way, I think the connection you've raised is tentative at best. There
is nothing about clouds or storms in the Joshua narrative. In other words,
the Joshua narrative does not have all the accessories that the Sumerian text
has, making the connection, in my opinion, unlikely.


Regards,

GEORGE ATHAS
Moore Theological College (Sydney, Australia)
www.moore.edu.au







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