Biblical Hebrew Forum

[K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

David:

On Thu, Jan 29, 2009 at 2:38 PM, David Kummerow 
<farmerjoeblo AT hotmail.com>wrote:
>
> >  >
> >  > You grammarians make mountains out of molehills. There's no oath
> > here, just
> >  > simple action and consequence. Why not just take things at face value?
> >  >
> >
> > HH: Because it's a known usage of the phrase )M L), and it fits here,
> > and your idea really does not work because there is no specification of
> > wrong behavior with yours.
> >  >
>
>
> Exactly. Conklin has recently done an exhaustive analysis of all oath
> formula in the Hebrew Bible. These verses in Job are analysed and fit
> the pattern of oath formula where the curse half is suppressed (be it
> for politeness reasons, assumed cultural knowledge, etc.).
>
> Conklin, Blane W. 2005. "Oath Formulae in Classical Hebrew and Other
> Semitic Languages." PhD diss., University of Chicago.
>
>  From memory, I think the work is now published.
>
> Regards,
> David Kummerow


Either you two are using a different definition of "oath" than what I have
learned, or this is not an oath statement. I see just a simple "if…then…"
statement where the "if" is given in the negative, in a manner used
elsewhere in Tanakh ( the )M L) phrase is not limited to oath statements),
where the "then" is the consequence if the action of the if statement is not
carried out. The unstated implicated completion of the thought is that if
the action is carried out, then there will be a different outcome.

In the particulars, if God doesn't allow Job to lose his wealth and children
1:11, then Job will bless God. In 2:5 extended to his health. Where is the
oath? Where is the need to change the wording of the sentence from "bless"
to "curse"?

I'm not up to answering Harold directly. How can one have a discussion where
I say one thing, then Harold answer me in the next line claiming that I said
the opposite of what I just said? Especially after I said the same thing two
or three times?

Karl W. Randolph.