Biblical Hebrew Forum

[K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Jim:

Just as you take the Hebrew word out of context, so you have taken my words
out of context too.

On Fri, Mar 27, 2009 at 9:55 PM, <JimStinehart AT aol.com> wrote:

>
>
> Thus whereas Karl has argued that $XR at Isaiah 23: 3 means “Tyre”, not “
> Egypt”,


I did not say that. Rather that its use in this context refers to an action,
not a city or country. The context indicates that this is an action taken by
Tyre.

After reading the text for more than 20 times in Hebrew, I have a high
regard for the integrity of the text, more so than most lexicographers and
translators. But that has led me to have a lower regard for the Masoretic
points: it has been well over a decade since I last depended on them for
understanding. Hence the context indicates that this use of $XR is as a
verb.

>
> (ii)  Now let’s consider Jeremiah 2: 18, which is the only other passage in
> the Bible where $XR is generally thought by most scholars to be referring
> to
> the Nile River:
>
> “And now what do you gain by going to Egypt
>    to drink the waters of the Nile [$XR]?
>  Or what do you gain by going to Assyria
>    to drink the waters of the Euphrates?”  Jeremiah 2: 18, per the English
> Standard Version translation
>
> Note that $XR is translated there as “Nile”.  A translation of $XR there as
> the northeasternmost edge of Egypt, or the northeasternmost edge of the
> Nile
> River, does not make sense.  Much more natural is to see $XR as meaning
> “Black”
> /Egypt/“bountiful Greater Egypt”.


This example actually argues against your claim that $XR means “black” as
riverine waters, where they are muddied as in a flood, are brown, and not
that dark a hue at that, not black.

>
> Karl has asserted that all the lexicons and translators are wrong in
> viewing
> $XR as meaning “black”.


Your use of this argument is interesting, because:

1) it is an argument that says that all your theories are wrong, and

2) it is a logical fallacy, combining an appeal to authority fallacy with
the bandwagon logical fallacy.

>
> Jim Stinehart
> Evanston, Illinois
>
> Karl W. Randolph.
Presently in Hong Kong.