Biblical Hebrew Forum

[K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

George:

Is this not getting into the meaning of the hitpael itself?

I wonder if the more accurate understanding of the hitpael of HLK of going
around, walking around, living one’s life. I just read Proverbs 20:7 which
seems to have that meaning.

But add to it Genesis 42:1 it is unlikely that the sons were looking at
themselves in mirrors, nor at their own navels, nor likely sitting in a
circle looking at each other, rather that they were looking around, possibly
semi-unemployed as their flocks had shrunk because of the drought? In other
words, this reflected that they were largely sitting around looking off into
the distance with nothing to do? Or going around looking at things for the
Nth time?

The reason I revisit this question is because I just reread Proverbs 20:2:
the first half is pretty straightforward, “A king’s unease growls like a
lion,” but the second half the sense of the hitpael seems to be “he who goes
around crossing him (the king) makes his life a loss”?

Is this one sense of the hitpael? What do you think?

Karl W. Randolph.

On Wed, Apr 15, 2009 at 8:43 PM, George Athas 
<George.Athas AT moore.edu.au>wrote:

> Good observations, Richard. Your distinction between the Qal and Hitpael of
> HLK is very illuminating, and shows that the Hitpael is more interested in
> the subject being the host of the action (i.e. Subject is the locus where
> the action occurs).
>
>
> Regards,
>
> GEORGE ATHAS
> Moore Theological College (Sydney, Australia)
> www.moore.edu.au