Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Jay Frank <jif95 AT mac.com>]

James,

You offer: "Beware of idolatry. It is possible to idolise men as well as 
statues." All manner of things are possible, including a propensity to argue 
by means of baseless insinuation. I episodically idolize my grandchildren - 
little else. 

In terms of Torah study, I rely on the JPS Torah commentary supplemented by 
Plaut, with frequent reference to Everett Fox, Friedman, and Alter, and  I am 
more than satisfied with provisionally rejecting Alter's rendering of 1 
Samuel 15:31. At the same time, I have been led to believe that Alter has 
considerable expertise and artistry in the field, certainly enough to warrant 
respect, hence the provisional nature of my rejection. Your strong suspicion 
"that  Alter has theological reasons for his interpretation" is simply 
insufficient to leave me uninterested in the possibility of getting further 
clarification from the author. 

It is interesting that you now write: "You yourself provided his agenda when 
you opened this thread." Apparently, what started as a strong suspicion has 
achieved the status of self-evident observation. Such is the magic of 
certitude ...

Thank you anyway for your input.

Jay