Biblical Hebrew Forum

[K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

James:

On Wed, Sep 23, 2009 at 4:40 AM, James Christian
>
> 4) I looked at Isaiah 44:9. As far as I can see you are referring to this
> phrase: יצרי פסל כלם תהו Is this talking about the idols? Or the people
> who make them?
>
> I read this verse in the context of the verses that precede it, so I do not
see the first word, יצרי, as a participle “those who fashion (make)” rather
as a noun “that which is fashioned (into an idol)”.


> 5) I also took a look at Isaiah 45:18. I guess I can see your point but am
> not entirely sure if THW is meant to be understood as having the opposite
> meaning of inhabited in this phrase. None of the ancient translations seem
> to hint at any lifeless quality of THW.
>
> I suspect this is one of those words that already its meaning was unclear
by the time of the LXX. For example, the translator of Isaiah did not
translate it in 24:10, translated it as “deserted” 34:11, as “empty (in the
same way as empty, idle talk)” 44:9, 59:4, as “empty (poured out, emptied)”
45:18. In Jeremiah 4:23 it is translated as “nothing”.

This is why I treat translations as useful, but not authoritative.


> James Christian


Karl W. Randolph.