Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Gerry Folbre <gerry AT wetmountainvalley.us>]

K Randolph wrote:
> Gerry:
>
> On Wed, Oct 7, 2009 at 9:42 AM, Gerry Folbre 
> <gerry AT wetmountainvalley.us>wrote:
>
>   
> > Karl wrote:
> >
> > “The problem I have with this “translation” is that it does not follow word
> >
> > for word the Hebrew text. It adds to the text.
> >
> >
> >
> > I suspect that Karl was referring to the King James Version, and not my
> > word-for-word translation of Pr. 5:6.
> >
> > I would suggest that examining some of the grammatical and lexicographic
> > sources now available to us would help clear up some of the confusion
> > regarding Pr. 5:6.
> >
> > Gerry Folbre
> >     
>
>
> You did not make a word for word translation; you just made a list of words
> and your interpretation of their meanings without making them into a
> meaningful sentence that we can follow. Further, not all of us agree with
> your interpretations. It looks as if you have just taken ideas from your
> class and plugged them into your answer, some of us even question what you
> were taught in your classes.
>
> Karl W. Randolph.
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>   

Karl wrote:

“You did not make a word for word translation; you just made a list of words

and your interpretation of their meanings without making them into a

meaningful sentence that we can follow. Further, not all of us agree with

your interpretations. It looks as if you have just taken ideas from your

class and plugged them into your answer, some of us even question what you

were taught in your classes."



With all due respect, the BHS Masoretic Hebrew Text of Pr. 5:6 is 
composed precisely as I presented it, and I translated each word and 
bound morpheme precisely according to Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, Brown, 
Driver & Briggs Heb./Eng. Lexicon of the Old Testament, and The 
Analytical Hebrew & Chaldee Lexicon.  If that is not a word-for-word 
translation, I do not know what is.



According to the BHS, Proverbs 5:6 begins with the masculine noun, ’RX = 
*way, path* (BDB pg 73), then there is the masculine noun, XYYM = *life* 
(BDB pg 313), next is the conjunction PN = *lest* (BDB pg 814), and then 
the intensive verbal clause {prefixed with the 2^nd person pronoun} TPLS 
= *you continuously make smooth* (BDB pg 814);

The BHS continues with the perfect verbal clause suffixed by the 3^rd 
person plural pronoun, N’W = *they be unstable* (BDB pg 631), next is 
the feminine plural noun suffixed with the 3^rd person singular feminine 
pronoun, M’GLTYH = *her courses of action* (BDB pg 722), then is the 
adverb L’ = *not* (BDB 518), and the verse concludes with the imperfect 
verbal clause prefixed with the 2^nd person singular masculine pronoun, 
TD’ = *you know* (BDB pg 393/4).

That is a word-for-word {interpres} translation of the BHS, Proverbs 5:6 
Text.  Professor Sebastian Brock published an article, To Revise or Not 
To Revise: Attitudes to Jewish Biblical Translation, 1990, that was 
presented to the International Symposium on the Septuagint and its 
Relations to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Writings.  I suggest you and 
whoever else is questioning what I have been taught, attempt to find 
Professor Brock's article and learn a little something about “expositor 
translations” and “word-for-word, interpres translations” of Biblical 
Hebrew Texts.

And Karl, let's try to keep the personal attacks out of our discussion. 

Thanks,
Gerry Folbre