Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Naama Zahavi-Ely <nxzaha AT wm.edu>]

Shalom!  

The problem is that you are dealing through English with something for which 
there is no good English term.  I run into this problem every year as I read 
the text of Genesis 1-3 with intermediate Hebrew students.  "Afar," which is 
translated as "dust," is actually not (dry, wind-blown) dust but rather 
earth/soil as material -- that is, the collective term for particles of earth 
that one can pick up and pinch between one's fingers.  It can be dry or 
moist, and it can be formed.  I have not been able to find a better English 
word -- every possibility I can think of has other connotations that are 
misleading (ground?  earth?  soil?).  

I also agree with Yigal's reasoning -- you can't apply Aristotelian logic to 
the Hebrew Bible (or for that matter to most usage of any language).  But in 
this case, the argument is not necessary.

Best wishes

Naama Zahavi-Ely
College of William and Mary

>Message: 3
>Date: Mon, 9 Nov 2009 17:59:46 -0700
>From: Gerry Folbre <gfolbreiii AT gmail.com>
>Subject: [b-hebrew] watered ground & forming dust
>To: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
>Message-ID:
>       <a79631010911091659rf59c74ewaf2c29d1d0c10644 AT mail.gmail.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
>
>I would like to discuss what I perceive as incongruent anomalies composed
>within Gen. 2:6b & 2:7a.
>
>Gen. 2:6b ????? ???????????????? ...  {and irrigated [watered/made wet] the
>whole face of the ground).
>
>Gen. 2:7a ... ????? ???? ????? ??????? ??? ????????  {and it formed the
>human archetype of dust from the ground ...)
>
>
>
>Gen. 2:6b states that the entire face (surface) of the ground is irrigated.
>But then Gen. 2:7a not only describes ?dry, loose earth (or dust)? being
>found upon the newly irrigated surface of the ground, Gen. 2:7a also
>apparently stats that somehow this ?dry, loose earth (dust)? can somehow be
>?formed?.  However, ?dust (dry, loose earth) from the ground? is not an
>earthly substance that lends itself to being ?formed {like a potter forms a
>vessel)?.
>
>
>
>If there is anyone who may have some constructive insight into these
>contextual anomalies, I look forward to discussing these subjects with you.
>
>
>
>Gerry Folbre
>
>