Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Steve Miller" <smille10 AT sbcglobal.net>]

> From: Jason Hare
> Sent: Saturday, December 05, 2009 10:46 PM
> To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] prosthetic aleph in Ps 22:17?
> 
> On Sat, Dec 5, 2009 at 4:28 AM, Steve Miller <smille10 AT sbcglobal.net>
> wrote:
> > In Ps 22:17, if the correct reading is karu according to the 2 DSS
> witnesses
> > + LXX, then is it possible to explain the extra aleph in the MT as a
> > "prosthetic aleph"?
> >
> >
> >
> > The Pocket Dictionary for the Study of Biblical Hebrew by Todd J. Murphy
> > defines a prosthesis as
> >
> > "The addition of a phoneme (usually a vowel) in BH and the Semitic
> > languages
> > to a word-initial consonant cluster in order to smooth pronunciation,
> > which
> > by itself tends to run contrary to the regular rules of Semitic
> > pronunciation (e.g., BH zroa, "arm", becomes ezroa or zeroa). Prosthetic
> > vowels compensate for a consonant cluster at the beginning of a word,
> > and
> > anaptyctic vowels compensate for consonant clusters at the end of a
> > word.
> > See also prosthetic aleph."
> >
> > Would the words surrounding kari in Ps 22:17 in MT qualify as a
> > "consonant cluster"?
> >
> 
> No, Steve. There's no need for the aleph to break anything here.
> Notice that the vowel sound "a" already exists in the verb form כרו
> KRW "they dug out." The aleph in this case isn't a phoneme at all,
> since it adds nothing that wasn't already present in the verb itself.
> It would serve only as a vowel letter.
> 
> We do find instances of aleph as a vowel letter in middle-weak verbs.
> We could find קאמו instead of קמו, for example. But I don't know of
> any instances of third-heh verbs taking such an aleph as a mater
> lectionis, as it is suggested here.
> 
> Regards,
> Jason Hare
> Rehovot, Israel

[Steve Miller] Thank you, Jason! That is just what I wanted to know.
I pasted in your previous response, so I could respond to both at once.

> Karl and Steve,
> 
> Are we then against the idea that the MT could be correct with its
> "ka'ari"? There are basically three sections of this verse. It seems that
> the first two establish the meaning, and we don't need a verb for the
> third:
> 
> כִּי סְבָבוּנִי כְּלָבִים עֲדַת מְרֵעִים הִקִּיפוּנִי כָּאֲרִי יָדַי
> וְרַגְלָי׃
> 
> "For dogs have surrounded me;
> a community of evil-doers has encircled me,
> like a lion [at] my hands and my feet."
> 
> If a lion stands before you, ready to attack, you are completely frozen.
> You're afraid that if you move your hand to the left or take a step to the
> right, he will pounce. You are completely unable to move. David was
> expressing that he felt pinned in, that he was surrounded and unable to
> move
> at all.
> 
> What is so difficult about the MT reading that you feel it needs to be
> changed or that the DSS makes better sense?

[Steve Miller] In order to comment on your translation, I will put it into
clearer English. I understand it to mean this: 
A community of evil-doers has encircled me like a lion [encircling] my hands
and my feet. 
I don't think it makes sense for "my hands and my feet" to be there. It
would sound better, and make better sense if the sentence ended at "like a
lion". "Encircling my hands and my feet" does not make sense unless they
were tying up his hands and feet, but that would not be "like a lion".
Your expounding of the hands and feet part is interesting, but it is adding
a thought to the text that is not there.

The DSS has the 1st 2 parts the same. The 3rd part says:
They dug my hands and my feet.
This is a good description of what the dogs (Roman soldiers) did to Jesus.
The nails dug deep holes into his hands and feet, continually pulling and
enlarging the holes.

Sincerely,
-Steve Miller
Detroit
www.voiceInWilderness.info
They shall come, and they shall declare
to a people to be born,
reveal His righteousness.
This deed which the Lord has done
they'll retell to everyone
that He may all peoples bless. (Psalm 22:31)