Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

> From: K Randolph
> Sent: Monday, December 07, 2009 1:36 PM
> To: B-Hebrew
> Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] prosthetic aleph in Ps 22:17?
> 
> 
> Incidentally. the photograph of the Nahal Heber fragment indicates that
> the
> final section of verse 18 should read, “המה יביטו יראי בי”, again a
> reading
> I anticipated from grammar, context and pattern.
> 
> Karl W. Randolph.

[Steve Miller] This shows me you can't always trust "The Dead Sea Scrolls
Bible" by Abegg, Flint & Ulrich. That book says that there is nothing for
22:18 in DSS, but clearly yabitu, they stare, and bi, in me, is there.

The word yiru or yiri is pretty messed up. Knowing what's in the MT, I can
see the 1st letter, yod, the 2nd, resh, and possibly the 3rd letter, aleph.
The aleph is really bad. It appears that part of the fragment is peeled off
there. Then there seems to be something after the aleph. Is it the bottom of
an ayin? Not likely, plus, that would be no such word. There appears to be
another of the same letter at the beginning of the last line of the
fragment, which is verse 20. The word lezrati, to my help, is clearly seen
followed by chusha, hasten. The word before lezrati is unclear in the
fragment, but in MT it is ayluti, my help, which starts with an aleph. So
that strange character at the beginning of the last line of the fragment is
likely an aleph, but it doesn't look much like an aleph to me, but I don't
see what else it could be from the MT. Maybe it's not a letter at all. Just
some symbol or mark.
The deciding factor on whether the last letter of yiru or yiri in v18 is a
vav or yod is its vertical relationship to the preceeding letter. The bottom
of this last letter is clearly higher than the bottom of what precedes it,
which would make it a yod. But if the preceding letter is an ayin, that
doesn't count because the bottom of the ayin goes below the line. If the
thing before the last letter is not a letter, then it's really undetermined.
It would be really good if one of the DSS experts would look at it.

Anyway, lets say it's yiri instead of yiru. Then what is the meaning? They
stare at those who fear in me? I can't get it to make sense.

Thank you, Karl.

Sincerely,
-Steve Miller
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)