Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Yitzhak Sapir <yitzhaksapir AT gmail.com>]

On Tue, May 18, 2010 at 1:08 AM, James Christian wrote:

> Also being fluent in Hebrew I'm sure you can read the simple phrase at the
> beginning of Genesis 36:20 which quite clearly starts a section about the
> genealogy of the Horites from Seir on (great great granddaddy Horite). That
> reference is made to the land of Edom is referring to a geographical
> location not a family tree. The family tree is quite clearly Horite. Edom's
> family tree is from verse 9 to 19. 20 to 29 are about the Horites who lived
> in Edom before Esau's lot (the Edomites). Verses 31 to 42 seems to be about
> Edomite kings in Edom (presumably after they had driven the Horites out).
> We get a bit of mixing between the Horites and the Edomites through Anah's
> daughter (who is also Zibeon's granddaughter).
> I understand that you feel the Samaritan tradition reads )emim. Please
> provide a translation that makes contextual sense if you truly feel this to
> be the case. We are all waiting eagerly.
> James Christian

James, while 36:20 only refers to Edom as a geographical location that
still means
the people are Edomite (by nationality) and also that it would be very
relevant to
people from Edom living in Judea.  I don't know how you get that the
Edomite kings
drove the Horites/Hurrians out.

As for )emim, my reading would be -- he is the one who found the giants.  It
actually doesn't have to make contextual sense.  It is first relevant
to identify
the reading, and then see how it fits the context, not to pick the reading 
that
we can most easily explain.  This again has to do with lectio
difficilior.  Anyway,
even if it does read ymm it is questionable whether it means "hot springs."

Yitzhak Sapir