Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] lock without a key

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: fred burlingame <tensorpath AT gmail.com>
  • To: dwashbur AT nyx.net
  • Cc: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] lock without a key
  • Date: Tue, 2 Nov 2010 14:44:59 -0500

Hello Dave:

Thanks for your informative comments.

Some people discount, and some people inflate, the differing characteristics
of apples and oranges. Differences abound however, between these plant
products; and as anyone can see.

Likewise;

a. when the hebrew text employs one set of three letters חיל to express
both verb and noun; and to manifest different noun meanings in repetitive
usage of close proximity;

b. when the corresponding english text utilizes wholly unrelated words to
translate this single hebrew word, appearing repetitively in close
proximity;

c. when this circumstance repeates chronically across the large masoretic
text with other hebrew words;

such conditions render the hebrew original and english translation akin to
apples and oranges, no matter what significance becomes attached to the
distinctions (such as semantics or whimsical).

regards,

fred burlingame

On Tue, Nov 2, 2010 at 12:49 PM, <dwashbur AT nyx.net> wrote:

>
>
> On 1 Nov 2010 at 21:28, fred burlingame wrote:
>
> > Hello Paul:
> >
> > I agree with your comments.
> >
> > I would observe however, that in this particular case, we have:
> >
> > a. a parent hebrew verb with a meaning to bore or pierce;
> >
> > b. a child hebrew noun with two alternate meanings of wealth/goods
> > and army;
>
> Hebrew doesn't have such "parent" and "child" relationships. Most words
> derive from a
> common root, but that may or may not have any impact on their meaning in
> the contexts
> where they're used.
>
> Semantics, and especially word definitions, are somewhat whimsical in any
> and all
> languages. A common example is the English "nice" which derives from a
> Latin root
> meaning "ignorant." And words change meaning over time, often for no
> apparent reason.
> The word "strike" means "hit" in bowling but "miss" in baseball. And so it
> goes. Words
> mean what they mean because a society chooses to use them that way, nothing
> more.
> Sometimes roots can give us insight, but most often they just muddy the
> waters.
>
> > c. and such two noun definitions used in two verses of close
> > physical and
> > subject matter proximity.
> >
> > The richness of these connections gives the hebrew reading consumer
> > of the
> > verses an entirely different understanding, than the disconnected
> > english
> > words reveal to the english reading consumer.
> >
> > Much of the hebrew meaning survives translation, not. Hence, the
> > hebrew
> > language appears locked to english or greek or any other language
> > translation.
>
> It's not locked at all. The key you're looking for is nothing more than
> context. This is the
> one and only genuine definitive determiner of word meaning. Other contexts
> can give us
> some ideas, but immediate context is the ultimate factor. If somebody says
> "those are some
> bad shoes you have there," only the context in which the statement is made
> will tell you
> whether they think your shoes are good or bad. Semantics is an arbitrary
> force, and we do
> well to deal with that force on its own terms. It saves a lot of
> headaches.
>
> Dave Washburn
>
> http://www.nyx.net/~dwashbur
> _______________________________________________
> b-hebrew mailing list
> b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
>




Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page