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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] priest code?

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  • From: fred burlingame <tensorpath AT gmail.com>
  • To: Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>
  • Cc: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] priest code?
  • Date: Thu, 18 Nov 2010 22:24:15 -0600

Hello Isaac:

Your explanation sounds reasonable.

And if the common root meaning of נחל includes "a spreading over," I see
severe restrictions on the ability of this hebrew language to translate into
any other language. No translation can capture the root meaning here.

Certainly, the english translations fail to preserve this context of
"spreading over," common to both usages of נחל in the two particular verses
here. Much of the texture and fabric of the source language
necessarily fails to carry over into the target language.


regards,

fred burlingame

On Thu, Nov 18, 2010 at 6:42 PM, Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu> wrote:

> The root NXL, is a member of the root family
>
> נגל, נהל, נחל, נכל, *נקל
>
> all essentially meaning 'spread over, include'. So the verb (or noun) NAXAL
> may refer to water spreading over the earth, or, equally well, to people
> coming to live on it. Such apparent diversity of meanings for words sharing
> the same root is common in Hebrew.
>
> In any event, I believe that L means 'elevation', a meaning imparted to
> every root containing L.
>
>
> Isaac Fried, Boston University
>
>
> On Nov 18, 2010, at 11:54 AM, fred burlingame wrote:
>
> And so we have:
>
>
> ויעלו עד נחל אשכול ויראו את הארץ ויניאו את לב בני ישראל לבלתי בא אל הארץ
> אשר
>
> נתן להם יהוה
>
>
> numbers 32:9;
>
>
> and
>
>
> לא נשוב אל בתינו עד התנחל בני ישראל איש נחלתו
>
>
> numbers 32:18
>
>
> The three letter word נחל encodes two widely different meanings in these
>
> verses. The message of "stream valley" emerges in the first verse. And the
>
> meaning of "inherit" or "possess" appears communicated by the second.
>
>
>




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