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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] one-to-one rendering of olam

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  • From: Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>
  • To: fred burlingame <tensorpath AT gmail.com>
  • Cc: B-Hebrew List <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] one-to-one rendering of olam
  • Date: Sun, 12 Dec 2010 19:48:29 -0500

2. OLAM essentially means 'tall and fat'.

3. As for the translation of Eccl. 3:11
King James: He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

The New American Standard Bible: He has made everything appropriate in its time He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.

Luther: Er aber tut alles fein zu seiner Zeit und läßt ihr Herz sich ängsten, wie es gehen solle in der Welt; denn der Mensch kann doch nicht treffen das Werk, das Gott tut, weder Anfang noch Ende.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Dec 12, 2010, at 7:22 PM, fred burlingame wrote:


Hello Isaac:

Thanks for your comments. I offer the following response, correlated to your numbered paragraphs.

1. The "forever" hissing in jeremiah 18:16 appears to result from the precedent שמה , not because some people do it arbitrarily and in a vacuum.

2. If the עולם covenant in genesis 9:16 equals "forever;" why not also the עולם hissing due to שמה in jeremiah 18:16? Once again, there appears to be no factual distinction between these two occurrences of עולם . Whatever עולם means, the meaning should hold the same for both occurrences.

3. ecclesiastes 3:11

את הכל עשה יפה בעתו גם את העלם נתן בלבם מבלי אשר לא ימצא האדם את המעשה אשר עשה האלהים מראש ועד סוף


This verse represents an excellent example of the meaning of עולם . Obviously, it cannot mean "eternal." For if אדם possessed the eternal in his heart, ימצא האדם את המעשה אשר עשה האלהים מראש ועד סוף . Rather, עולם properly means "hidden" or "obscurity," so man cannot find out the works of the elohim.

regards,

fred burlingame


On Sun, Dec 12, 2010 at 4:51 PM, Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu> wrote:
1. Whatever it means, SHRIYQOT OLAM is negligible. Some people will hiss or whistle "forever". So what. (BTW I think that the root SHRK is a variant of ZRQ, with SHRIQAH meaning ZRIYQAH, 'hurling out air'.)

2. The BRIT OLAM of Gen. 9:16 is indeed (in the words of King James) 'everlasting covenant', where everlasting means 'unlimited in time', or 'irrevocable, not cancelable, to last AD OLAM'.

3. What do you think of HA-OLAM of Eccl. 3:11?

Isaac Fried, Boston University








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