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  • From: pastormattfbcrankin <pastormattfbcrankin AT gmail.com>
  • To: fred burlingame <tensorpath AT gmail.com>
  • Cc: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Fish and Tree
  • Date: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 20:16:53 -0600

Hello Fred,

I'm afraid one of those isn't the best example.

עץ = Tree, AND wood, lumber, sticks, kindling, wooden instruments, spear
shafts etc, etc.

Did the widow say to Elijah that she was gathering two trees to make a fire?

Did Moses throw an entire tree into the waters at Marah? (I never realized he
was so strong!)

In Numbers 35:18, is this only applicable to someone who can wield a whole
tree?

Every language that I know (which isn't very many BTW) runs into the same
issues. Words derive meaning from their context. Words have a range of
meaning. I guess what I'm saying is, why try to force the language to do
something that it isn't intended to do?

I will give you this though....you have stirred up quite a bit of dust on the
list, as well as luring a lurker or two (like myself) out of the shadows.

Warmest Regards,

--Matthew Williams


On Dec 13, 2010, at 7:00 PM, fred burlingame wrote:

> Hello Karl:
>
> Thanks for your comments.
>
> Please forgive my inability to understand you.
>
> Perhaps the following examples will illuminate the issue confronting me.
>
> When I see the following two biblical hebrew words; I understand the
> prevailing and generally accepted english meanings of these words as
> follows:
>
> a. דג = fish;
>
> b. עץ = tree.
>
> And
>
> c. עולם = ?
>
> Or to say it another way; if "dag" means fish; and "etz" means tree; what
> does "olam" mean?
>
> It all seems so simple.
>
> There must be some straightforward meaning attached to the hebrew word עולם
> ; just as a simple meaning attaches to דג and עץ . ?
>
> What is the meaning of olam in biblical hebrew?
>
> regards,
>
> fred burlingame
>
> On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 5:04 PM, K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Fred:
>>
>> On Mon, Dec 13, 2010 at 2:42 PM, fred burlingame
>> <tensorpath AT gmail.com>wrote:
>>
>>> Hello Karl:
>>>
>>> Thanks for your comments.
>>>
>>> Can you point to a specific example in the masoretic text of עולם meaning
>>> infinite action, eternal action ... versus finite and/or temporal action?
>>>
>>
>> Again you focus on the form, not the action. The question is not whether or
>> not it is infinite or finite, but whether or not it deals with that which
>> is
>> unknown. In this case, both the finite and the infinite are unknown at the
>> referent time.
>>
>>>
>>> regards,
>>>
>>> fred burlingame
>>>
>>> Karl W. Randolph.
>>
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