Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Lewis Reich" <lbr AT sprynet.com>]

Jim – 

 

Thanks for your very helpful elucidation.  Perhaps I was being too 
literal-mided, but your message on which I was commenting had indicated 
“typical English translation of PR) )DM as ‘wild ass’”, whereas your adduced 
examples document translations that would have seemed plausible to me: “wild 
ass of a man”.

 

That in English “wild ass” may sound pejorative seems to me only to highlight 
the lamentable but unavoidable fact that translations are treacherous.  
Translating PR) as “stallion” would have its own difficulties, as English 
readers would incorrectly assume it referred to a horse.

 

Lewis Reich

 

From: jimstinehart AT aol.com [mailto:jimstinehart AT aol.com] 
Sent: Saturday, February 12, 2011 2:34 PM
To: lbreich AT alum.mit.edu; b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] gen 16:12

 

Lewis Reich: 
 
1.  You wrote:  “I have never seen PR)  )DM translated as ‘wild ass’….”
 
It is often translated “wild ass of a man”, or some similar phrasing.  Here 
are the first 7 translations I found: 
 
NIV:  “He will be a wild donkey of a man.”
ESV:  “He shall be a wild donkey of a man.”
ASV:  “He shall be as a wild ass among men.”
Darby:  “And he will be a wild-ass of a man.”
Young’s Literal:  “and he is a wild-ass man.”
KJV:  “And he will be a wild man.”
JPS 1917:  “And he shall be a wild ass of a man.”
 
2.  You said:  “This is consistent with B. Chan’s suggestion that that 
Ishmael will be a free-ranging creature, untrammelled by earthly authority.  
People untrammeled by earthly authority generally end up in conflict with 
others, so I think that in effect Mr. Chan is saying the same thing, but  may 
not be willing to draw the conclusion that people living wild and free 
generally have a lot of conflict with others in their way of life.”
 
Well said.
 
3.  You wrote:  “The description of someone living wild and free in the 
desert, raiding others and subject to attack himself, would not sound 
pejorative to a Bedouin, I think.”
 
I agree.  The problem I was pointing out is that in  E-n-g-l-i-s-h, “wild 
ass” sounds terribly pejorative, like a straightforward curse, which is not a 
fair and balanced translation of what the Hebrew text intends to convey.
 
I think most of us are more or less agreeing as to what the Hebrew text says. 
 The problem lies in the misleading English translations, which are 
unambiguously negative, whereas the Hebrew text is ambiguous and could be 
viewed positively.  Rather than “wild donkey” or “wild ass”, which are too 
pejorative in English, I think “wild stallion” would better convey the 
meaning in English.
 
Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois