Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Nir cohen - Prof. Mat." <nir AT ccet.ufrn.br>]

dear list,

i tend to reject the donkey option for "PR) )DM" on a technical basis.
how do the two words PR) and ADM relate? 

A. a mashal-nimshal relation? no, because ")DM" is not the nimshal. 

B. a mythological "man-donkey" hybrid in the style of beowolf, 
flying bull, sphynx, or centaur? i think we all agree this option 
is out of context.

C. the only interpretation would be: 
 
                     OPTION 1: HUMAN (but) LIKE a wild donkey[n].

                     OPTION 2: HUMAN (but)        wild[adj].

we have to ask: 

first, why the word "human" is included, being quite redundant in the given 
text. 

secondly, why the word "like" is omitted, as it is, if we accept OPTION 1. 

the fact is that both addition of ")DM" and omission of "K-" work 
in fovor of OPTION 2. in order to hint at OPTION 1, i would expect 
the text to make the opposite two choices and rather say "K-PR)". 
especially as the K- would tolerate a [n]=noun follower but less so
an [adj]=adjective follower.

observe that "PR)" (which might also be considered a noun) would 
rather be an adjective under option 2, in both hebrew and english.

a point to be considered here is that the BH etymology for PR) is, primarily, 
"wild". the etymology of PR) as "wild donkey" should be regarded as secondary 
only. 

the primary meaning fits very well into the text [so much so that
in modern hebrew it became an expression having nothing with donkeys]. 
so, if the text had the secondary meaning in mind, it should have done
something active to avoid the primary interpretation. this was not done, 
on the contrary.

nir cohen

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>>> 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.”

Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois 
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