Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

karl, david,

A. the way you quote each other makes it really difficult to know who said
what. at some point your versions seem to slowly fuse into one...
anyway, i cannot agree with the following translation by one of you:

2 >>>  (Ps139:2,17)   you know my settling down and my rising up, 
it is built up for my feeding from a distance.

the only possible translation here is

BANTAH LERE(I MERAXOQ: you fiured out my thoughts from the distance.

the root of BANTAH is BYN=understand, not BNH=build, or else it would be
BANYTAH. and the proof of this reading is the parallel between the two 
strophs. 

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B. so, R(Y here is not "feed". in fact, i believe the etymology 
"feed" is only secondary, and the original meaning of the old 
bisyllabic root R( is "WANDER":

1) WANDERING of the pastor is LIR(OT, giving MIR(EH etc. "RA(AH" means not
"feed" but "lead", and "MIR(EH" is not "food" but "place of pasture". though
later on a secondary meaning "feed" was added.

2) WANDERING of the mind=thoughts: RE(U RUAX, RA(YON.

3) WANDERING of loose inanimate objects under the wind or earthquake etc
(trees, earth, falling walls: R(( = shatter, RA(U(A = falling down, 
shattered. 

4) who WANDERs from the path is bad: RA(. (grammatically parallel to many
adjectives in semitic:
who stoops low is $AFEL, who looms high is RAM, who governs is SAR, who
becomes meager is DAL,
who gets beaten is MAKh, who curves down is $AX)

5) who WANDERS with me is my friend: RE(Y. today one prefers "hang out with".

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C. >>> Psalm 37:3 have confidence in the
       LORD and do that which is pleasing, dwell the land and feed on
       trustworthiness (faith)

it is interesting the way the words R(H and )RC are linked.

R(=wander is close to the meaning of RC=run. under a possible reading,
we may understand earth as )-RC in hebrew: the place where one runs. 
under a similar reading, earth in aramaic is )-R():the place where one 
wanders. the initial aleph is understood as a common construction.

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D. in item c, i do not totally agree with the translation "pleasing" in
ranslation to ASE TOV.
in my mind it rather has to do with the obligation to be righteous, just,
compassionate.
 
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E. 
>>> Judges 14:20 and Samson’s woman became to
    his friend who was a neighbor to him (better translation: Samson’s wife
    became his neighbor and friend’s wife)

this translation is based on item B5 above, but i think it is out of context.
i take it this 
"friend" was rather a "feind", i.e. among the ones who schemed to reveal
samson's secrets, and 
later to be avenged by him. so we have to replace B5 above by B4, giving the
translation:

and Samson’s woman became wife of his feind who acted against him.

best
nir cohen