Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Yigal Levin <Yigal.Levin AT biu.ac.il>]

Dear Bryant,

Not that I'm taking Jim's side here, but I assume that you do realize the 
fallacy of what you're doing. You are using a translation of the DDS to prove 
a point about the text of the MT.

1. What does the HEBREW text of the DDS say? Is it identical (at this 
specific point) to the MT? If so, all you've proven is that the translators 
understood it to mean "13th year", not that that's what the text originally 
meant. We've already established that most translators, beginning with the 
Septuagint, understood it this way.

2. Even if the HEBREW text of the DDS is worded in such a way as to 
definitely mean either "13th" or "13 (more)", can that be considered a 
definitive interpretation of the MT? or might the scribe of the DDS have been 
"updating" his text to make it mean what he thought that it should mean? This 
is obviously what he does with the rest of this story.


Yigal Levin
 

-----Original Message-----
From: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org 
[mailto:b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Bryant J. Williams 
III
Sent: Sunday, August 28, 2011 7:16 PM
To: K Randolph
Cc: B-Hebrew
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Year 13 Hebrew Grammar

Dear Karl,

Regarding the DSS. The following is taken from
***The Dead Sea Scrolls: A New Translation***
by Michael Wise, Martin Abegg, Jr., and Edward Cook
San Francisco: Michael, Martin Abegg, Jr., and Edward Cook and 
Harper-Collins, 1996.

1QapGen 22:23-23:26
Pages 82-83,
    "Abraham battles the four kings of the east. Compare Genesis 14, whose 
narrative this portion of the Tales elaborates considerably. The author of 
the Tales is also concerned to update or identify the names of biblical 
peoples and places."
   " 23    Prior to those days Chedorlaomer, the king of Elam, Amraphel, the 
king of Babylon, Arioch, the king of Cappadocia, and Tidal, king of Goiim, 
which 24 lies between the two rivers had come. They had waged war on Bera, 
the king of Sodom, Birsha, the king of Gomorrah, Shinab, the king of Admah, 
25 Shemiabad, the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela. All these gathered 
themselves together to battle in the Valley of Siddim. Now, the king of 26 
Elam and the kings with him proved stronger than the king of Sodom and all 
his allies. Thus they imposed tribute upon them.
    For twelve years they continued 27 to pay their tribute to the king of 
Elam, but in the thirteenth year they rebelled against him. Consequently, in 
the fourteenth year the king of Elam sallied forth with 28 allies, and they 
ascended by way of the desert."

The key verses are 26-27,
    "26 Elam and the kings with him proved stronger than the king of Sodom 
and all his allies. Thus they imposed tribute upon them.
          For twelve years they continued 
    27 to pay their tribute to the king of Elam, but in the thirteenth year 
they rebelled against him. Consequently, in the fourteenth year the king of 
Elam              sallied forth with 28 allies, and they ascended by way of 
the desert."

Note also on Page 83, that in Column 23 of the same manuscript verse 12ff 
regarding the rescue of Lot by Abraham,
    "12 those who had bee captured he brought back.
        The king of Sodom heard that Abram had recovered all the captives 13 
and plunder, so he went up to meet him. He came to Salem, that is, Jerusalem, 
whereas Abram was encamped in the Valley 14 of Shaveh, that is the Valley of 
the King, the Valley of Beth Hakerem. Now Melchizedek, the king of Salem, 
provided 15 food and drink for Abram and all the men with him. He himself was 
a priest of the God Most High, and he blessed 16 Abram, saying, "Blessed be 
Abram by God Most High, the Lord of heaven and earth, Blessed be God Host 
High 17 who has closed your grasp about enemies."

Rev. Bryant J. Williams III
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew