Biblical Hebrew Forum

[George Athas <George.Athas AT moore.edu.au>]

No more posts, please, Isaac.



GEORGE ATHAS
Dean of Research,
Moore Theological College (Sydney, Australia)


On 27/08/2012, at 5:13 AM, "Isaac Fried" <if AT math.bu.edu> wrote:

> You may well be right, except that "the ancients" are not the authors  
> of the
> Hebrew bible. As I understand it, XUG is 'arch, vault', referring to  
> the overhead sky.
> 
> In 2Ch. 4:2 we find written:
> ויעש את-הים מוצק עשר באמה משפתו אל  
> שפתו עגול סביב
> וחמש באמה קומתו וקו שלשים באמה יסב אתו  
> סביב
> 
> "Also he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim,
> round in compass; and the height thereof was five cubits;
> and a line of thirty cubits compassed it round about"
> 
> Here, עגול סביב AGOL SABIYB evidently means a complete circle,
> evenly bent all around, in the true geometrical sense of the word,
> and with Pi, the ratio circumference/diameter, given as 3.
> 
> Etymologically, עגול AGOL is a variant of AKOL עקול (Hab. 1:4  
> and Is. 27:1),
> and עקלקל AKALKAL (Judges 5:6), 'bent, crooked'. Also of GAL,  
> 'mound, wave'.
> 
> SBB סבב is a variant of צב CB and צבב CBB, 'pile up, swell'.
> 
> Isaac Fried, Boston University
> 
> On Aug 26, 2012, at 10:34 AM, Cliff Moody wrote:
> 
>> I fail to see why the ancients couldn't look at the moon, observe  
>> the phases
>> replete with monthly crescents (as well as occasional lunar  
>> eclipses), and
>> not be able to conclude that the moon is a sphere as opposed to a  
>> flat disk,
>> and by association, conclude that the sun and earth, also  
>> celestrial bodies,
>> were spherical. Does that seem so far fetched?
> 
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