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  • From: Yigal Levin <Yigal.Levin AT biu.ac.il>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] A VISUAL EXPRESSION OF A THEOLOGICAL IDEA OF THE SKY/HEAVEN
  • Date: Tue, 04 Sep 2012 09:14:19 +0300

Ishinan,

What do you mean by "The official translation according to the Masoretic
Text"? Whose translation? What makes it "official"? Any translation is an
interpretation. I don’t know which translation you were quoting, but it's
anything but a literal translation of the Hebrew. For example, there is no
word in the Hebrew that corresponds to "open".

I am not taking sides as to how the ancient Hebrews envisioned the sky. There
have been good arguments on both (or all) sides. I'm not even sure that
different writers didn't have different views. But please at least quote the
text as it is, not as someone thinks that it should be.

Yigal Levin

-----Original Message-----
From: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Ishnian
Sent: Tuesday, September 04, 2012 8:33 AM
To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Cc: George.Athas AT moore.edu.au
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] A VISUAL EXPRESSION OF A THEOLOGICAL IDEA OF THE
SKY/HEAVEN

The official translation of Gen 1:20
According to the Masoretic Text


כ וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים--יִשְׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם, שֶׁרֶץ נֶפֶשׁ חַיָּה;
וְעוֹף יְעוֹפֵף עַל-הָאָרֶץ, עַל-פְּנֵי רְקִיעַ הַשָּׁמָיִם. 20 And God
said: 'Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let fowl fly
above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.'


If the fowl flies over 'the surface' of the firmament, are you then
suggesting that the fowl is flying through a solid matter or in the air?
BTW, your interpretation does not match the official translation above, which
is according to the Masoretic text . Besides pn' can be used in a great
variety of applications one of them is being 'empty' or 'open' which would
make more sense.

Sorry for disagreeing.


Ishinan Ishibashi







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