Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Zalman Romanoff <flintflintflintflint AT gmail.com>]

Karl,

You read the waw of אַדְמָתוֹ as a pronominal suffix (HIS land), which
is what seems to create the syntactical problems in that segment of
the verse, as rendered by the Masoretes. But the waw does have to
signify a pronominal suffix here, but an archaic/poetic form.
וְכִפֶּר
 אַדְמָתוֹ עַמּוֹ =  וְכִפֶּר אַדְמָת עַמּוֹ.

At any rate, your reading solves the problems with syntax if one
insists that the waw of אַדְמָתוֹ is a pronominal suffix, and offers a
syntactically perfect reading, but what does it mean? What does "and
covering/price (kofer)) of his land is with him" mean in this context?

Noam Eitan

Brooklyn, NY

>>
>> Deuteronomy 32:43, MT
>> עַמּוֹ אַדְמָתוֹ , וְכִפֶּר לְצָרָיו הַרְנִינוּ גוֹיִם עַמּוֹ, כִּי
>> דַם-עֲבָדָיו יִקּוֹם; וְנָקָם יָשִׁיב
>>
>
> First of all, get rid of those pesky dots! They’re wrong.
>
> The word כפר here is a noun, not a verb. Context tells us that.
>
> The last two sections form a couplet, “And he causes to return vengeance to
> his enemies, and covering (as in covering the cost, purchase price or
> redemption, here redemption) of his land is with him.”
>