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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Psalm 23.4 --- The Biblical expression _Shadow of Death_

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  • From: Barry <nebarry AT verizon.net>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Psalm 23.4 --- The Biblical expression _Shadow of Death_
  • Date: Mon, 18 Feb 2013 22:26:55 -0500

On 2/18/2013 9:26 PM, Ishnian wrote:
The use of the Old Testament in the New is an intriguing area of study
including detailed research on scores of explicit citations as well as
allusions in an attempt to understand how the NT writers understood and
used the Old Testament. The result might astound you.

Maybe, but your introductory paragraph seems to have little to do with the actual comments you make below.

A typically exegesis is of David's famous Psalm 23 in Biblical Studies.
I am precisely referring here to the Biblical expression _Shadow of
Death_ found in Psalm 23: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the
shadow of death, I will fear no evil: For thou art with me; ...."
This Biblical expression has prevailed from the Anglo-Saxon period in
the works of Cynewulf (900 AD ) to Chaucer (1386 AD) on to Coverdale
(1535 AD) and finally to Wycliffe's Bible.

Exegesis or translation? You are really talking more about the latter than the former. As you point out below, this is also how the LXX translators and Jerome understood it. You are a bit confused here as to the order of your English Bibles -- Wycliffe preceded Coverdale by nearly 200 years. It was also a translation from the Vulgate, and not from the original Hebrew/Aramaic and Greek, so naturally it is going to follow *umbrae mortis* (shadow of death). I believe that all earlier English translations also are from the Latin.

The history of this translation has always been highly controversial.
In fact, the expression is no where to be found in the original
Hebrew/Aramaic text. Instead, what we have is the term: _calamaveth_
(slmwt) in Hebrew/Aramaic (Cf. As. salamw,_zulumat_ in Arabic, Ugaritic
_Zlmt (*1)_, plural form of _zlm_.) [ See BDB # 853]. All of which mean
literally "darkness", and are often used to describe a state of
"ignorance" in the so-called Semitic languages.

צַלְמָ֡וֶת

†צַלְמָ֫וֶת S6757 TWOT1921b GK7516 n.[m.] death-shadow, deep shadow, poet. (prob. = צֵל + מָוֶת, G (usually) σκιὰ θανάτου, cf. S B, so Thes SchwallyLeben n. d. Tode, 194, v. especially NöZAW xvii (1897), 183 ff.; Ew Br and most mod. (afterolder comm.) read צַלְמוּת darkness, deep darkness, cp. Arabic ظَلَمَ (ẓalama) IV, Assyrian [ṣalâmu], Ethiopic ጸልመ (ṣalma) be black, dark); cf. ظُلْمَةٌ (ẓulmatun) 6, often || חֹשֶׁךְ, לַיְלָה, etc., and opp. בֹּקֶר, אוֹר. 1. = deep shadow, darkness (cf. הַרְרֵי אֵל, אַרְזֵי אֵל): Am 5:8 Jb 3:5; 12:22; 24:17a; 28:3; 34:22; of eyes heavy with weeping 16:16; בַּלְהוֹת צ׳ 24:17b terrors of the darkness. 2. fig. a. of distress Je 13:16 ψ 107:10, 14; אֶרֶץ צ׳ Is 9:1. b. of extreme danger Je 2:6 ψ 23:4; 44:20. 3. characterizing world of the dead, אֶרֶץ חֹשֶׁךְ וצ׳ Jb 10:21, כְּמוֹ אֹפֶל צ׳ v 22 (text dub., v. Bu Du); וְשַׁעֲרֵי צ׳ 38:17 (G πυλωροὶ δὲ ᾅδου; || שַׁעֲרֵי־מָ֑וֶת).

Brown, F., Driver, S. R., & Briggs, C. A. (2000). Enhanced Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon (electronic ed.) (853). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems.

The various translations in Greek, vulgar Latin and eventually English
have the Hebrew/Aramaic term as if it were two words _Cel_, (Arabic
Z.ill) meaning "shadow" + _ ma'veth _ (cf. Arabic mawt) meaning "death",
this instead of the original one word term _calamaveth/ tsalmavetha form
of "Z.ulumat" meaning darkness. The result is a linguistic blend (or
Portmanteau word) broadly to mean a blend of two words and their
meanings into one. Unfortunately this misnomer has become part of the
lexicon.

So you are essentially arguing that the traditional reading of the word is a folk etymology, and it's really from a different root meaning simply "darkness."

This SNAFU points to a weak translation by someone who happened to know
some Hebrew/Aramaic but who was oblivious to the rules of grammar. In
this case a little knowledge proved to be very dangerous. The
translator badly misinterpreted and botched the verse and in the process
changed the entire meaning of the verse. I cannot help but think of the
millions of prayers that have been (and still are) uttered at burials.
There is a final twist to the story which is equally baffling. The Old
English language had the term "dwolema and or dwolma" meaning “ The
chaos of darkness ” * (2) , the translator missed it and went for his
shadow of death instead.

You seem to be switching categories here. Is it a faulty etymology, or is it something to do with the rules of grammar? To me it appears to be a pretty transparent form, but I'll be the first admit that my Hebrew is not as strong as it should be. But let's say, despite your somewhat confusing argumentation, you are absolutely right, and we translate it "valley of darkness." What difference does it make? How should we interpret the Psalm differently?

On the OE word, see above -- they were following the Latin...

--
N.E. Barry Hofstetter
Semper melius Latine sonat
The American Academy
http://www.theamericanacademy.net
The North American Reformed Seminary
http://www.tnars.net
Bible Translation Magazine
http://www.bible-translation.net

http://my.opera.com/barryhofstetter/blog




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