Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>]

You are right that today HIT-BONEN-UT is used (there is nowadays a vast pool of Hebrew speakers and writers of all degrees, kinds and sorts) for 'observation, looking attentively', but the hitpael form of this act means that it describes an act on the self, educating oneself, acquiring understanding. 

The English 'idea' is also from the Greek idein 'to see, to have a vision'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On May 3, 2013, at 2:25 PM, Nir cohen - Prof. Mat. wrote:

ג  יָדַע שׁוֹר קֹנֵהוּ, וַחֲמוֹר אֵבוּס בְּעָלָיו; יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יָדַע, עַמִּי לֹא הִתְבּוֹנָן. 3 The ox

knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel doth not know, My

people doth not consider. 

BN has to do with HBN=understand and BYNH = wisdom, consideration etc. but it

also has to do with vision, observation. nowadays it simply means "to observe,

to look at". so, there is a shift in meaning.

at the same time, even nowadays, HTBWNNUT as "reflexion, observation" has to

do with thought and not vision. so, today the two meanings have diverged and

are used at the same time for similar, but distinct, terms.

the same bifurcation process occurred in english, where SEE is used for the

same two meanings.

nir cohen