On Wed 11 Nov 98 (19:29:02), a.c.smith AT juno.com wrote:
> The sentences listed above are all part of one speech, given at one
> time, to the same crowd of people. Why the variations?
Dear Andrew:
Do you think it at all possible that we have here an example of the common
numerical ambiguity with *collective* nouns? The God of Israel is "your
God, O Israel". Do we say "Israel HAS (singular) a God", or Israel HAVE
(plural) a God"? Israel IS the Chosen Race; or Israel ARE the Chosen Race?
This numerical ambiguity so common in English (This team is a good team /
this team are a good team) would IMHO be sufficient to explain the numerical
bivalency we observe in the Hebrew.
ShaLoWM
Ben
--
Revd Ben Crick, BA CF
<ben.crick AT argonet.co.uk>
232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK) http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm