To: Biblical Hebrew <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: Mal. 2:16
Date: Sat, 05 Jun 1999 22:31:11 +0800
Edgar Foster wrote:
> --- Paul Zellmer <zellmer AT cag.pworld.net.ph> wrote:
>
> >The text I have reads:
>
> >K.IY-&FN") $AL.AX )FMAR Y:HWFH ):ELOH"Y YI&:RF)"L<
> I would guess the difficulty lies more in the use of the
> third person for &FN") than it does in the presence of the piel
> infinitive absolute $AL.AX<
Edgar,
Keil treats this as a participle without the subject pronoun being expressed.
I'm
not sold on the likelihood of this. I recognize the correspondence of qamets
and
holem, but I'm not sure why a holem would be shortened to a qamets in this
case.
Also, if it did, none of the lexicons that I have here attest to a qal active
participle of &FN") with such a reduction. Besides, such an explanation
requires a
very strange form in the Hebrew--a participle acting like a verb with an
*implied*
subject. This form would be especially strange considering the "precedent"
which
would indicate the subject actually follows the participial "clause".
I also have a problem with Ralph Smith's suggestion of simply reading it as
first
person, since it *does* make sense as a third person. The only problem is
that we are
unable to identify who actually is the subject of the activity of hating.
Without
other examples of a person referring to himself in the third person singular
in a
speech, I'm not sure that we can determine with any certainty whether this is
direct
speech or a paraphrased report of direct speech.
I've added it onto my list of things to look up when I get the chance. Good
question!
Paul
--
On June 5:
70 Titus & his Roman legions breach the middle wall of Jerusalem
1967 6 day war between Israel & Arab neighbors begins
Paul and Dee Zellmer, Jimmy Guingab, Geoffrey Beltran
Ibanag Translation Project
Cabagan, Philippines