To: Biblical Hebrew <b-hebrew AT franklin.metalab.unc.edu>
Subject: Re: Long-nosed
Date: Tue, 27 Aug 2002 07:49:23 -0600
>
> Dear David,
>
> The following isquote from TWOT, Vol. 1, page 72, by V.P.H. (Victor P.
> Hamilton),
>
> " 'arek. "Long." Appears only in the construct for 'erek, never in the
> absolute. It is used fifteen
> times. It is used ten times in connection with God, four times in
> connection with man (Prov 14:29;
> 15:18; 16:32; Eccl 7:8), once in connection with the wingspread of a bird
> (Ezk 17:3).
> Applied to either God or man it is used most frequently in construct to
> the word 'appayim, and is
> translated "longsuffering, slow to anger/wrath.: Literally, when the Bible
> says God is
> "longsuffering" (Ex 34:6; Numb 14:18; Ps 86:15, etc.) it reads "God is long
> of nose." When he is
> angry, his nose becomes red and burns. It may be questioned whether in the
> living language the
> idioms had not already dropped their etymological associations and did not
> merely mean to be
> longsuffering and to be angry. When he is compassionate his nose becomes
> long, so long in fact
> that it would take forever to burn completely."
>
> I hope this helps?
Thanks, Bryan. Like the rest of my books, TWOT is still packed. I do like
what they
said about idioms and their etymological associations (or lack thereof); it
reminds me
of English expressions like "kick the bucket," whose etymology consists of
God only
knows what. Perhaps this is a similar expression.