To: lizfried AT umich.edu, "Uri Hurwitz" <uhurwitz AT yahoo.com>
Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Neh. 4:17
Date: Tue, 25 Jan 2005 02:08:24 -0500
Uri and Liz:
Those words are in the context of taking off their clothes, rather they just
rinsed themselves off dressed instead of stripping and taking a dip in a tub.
That's how I read it.
Basically, Nehemiah was fairly competant in Hebrew language, but as a post
Exile Jew from Susa, Hebrew was not his native tongue. As a result, this was
his way to try to say that he, his brothers and so forth simply took quick
showers with their clothes on.
Karl W. Randolph.
----- Original Message -----
From: lizfried AT umich.edu
>
> Hi Uri,
> I dicuss this in my book. I translate it that
> they didn't even take the time to go to the bathroom
> (to send out his water)!
> Best,
> Liz
>
> Quoting Uri Hurwitz <uhurwitz AT yahoo.com>:
>
> >
> > Any suggestion for the meaning of the last three words in Neh. 4:17,
> > ish
> > shilh(.)o hamayim?
> >
> > Each word is perfectly clear but not when combined in a phrase. I seem to
> > remember that it was omitted in one of the LXX versions; I interpret this
> > to
> > mean that the ancient translator felt, like me now, that the phrase was
> > too
> > garbled to have a meaning..
> >
> > Uri