Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] how scholars debate controversial issues
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 22:42:43 +0100
On 28/03/2007 22:13, Rolf Furuli wrote:
... One example of this is
Hebrews 11:17, where the force of the perfect is difficult. When the NIV
render the perfect "offered," this is factually wrong and contradicts its
rendering "was about to sacrifice". ...
No, Rolf, NIV is not factually wrong. Neither the English word "offer"
nor the Greek word PROSFERW used in both cases here implies that the
offering was accepted and the sacrifice completed. As you should
certainly know, "offer" can mean "To present for acceptance or rejection
... To exhibit readiness or desire (to do something)" (selection of
definitions from http://www.answers.com/offer&r=67). Abraham offered or
presented Isaac and expressed his readiness to sacrifice him, but God
did not allow him to complete the action. So NIV is factually correct,
although "to sacrifice" is an unwarranted addition and "was about to
sacrifice" is a poor rendering. As for Greek PROSFERW, here are the
definitions from Louw and Nida: "(a) ... to carry or bring something
into the presence of someone, usually implying a transfer of something
to that person - to carry to, to bring (to). ... (b) ... to bring or
lead into the presence of someone - to lead before, to bring into the
presence of, to bring to. ... (c) ... to present something to someone,
often involving actual physical transport of the object in question - to
bring to, to present to. ..." So there is no suggestion in the Greek
either that the action of PROSFERW was incomplete. The lexical meaning
of the verb seems to imply a recipient, and in this case the implied
recipient must be God.
Now I don't know what the distinction between perfect and imperfect is
in this verse, but I don't think your claim that the action was
incomplete is helpful in that respect. Here is my rather too literal
rendering of the verse, with the additions which I would make for
clarity in [...]:
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, brought (PERFECT) Isaac to [God].
He who received the promises was bringing (IMPERFECT) to [God] his one
and only son.
It was of course part of the assumed background knowledge for this story
that God's acceptance of this offering meant Isaac's death, and so that
Abraham was offering to sacrifice Isaac. The NIV rendering, while not
very literal, accurately portrays the actual scenario as the original
readers would have understood it.