It's an interrogative he, not the article (the pointing is different).
Roughly, it means "is it not
the case that...?" expecting a "yes, that's the case" reply.
On 2 Jan 2010 at 16:41, Richard wrote:
> What is this construction, the first word in Genesis verse 7
> (Genesis 4:7
> Halo )? According to what I can find out it would mean
> (hyperliterally)
> "the no". It seems to be a negative but I would like to know more
> about it
> if it is a Biblical idiom/construction and the possible ways it
> could be
> translated. In this case, it seems awkward to translate.
>
> Toda rabba!
>
> Richard Conaway
>
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