Clarifying More Baffling Biblical Passages
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
CLARIFYING MORE BAFFLING BIBLICAL PASSAGES BY THOMAS F. McDANIEL, Ph.D. © Thomas F. McDaniel 2008 All rights reserved PREFACE This volume, Clarifying More Baffling Biblical Passages, contains twenty-nine chapters which focus on problematic Hebrew and Greek biblical texts and terms that were not ad- dressed in my two other books, entitled, respectively, The Song of Deborah: Poetry in Dialect—A Philological Study of the Song of Deborah with Translation and Commentary and Clarifying Baffling Biblical Passages. The former volume is a 2003 revision of Deborah Never Sang: A Philological Study on the Song of Deborah (Jerusalem: Makor. 1983). It is available now online at http://daniel.eastern.edu/seminary/tmcdaniel/ Deborah.pdf. The latter volume is also available online at http://daniel.eastern.edu/seminary/tmcdaniel/CBBP.pdf. Tthe Summary chapter in The Song of Deborah: Poetry in Dialect has a “Supplemental Lexicon” containing fifty-five old Hebrew words which never made it into the standard lexicons of Biblical Hebrew. Fifty of these fifty-five lost words have been recovered thanks to Arabic cognates. Simi- larly, in the book Clarifying Baffling Biblical Passages fifty- eight old Hebrew words appearing in eighty-four phrases (in fifty-five different verses) were recovered—thanks again to Arabic cognates. A list of all fifty-eight words is provided in the Summary chapter of that book. In this volume, Clarifying More Baffling Biblical Passages, I present over seventy new translations of problematic Hebrew words, most of which are based upon Arabic cognates. For the readers of this study the eight volume Arabic- English Lexicon of Edwin W. Lane and the two volume Lexi- con Heptaglotton of Edmund Castell are available at http:// daniel.eastern.edu/seminary/tmcdaniel/LaneLexicon.htm and http://daniel.eastern.edu/seminary/tmcdaniel/Castell.htm. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Having been retired now for seven years and thoroughly enjoying the role of a Professor Emeritus at the Palmer Theo- logical Seminary in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, I have had the opportunity to pull together more of my research notes and assorted articles for online publication in this volume, Clarifying More Baffling Biblical Passages, which follows the same format as its predecessor, Clarifying Baffling Biblical Passages, noted in the Preface above. In addition to the acknowledgments made in the earlier volume, I want to acknowledge here my indebtedness to my mentors back in the 1950’s and 1960’s whose instruction and inspiration provide me with the philological tools and a strong desire to partici- pate in the critical study of biblical texts. The distinguished professors are name here in chronological order of when I studied under them, starting with my undergraduate work. Pierce Ellis (University of Richmond) Edward Dalglish (Eastern Baptist Seminary) Ephraim Speiser (University of Pennsylvania) Franz Rosenthal (University of Pennsylvania) Moshe Greenberg (University of Pennsylvania) Wilfred Lambert (Johns Hopkins University) George Glanzman (Johns Hopkins University) Samuel Iwry (Johns Hopkins University) Delbert Hillers (Johns Hopkins University) Herbert Huffmon (Johns Hopkins University) George Krotkoff (Johns Hopkins University) Narberth, Pennsylvania June, 2008 iv ABBREVIATIONS A-text Codex Alexandrinus AB Anchor Bible, New York ABD The Anchor Bible Dictionary AJSL American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literature, Chicago AnBib Analecta Biblica, Rome AOS American Oriental Society, New Haven ATD Das Alte Testament Deutsch, Göttingen AV Authorized Version of the Bible, 1611 (same as KJV, 1611) B-text Codex Vaticanus BASOR Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, Philadelphia BCTP A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching BDB F. Brown, S. R. Driver, C. A. Briggs, Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, New York BH3 R. Kittel, Biblica Hebraica, third edition, Stuttgart, 1937 BHS Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia BibOr Biblica et Orientalia, Rome BR Bible Review BSC Bible Student's Commentary BibT Bible Today BTal Bet Talmud CAD I. Gelb, L. Oppenheim, et al., eds., The Assyrian Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago CBQ Catholic Biblical Quarterly, Washington, D. C. CTM Concordia Theological Monthly CV Communio Viatorium DR Downside Review EBC The Expository Bible Commentary ET Expository Times GKC Gesenius’ Hebrew Grammar, ed. E. Kautzsch, tr. A. E. Cowley, Oxford HAT Handbuch zum Alten Testament, Tübingen HTR Harvard Theological Review, Cambridge, Massachusetts IBCTP Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching ICC International Critical Commentary, Edinburgh IDB The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible IVPNTC IVP New Testament Commentary Series JAOS Journal of the American Oriental Society, New Haven, Boston JBL Journal of Biblical Literature, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Missoula, Montana v ABBREVIATIONS JBS Journal of Biblical Storytelling JETS Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society JPSTC Jewish Publication Society Torah Commentary JQR Jewish Quarterly Review, Philadelphia JSNT Journal for the Study of the New Testament JSOT Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, Sheffield JTS Journal of Theological Studies, Oxford KJV King James Version of the Bible (same as the AV, 1611) LTSB Lutheran Theological Seminary Bulletin LXX Septuagint MBC Mellon Biblical Commentary MT Masoretic Text NCB New Century Bible NITGTC The New International Greek Testament Commentary NRSV New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, New York, 1992 NTL New Testament Library NTS New Testament Studies OTL Old Testament Library, Philadelphia and London PEFQS Palestine Exploration Fund, Quarterly Statement PEQ Palestine Exploration Quarterly, London RSV Revised Standard Version of the Bible, London and New York, 1952 SC The Speakers Commentary TDNT Theological Dictionary of the New Testament TDOT Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament USQR Union Seminary Quarterly Review UT C. H. Gordon, Ugaritic Textbook, Rome VT Vetus Testamentum, Leiden VTSup Vetus Testamentum Supplements, Leiden WTJ Westminster Theological Journal, Philadelphia ZAH Zeitschrist für Althebraistik ZAW Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft, Gießen and Berlin ZNT Zeitschrift für neuen testamentlische Wissenschaft vi TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS v ABBREVIATIONS vi CHAPTERS I–XXIX 1–426 I. SUGGESTIONS FOR GENESIS 2:1–3, 8:11 AND 39:6 1 II. NOTES ON GENESIS 6:3 –4 9 III. AMBIGUITIES ABOUT ABRAM AND ISHMAEL 25 IV. WHAT KIND OF ARAMEAN WAS JACOB? 36 V. MOSES SAID “PLEASE! BEHOLD!” 44 VI. PROBLEMS IN THE BALAAM TRADITION OF JOSHUA 24:9 –10 62 VII. THE PRAYER OF JABEZ 84 VIII. A PSALM BY A BLIND POET 110 IX. NOTES ON PSALMS 70 AND 40 119 X. PSALM 109: A WOMAN’S LAMENT 146 XI. THE ROYAL LADY OF PROVERBS 31 159 XII. THE “STRANGER WOMEN” OF PROVERBS 196 XIII. SEVEN PROBLEMS IN ISAIAH 8:1–15 210 XIV. UNRECOGNIZED WORDS IN ISAIAH 53:9a AND EZEKIEL 43:7b 226 TABLE OF CONTENTS XV. JEREMIAH WAS NOT DECEIVED 237 XVI. DECEIVING OR DECEIVED PROPHETS EZEKIEL 14:9 AND 20:25–27 257 XVII. NOTES ON HABAKKUK 2:1–5 267 XVIII. SHORT NOTES ON OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS 278 XIX. THE DERIVATION OF NAZARETH AND NAZARENE 286 XX. A NOTE ON THE WIDOW’S DONATION 302 XXI. THE MULTIPLE MEANINGS OF “HOSANNA” 305 XXII. THE MEANING OF EPHRATHAH 314 XXIII. CLARIFYING MARK 3:17 AND 9:49 322 XXIV. HOW DID “RUST” GET INTO MATTHEW 6:19 –20 342 XXV. ADAM, ENOSH, AND “THE SON OF MAN” 358 XXVI. NEW TESTAMENT MISCELLENEA 387 XXVII. PROBLEM QUOTATIONS IN THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS 398 XXVIII. LUKE’S MISREADING IN 16:9 OF TWO HEBREW WORDS 420 XXIX. SUMMARY 439 BIBLIOGRAPHY 446 viii I SUGGESTIONS FOR GEN 2:1–3, 8:11 AND 39:6 1 Genesis 2:1-3 `~a'b'c.-lk'w> #r,a'h'w> ~yIm;V'h; Wlkuy>w: Thus the heavens and the earth and all their host were perfected. y[iybiV.h; ~AYB; ~yhil{a/ lk;y>w: hf'[' rv,a] Atk.al;m.[mi] And God was fatigued on the seventh day [from] his work which he had done; y[iybiV.h; ~AYB; tBov.YIw: `hf'[' rv,a] Atk.al;m.-lK'mi so God rested/desisted on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. y[iybiV.h; ~Ay-ta, ~yhil{a/ %r,b'y>w: ATk.al;m.-lK'mi tb;v' Ab yKi Atao vDeq;y>w: [MT tAf[]l;]; tWf[El. ~yhil{a/ ar'B'-rv,a] God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it, for on it he rested from his work— which God had created to sustain life. Repetition is well used in these two verses. Five words (~yhil{a/, y[iybiV.h;, ~Ay, lk', and ATk.al;m. appear three times, with lK'mi coming twice. In addition rva, hf[, and tbv occur twice. These repetitions notwithstanding, commentators have questioned the repetition of the verb “to finish” in the 2 GENESIS 2:1–3, 8:11, and 39:6 statements “the heavens and earth were finished”(2:1), fol- lowed by “God finished” (2:2). Skinner (1951: 37), in agree- ment with a tradition going back to Ibn Ezra, translated the lk;y>w: of Gen 2:2 in a negative sense, as God “desisted from” or “did not continue” his work. Speiser (1964: 5 and 7) trans- lated the lk;y>w: of 2:2a as “brought to a close” and “brought to a (gratifying) close,” suggested by the Akkadian šutes.bû used in the sense of “inspect and approve,” but without any lexical or cognate support. The tAf[]l; . ar"B'-rv,a] of 2:2b Speiser paraphrased simply as “which he had undertaken.” The first bold italicized word in the translation at the begin- ning of this article is suggested by Targum Onkelos (Berliner, 1884: 2) which reads in part, yciyvew> . Wll'k.T;v.yaiw>. The first verb is a Shaphel reflexive of llK “to crown, to finish, to perfect”; the second is a Shaphel of acy, meaning in this form “to finish, to complete,” like the Shaphel reflexive yceyTev.ai “to be finished” cited by Jastrow (1903: 1567).