From: Ben Crick (ben.crick@argonet.co.uk)
Date: Wed Sep 02 1998 - 14:50:42 EDT
On Tue 1 Sep 98 (18:27:40), jonathan@texcel.no wrote:
> Now I can sort of make out a repeated phrase in the Hebrew for Isaiah
> 43:25: ANoQiY, ANoQiY. Can someone comment on this phrase? How does it
> compare to the EGW EIMI EGW EIMI?
Jonathan:
The Hebrew language lacks superlatives. To express a superlative, Hebrew
simply repeats the adjective. The same applies to adverbs; AMHN AMHN LEGW
hUMIN.
To emphasize a verb, Hebrew uses the infinitive-absolute construction:
"in blessing I will bless thee...": EI MH EULOGWN EULOGHSW SE (Hebrews 6:14,
Genesis 22:17).
To emphasize a pronoun, Hebrew just repeats it: "I, even I..."; or uses the
formula already noted, 'aNiY HuW', "I [am] he; I [am] the One". Compare
John 4:26, EGW EIMI hO LALWN SOI, which Delitzsch renders 'aNiY HuW'
HeMeDhaBBeR 'eLaYiK in his Hebrew New Testament.
In Isaiah 43:25 the writer combines both forms of emphasis: repetition of
the personal pronoun I in its extended form, 'aNoChiY rather than the
shorter form 'aNiY, plus the demonstrative pronoun HuW' on top: 'aNoChiY
'aNoChiY HuW', literally EGW EGW hOUTOS, or EGW EGW AUTOS.
This *triple* superlative is peculiar to Deity; compare "Holy Holy Holy
LORD" in Isaiah 6:3 (4 in Hebrew) QaDhoSh QaDhoSh QaDhoSh YHWH.
I don't know why EGW EIMI is repeated in Isaiah 45:19 LXX; perhaps by
dittography? The Hebrew has simply 'aNiY YHWH, I the LORD: /ego Dominus/
in the Vulgate. There is no difference in meaning between 'aNiY and
'aNoChiY; the longer form is more rhetorical in prophetic utterance.
(There was a long thread on this a while ago on b-hebrew.)
Isaiah 51:12 has the same as 43:25, 'aNoChiY 'aNoChiY HuW'. Jerome's
Vulgate renders this /ego sum ego sum ipse/ in 43:25, and /ego ego ipse/
in 51:12. It's like Jesus' formula AMHN AMHN LEGW hUMIN noted above.
Any help?
ERRWSQE
Ben
-- Revd Ben Crick, BA CF <ben.crick@argonet.co.uk> 232 Canterbury Road, Birchington, Kent, CT7 9TD (UK) http://www.cnetwork.co.uk/crick.htm--- B-Greek home page: http://sunsite.unc.edu/bgreek You are currently subscribed to b-greek as: [cwconrad@artsci.wustl.edu] To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-b-greek-329W@franklin.oit.unc.edu To subscribe, send a message to subscribe-b-greek@franklin.oit.unc.edu
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.4 : Sat Apr 20 2002 - 15:40:02 EDT