Friday, July 31, 2009

The non concordant breath

I made no attempt to translate רוּחַ as a single English word. It's meaning is too wide to contain. What would it look like if one did make the attempt, I wonder. So here are the uses that might have occurred if one did. This will test if I made consistent choices too - some of which may be rude.

The long and short of it is that mostly I used spirit but sometimes breath and sometimes wind (for the rude bits). (And one 'snort'!) I note places where almost any of the first three would fit.


יט וְהִנֵּה רוּחַ גְּדוֹלָה בָּאָה מֵעֵבֶר הַמִּדְבָּר
וַיִּגַּע בְּאַרְבַּע פִּנּוֹת הַבַּיִת
וַיִּפֹּל עַל הַנְּעָרִים וַיָּמוּתוּ
וָאִמָּלְטָה רַק אֲנִי
לְבַדִּי לְהַגִּיד לָךְ
1.19 and behold a great wind came from the region of the wilderness
and touched the four corners of the house
and it fell on the lads and killed them
and there escaped but I
only I to tell you
ט מִנִּשְׁמַת אֱלוֹהַּ יֹאבֵדוּ
וּמֵרוּחַ אַפּוֹ יִכְלוּ
4.09 by the breath of God they perish
and by the snort of his nose they are consumed
טו וְרוּחַ עַל-פָּנַי יַחֲלֹף
תְּסַמֵּר שַׂעֲרַת בְּשָׂרִי
4.15 and a wind passed before me
storm shivered my flesh
ד כִּי חִצֵּי שַׁדַּי עִמָּדִי
אֲשֶׁר חֲמָתָם שֹׁתָה רוּחִי
בִּעוּתֵי אֱלוֹהַּ יַעַרְכוּנִי
6.04 for the arrows of the Sufficient are against me
where their poison drinks my spirit
the terrors of God have disordered me
כו הַלְהוֹכַח מִלִּים תַּחְשֹׁבוּ
וּלְרוּחַ אִמְרֵי נוֹאָשׁ
6.26 And to reprove speeches - do you count
as wind the words of one who is desperate?
ז זְכֹר כִּי-רוּחַ חַיָּי לֹא-תָשׁוּב
עֵינִי לִרְאוֹת טוֹב
7.07 remember that but a breath is my life
my eye will not return back to see good
יא גַּם-אֲנִי לֹא אֶחֱשָׂךְ-פִּי
אֲדַבְּרָה בְּצַר רוּחִי
אָשִׂיחָה בְּמַר נַפְשִׁי
7.11 so as for me I will not spare my mouth
I will speak in the trouble of my breath
I will complain in the bitterness of my being
ב עַד-אָן תְּמַלֶּל-אֵלֶּה
וְרוּחַ כַּבִּיר אִמְרֵי-פִיךָ
8.02 How long will you give speech to such things!
a great wind are the words of your mouth
יח לֹא-יִתְּנֵנִי הָשֵׁב רוּחִי
כִּי יַשְׂבִּעַנִי מַמְּרֹרִים
9.18 he will not give me a turn to breathe
but satisfies me with bitterness
יב חַיִּים וָחֶסֶד עָשִׂיתָ עִמָּדִי
וּפְקֻדָּתְךָ שָׁמְרָה רוּחִי
10.12 life and loving-kindness you made for me
and your visit - you watch my spirit
י אֲשֶׁר בְּיָדוֹ נֶפֶשׁ כָּל-חָי
וְרוּחַ כָּל-בְּשַׂר-אִישׁ
12.10 "In his hand is the being of every life
and the breath of all the flesh of a man"
ב הֶחָכָם יַעֲנֶה דַעַת-רוּחַ
וִימַלֵּא קָדִים בִּטְנוֹ
15.02 Should one who is wise answer windy knowledge
and fill his belly with the east wind?
יג כִּי-תָשִׁיב אֶל-אֵל רוּחֶךָ
וְהֹצֵאתָ מִפִּיךָ מִלִּין
15.13 that you turn against the One your wind
and let forth from your mouth such speeches?
ל לֹא-יָסוּר מִנִּי-חֹשֶׁךְ
יֹנַקְתּוֹ תְּיַבֵּשׁ שַׁלְהָבֶת
וְיָסוּר בְּרוּחַ פִּיו
15.30 He will not turn away from darkness
flame will dry his branches
and he will turn away by the wind of his mouth
ג הֲקֵץ לְדִבְרֵי-רוּחַ
אוֹ מַה-יַּמְרִיצְךָ כִּי תַעֲנֶה
16.03 Will they terminate - these windy words
or what grieves you that you answer?
א רוּחִי חֻבָּלָה
יָמַי נִזְעָכוּ
קְבָרִים לִי
17.01 my spirit is bound
my days are extinguished
it's the tombs for me
יז רוּחִי זָרָה לְאִשְׁתִּי
וְחַנֹּתִי לִבְנֵי בִטְנִי
19.17 My spirit is strange to my wife
and I entreat the children of my belly
ג מוּסַר כְּלִמָּתִי אֶשְׁמָע
וְרוּחַ מִבִּינָתִי יַעֲנֵנִי
20.03 mentoring of my insult I hear
and the spirit of my understanding makes me answer
ד הֶאָנֹכִי לְאָדָם שִׂיחִי
וְאִם-מַדּוּעַ לֹא-תִקְצַר רוּחִי
21.04 As for me, is it to a human my complaint
and if so, for what purpose is my spirit not short?
יח יִהְיוּ כְּתֶבֶן לִפְנֵי-רוּחַ
וּכְמֹץ גְּנָבַתּוּ סוּפָה
21.18 "They are as straw before the wind
and as chaff that the storm stole."
ד אֶת-מִי הִגַּדְתָּ מִלִּין
וְנִשְׁמַת-מִי יָצְאָה מִמֶּךָּ
26.04 to whom have you told speeches
and whose breath exits from you?
יג בְּרוּחוֹ שָׁמַיִם שִׁפְרָה
חֹלְלָה יָדוֹ נָחָשׁ בָּרִחַ
26.13 in his spirit the heavens are beautified
his hand has writhed the fugitive serpent
ג כִּי-כָל-עוֹד נִשְׁמָתִי בִי
וְרוּחַ אֱלוֹהַּ בְּאַפִּי
27.03 for all the while my breath is in me
and the spirit of God in my mouth
כה לַעֲשׂוֹת לָרוּחַ מִשְׁקָל
וּמַיִם תִּכֵּן בְּמִדָּה
28.25 to make for the wind a weight
and the waters he balances by measure
טו הָהְפַּךְ עָלַי
בַּלָּהוֹת תִּרְדֹּף כָּרוּחַ נְדִבָתִי
וּכְעָב עָבְרָה יְשֻׁעָתִי
30.15 he makes destructions turn on me
she pursues as the wind my good will
and as a cloud my salvation passes
כב תִּשָּׂאֵנִי אֶל-רוּחַ
תַּרְכִּיבֵנִי
וּתְמֹגְגֵנִי תֻּשִׁיָּה
30.22 you lift me up by a wind
you make me ride
you dissolve my success
ח אָכֵן רוּחַ-הִיא בֶאֱנוֹשׁ
וְנִשְׁמַת שַׁדַּי תְּבִינֵם
32.08 surely that spirit is in a mortal
and the breath of the Sufficient gives understanding
יח כִּי מָלֵתִי מִלִּים
הֱצִיקַתְנִי רוּחַ בִּטְנִי
32.18 for I am full of speeches
I am constrained by the spirit of my belly
כ אֲדַבְּרָה וְיִרְוַח-לִי
אֶפְתַּח שְׂפָתַי וְאֶעֱנֶה
32.20 I will speak so I may breathe
I will open my lips and answer
ד רוּחַ-אֵל עָשָׂתְנִי
וְנִשְׁמַת שַׁדַּי תְּחַיֵּנִי
33.04 the spirit of the One has made me
and the breath of the Sufficient has given me life
יד אִם-יָשִׂים אֵלָיו לִבּוֹ
רוּחוֹ וְנִשְׁמָתוֹ אֵלָיו יֶאֱסֹף
34.14 if he sets on him his heart
his spirit and his breath to him he gathers
י מִנִּשְׁמַת-אֵל יִתֶּן-קָרַח
וְרֹחַב מַיִם בְּמוּצָק
37.10 by the breath of the One ice is given
and the breadth of the waters outpouring
כא וְעַתָּה לֹא רָאוּ אוֹר
בָּהִיר הוּא בַּשְּׁחָקִים
וְרוּחַ עָבְרָה וַתְּטַהֲרֵם
37.21 and now they do not see the brilliant light
this is in the sky
but the wind passes over and purifies them
ח אֶחָד בְּאֶחָד יִגַּשׁוּ
וְרוּחַ לֹא-יָבֹא בֵינֵיהֶם
41.16 one to one they approach
and spirit cannot come between them

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