Wisdom

I have to do some immediate work on Proverbs 8 - as usual my rendering is structural and therefore married to the poet's sort order. Do not read poetry at speed. If there is only one thing I have learned from translating, it is to slow down and read a little rather than to skim and fail a lot. In what follows grammar is green - other colours mark the repetition of a word - the notes show an abstract form of the parallels in the poetry. It is easily seen that the poem is intricately wrought.

Wisdom is of course one of the sefirot. Many others are mentioned in this poem: understanding, knowledge, strength, determination, rule ... I do love numbers too (sfr means to enumerate) but that's not why I am reading this today - we are to read it on Monday at Bible Study - and this is my preparation. What does this chapter tell us about the Lord - the Spirit as teacher?

	a literal order translation	notes on the structure
א הֲלֹא-חָכְמָה תִקְרָא וּתְבוּנָה תִּתֵּן קוֹלָהּ	does not wisdom call and understanding give her voice	does not a b || [does not ] a' b' a||a' and b||b' or read understanding as receiving from wisdom
ב בְּרֹאשׁ-מְרֹמִים עֲלֵי-דָרֶךְ בֵּית נְתִיבוֹת נִצָּבָה	from the hilltops on the way where the roads meet she takes her stand	Notice the three parallel places - i.e. everywhere in the country c||c'||c'' a d (lit - a house of roads = roadhouse?)
ג לְיַד-שְׁעָרִים לְפִי-קָרֶת מְבוֹא פְתָחִים תָּרֹנָּה	right by the gates at the mouth of the town from the entry of the doors she sings	here hear again three places - wisdom is not excluded from the city e||e'||e'' a f
ד אֲלֵיכֶם אִישִׁים אֶקְרָא וְקוֹלִי אֶל-בְּנֵי אָדָם	to all humanity I call my voice to the children of humus	g e(a) || e'(a') g' the plural is oddly regular! (I did not render the conjunction)
ה הָבִינוּ פְתָאיִם עָרְמָה וּכְסִילִים הָבִינוּ לֵב	understand, O naive, shrewdness O simpletons, understand heart	b h i || h' b i'
ו שִׁמְעוּ כִּי-נְגִידִים אֲדַבֵּר וּמִפְתַּח שְׂפָתַי מֵישָׁרִים	hear for princely things I will speak and from the parting of my lips things that are upright	j k a || a' k'
ז כִּי-אֱמֶת יֶהְגֶּה חִכִּי וְתוֹעֲבַת שְׂפָתַי רֶשַׁע	for truth I muse with my gums and an abomination to my lips is wickedness	l a a'||not a a'' not l
ח בְּצֶדֶק כָּל-אִמְרֵי-פִי אֵין בָּהֶם נִפְתָּל וְעִקֵּשׁ	of righteousness are all the words of my mouth there is nothing in them twisted or perverse	l a a'||not a'' not l//
ט כֻּלָּם נְכֹחִים לַמֵּבִין וִישָׁרִים לְמֹצְאֵי דָעַת	all of them transparent to one who understands and upright to those who find knowledge	a k'' b||k b'
י קְחוּ-מוּסָרִי וְאַל-כָּסֶף וְדַעַת מֵחָרוּץ נִבְחָר	receive my discipline and not silver and knowledge rather than gold of choice	j' a''' not m||b' not m'
יא כִּי-טוֹבָה חָכְמָה מִפְּנִינִים וְכָל-חֲפָצִים לֹא יִשְׁווּ-בָהּ	for better is wisdom than rubies and all things to be desired are not to be compared with her	n comp a-o||o' not comp a
יב אֲנִי-חָכְמָה שָׁכַנְתִּי עָרְמָה וְדַעַת מְזִמּוֹת אֶמְצָא	I wisdom live with shrewdness and knowledge of purpose I find out	a p i || b'' p' - KJV witty inventions is hilarious!
יג יִרְאַת יְהוָה שְׂנֹאת-רָע גֵּאָה וְגָאוֹן וְדֶרֶךְ רָע וּפִי תַהְפֻּכוֹת שָׂנֵאתִי	the fear of יְהוָה to hate evil pride, arrogance, the way of evil and the mouth of falsehoods I hate	q _ r s t||t'...s
יד לִי-עֵצָה וְתוּשִׁיָּה אֲנִי בִינָה לִי גְבוּרָה	to me is counsel and success I am understanding to me is strength	a u v||a b||a v'
טו בִּי מְלָכִים יִמְלֹכוּ וְרֹזְנִים יְחֹקְקוּ צֶדֶק	by me kings reign and rulers decree righteousness	a w w||w' w' a
טז בִּי שָׂרִים יָשֹׂרוּ וּנְדִיבִים כָּל-שֹׁפְטֵי צֶדֶק	by me leaders lead and princes, all the judges of righteousness	a w''||w''' w'''' a
יז אֲנִי אהביה (אֹהֲבַי) אֵהָב וּמְשַׁחֲרַי יִמְצָאֻנְנִי	I - all those loving me - I love and those who seek me will find me	(written) loving her and this is a real identifiable piel! a participle
יח עֹשֶׁר-וְכָבוֹד אִתִּי הוֹן עָתֵק וּצְדָקָה	wealth and glory are with me substance of old and righteousness	עָתֵק rare superb works, movable, durable, ancient -
יט טוֹב פִּרְיִי מֵחָרוּץ וּמִפָּז וּתְבוּאָתִי מִכֶּסֶף נִבְחָר	better is my fruit than gold or fine gold and my coming than silver of choice	חָרוּץ is a very strange metaphor for gold - cutting? see above 'm' - they are part of Job's Leviathan! (Job 41:30) his underparts are sharp potsherds he spreads cuttings (חָרוּץ) in the dirt
כ בְּאֹרַח-צְדָקָה אֲהַלֵּךְ בְּתוֹךְ נְתִיבוֹת מִשְׁפָּט	in the path of righteousness I walk in the middle of the roads of judgment	x y a || x' y' I have run out of letters but you probably get the point already!
כא לְהַנְחִיל אֹהֲבַי יֵשׁ וְאֹצְרֹתֵיהֶם אֲמַלֵּא	to allot to those loving me what is and their storehouses I will fill	to them who received him gave he power to become children of God
כב יְהוָה קָנָנִי רֵאשִׁית דַּרְכּוֹ קֶדֶם מִפְעָלָיו מֵאָז	יְהוָה acquired me as the beginning of his way before his works of old	acquire - cf Ruth 4:10, beginning - cf Genesis 1:1
כג מֵעוֹלָם נִסַּכְתִּי מֵרֹאשׁ מִקַּדְמֵי-אָרֶץ	from everlasting I was established from the beginning from before earth	נסך to be anointed; to pour out as a libation
כד בְּאֵין-תְּהֹמוֹת חוֹלָלְתִּי בְּאֵין מַעְיָנוֹת נִכְבַּדֵּי-מָיִם	when there were no depths I was begotten when there were no fountains heavy with water	cf Genesis 1:2
כה בְּטֶרֶם הָרִים הָטְבָּעוּ לִפְנֵי גְבָעוֹת חוֹלָלְתִּי	earlier than the mountains were sunk in the presence of the hills I was begotten
כו עַד-לֹא עָשָׂה אֶרֶץ וְחוּצוֹת וְרֹאשׁ עַפְרוֹת תֵּבֵל	as yet he had not made earth, the outside or the beginning of the dust of the world
כז בַּהֲכִינוֹ שָׁמַיִם שָׁם אָנִי בְּחֻקוֹ חוּג עַל-פְּנֵי תְהוֹם	when he established the heavens, there was I when he inscribed a circle on the face of the deep	it's the same establish as psalm 90
כח בְּאַמְּצוֹ שְׁחָקִים מִמָּעַל בַּעֲזוֹז עִינוֹת תְּהוֹם	when he encouraged the clouds above to strengthen the fountains of the deep
כט בְּשׂוּמוֹ לַיָּם חֻקּוֹ וּמַיִם לֹא יַעַבְרוּ-פִיו בְּחוּקוֹ מוֹסְדֵי אָרֶץ	when he set to the sea his decree that the waters should not pass over his bidding when he inscribed the foundations of earth	his bidding - lit. his mouth
ל וָאֶהְיֶה אֶצְלוֹ אָמוֹן וָאֶהְיֶה שַׁעֲשׁוּעִים יוֹם יוֹם מְשַׂחֶקֶת לְפָנָיו בְּכָל-עֵת	then I was beside him - faithful and I was his delights day by day at play in his presence at all times	presence - lit faces another identifiable piel participle
לא מְשַׂחֶקֶת בְּתֵבֵל אַרְצוֹ וְשַׁעֲשֻׁעַי אֶת-בְּנֵי אָדָם	at play in the world, his earth and delighting in the children of humus
לב וְעַתָּה בָנִים שִׁמְעוּ-לִי וְאַשְׁרֵי דְּרָכַי יִשְׁמֹרוּ	so now children, hear me for happy they that keep my ways
לג שִׁמְעוּ מוּסָר וַחֲכָמוּ וְאַל-תִּפְרָעוּ	hear discipline and be wise and do not let go
לד אַשְׁרֵי אָדָם שֹׁמֵעַ-לִי לִשְׁקֹד עַל-דַּלְתֹתַי יוֹם יוֹם לִשְׁמֹר מְזוּזֹת פְּתָחָי	happy is the human who hears me keeping watch at my portals daily guarding the posts of my doors
לה כִּי מֹצְאִי מצאי (מָצָא) חַיִּים וַיָּפֶק רָצוֹן מֵיְהוָה	for who finds me finds life and will obtain acceptance of יְהוָה
לו וְחֹטְאִי חֹמֵס נַפְשׁוֹ כָּל-מְשַׂנְאַי אָהֲבוּ מָוֶת	but who sins against me does violence to self all hating me love death

Kaf

ך כ
Kaf occurs frequently in its prefix and suffix roles. In its final form, besides being the last letter of some common words like king מלך and way דרך and walk הלך, it is the ubiquitous second person singular personal pronoun suffix.

Ruth 1:15 has many examples of ך
here it is twice as the second person singular pronoun as object of the verb

וַתֹּאמֶר רוּת אַל-תִּפְגְּעִי-בִי לְעָזְבֵךְ לָשׁוּב מֵאַחֲרָיִך

 vàto)mer rvut )àl-tipg`y-by l`azbék lashvub mé)àxarayik 
and Ruth said, do not force me to leave you, to turn back from following you

and in the next example it is as the last letter of the root ילך - the first occurrence is second person singular feminine, the second occurrence first person singular (both imperfect). The final form appears in the second instance since the word ends there. The non-final form appears in the first instance because of the feminine suffix that is part of the imperfect. (Note also the first letter of the common conjunction, ki, indicating cause or reason or just a particular form of coordination.)

כִּי אֶל-אֲשֶׁר תֵּלְכִי אֵלֵךְ וּבַאֲשֶׁר תָּלִינִי אָלִין
ky )el-)asher télky )élék vubà)asher talyny )alyn
for wherever you go I will go and in whatever you stop over I stop over

and in these two statements, it is the possessive second person singular pronoun 

עַמֵּךְ עַמִּי וֵאלֹהַיִךְ אֱלֹהָי
`àmék `àmy  vé)lohàyik )elohay 
your people my people your God my God

I have not colored green all the grammatical letters above - I wonder how quickly recognition will become automatic.

Now to look at the prefix Kaf in Ruth, here are some of its uses. The first is in Ruth 1:4

וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם כְּעֶשֶׂר שָׁנִים

 vàyéshbvu sham k`ser shanym
and they lived there about 10 years

Usually I think of the prefixed kaf as the word 'like' or 'as' but as with all prepositions, it refuses to stay in one box.

יעשה יְהוָה עִמָּכֶם חֶסֶד
כַּאֲשֶׁר עֲשִׂיתֶם עִם-הַמֵּתִים וְעִמָּדִי
y`aseh yy `imakem xsed
 kà)asher `asytem `im-hàmétym v`imady

may יְהוָה deal with you with mercy

as you have dealt with those who died and with me

In its role as 'as' it is perilously close to the separate conjunction ki, also used in Ruth of course and very common - about 27 times in this story alone, as common as the use of  'for' in English. In the above verse, unmarked, there is another use of kaf as a grammatical letter - the first letter of the suffix כֶם meaning you plural masculine or in this case the possible dual feminine. - Let's wait for mem and nun before pursuing this lead. I don't want to make things up without examples.

Two Powers?

There's lots of talk about two powers in the created order. I had not come across this phrase before. And it strikes me as wrong. I have not personally translated the verses M. Heiser is using for his argument, but my ears are blocked almost immediately. I prefer Harold Bloom's reading of Yahweh and Jesus than a kind of two-headed positive dualism. Traditional +/- dualism is also rejected in the OT. The archetypical rejection for me is the absence of the accuser in the epilogue of Job. One might also cite Revelation - the accuser of our companions is cast down. This makes Job a nice type of Jesus. But - remember this - I don't read theology, but I can't help doing it.

Over the past two months since a time of a strange command to me, I have been frequently heard to mutter - 'I don't know' as if I niftily listen to a silent question but know not the answer, the future, or how to respond. So I say to myself - am I under test? Who is the tester? Pick your power! I live through it with doing, waiting, hoping - if in fear, I hear - do not be afraid.

Some time later I wrote this scribble:

The Judge of all the earth is in human form.
Will the Judge of all the earth do wrong?
If you are the judge of all the earth,
why do you do what is hateful?
The world is telling you what is hateful to itself.
You say: the world rejected the Judge of all the earth.
No, it did not and does not.
It just knows when you are on a power trip.

What is the world that you have so judged it?
This thing was not done in a corner.
You say: are you greater than the Beloved disciple?
Not at all - does he speak of a second power?
Perhaps as world - the things of the world...
But any negative second power is defeated
because you the Judge of all the earth have in human form
expressed and lived the question of wholeness before all.

Psalms 90 and 91

Any thoughts on these psalms - please join or kick off a discussion here.

Early Morning Thought

The New Testament story in Greek, in its canonical form with all its argued uncertainties, the whole thing, is a translation, on behalf of the Gentiles, of the Hebrew experience of election. The Jews are the people who found these words. They are not the only people to have known election. The joy of their story is expressed throughout the Old Testament. How then should we view the anointing of these Scriptures both old and new? Not as magic. Fully human. Sufficient to reveal the purpose. Do other traditions help? To the extent that our shared humanity teaches us to listen.

Later - I was so moved by the post-communion hymn today. Four verses of Deck thyself my soul with gladness. It is as if my Lord was reminding me of the overabundance of his goodness in translation to the Greeks and to the English also.

1	Deck thyself, my soul, with gladness, leave the gloomy haunts of sadness, come into the daylight's splendor, there with joy thy praises render unto him whose grace unbounded hath this wondrous banquet founded; high o'er all the heavens he reigneth, yet to dwell with thee he deigneth.	3	Sun, who all my life dost brighten; Light, who dost my soul enlighten; Joy, the sweetest man e'er knoweth; Fount, whence all my being floweth: at thy feet I cry, my Maker, let me a fit partaker of this blessed food from heaven, for our good, thy glory, given.
2	Now I sink before thee lowly, filled with joy most deep and holy, as with trembling awe and wonder on thy mighty acts I ponder; how, by mystery surrounded, depths no man hath ever sounded, none may dare to pierce unbidden secrets that with thee are hidden.	4	Jesus, Bread of life, I pray thee, let me gladly here obey thee; never to my hurt invited, be thy love with love requited; from this banquet let me measure, Lord, how vast and deep its treasure; through the gifts thou here dost give me, as thy guest in heaven receive me.

Words: Johann Franck, 1645; trans. Catherine Winkworth, 1863 Music: Schmücke dich 

If my early morning thought is a germ of truth, then I need a lot of work on my understanding of the NT. In particular, I need to note the connection of the Eucharist with the anointing and election in the Old Testament. After all, he gives us his body to eat and his blood to drink. This is more sweet even than words.

Prophets and kings desired to know these things.

Yod

י
When I highlight yod in the book of Ruth, I get a mass of colour in every verse. Tet occurs a very few times in comparison.Yod is as frequent as vav but where vav begins only one root, itself, yod is the first letter of many roots.

I wonder how many verses we need to explore to get a representative sample of the functions of yod. I have picked one - Ruth 4:4 - let's see where it takes us. I have retained the transcription - just don't depend on it - cover it if you need it and learn to read the block letters. How many yods? How many functions of yod?

	English	Hebrew	Transcription
1	and I myself had said I will disclose in your ear to say	וַאֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי אֶגְלֶה אָזְנְךָ לֵאמֹר	và)any )amàrty )egleh )aznka  lé)mor
2	will you buy before those sitting here	קְנֵה נֶגֶד הַיֹּשְׁבִים	qnéh neged hàyoshbym
3	and before these elders of my people	וְנֶגֶד זִקְנֵי עַמִּי	vneged ziqnéy `àmy
4	if you will redeem, redeem and if he will not redeem,	אִם-תִּגְאַל גְּאָל  וְאִם-לֹא יִגְאַל	)im-tig)àl g)al v)im-lo) yig)àl
5	tell me and I will know	הַגִּידָה לִּי וְאֵדְעָה	hàgydah ly v)éd`ah
6	for there is none except you to redeem	כִּי אֵין זוּלָתְךָ לִגְאוֹל	ky )éyn zvulatka lig)vol
7	and I myself after you	וְאָנֹכִי אַחֲרֶיךָ	v)anoky )àxareyka
8	and he said I myself will redeem	וַיֹּאמֶר אָנֹכִי אֶגְאָל	vàyo)mer )anoky )eg)al

In line 1 we have a yod that is part of אֲנִי the standalone first person singular pronoun. The long form of this pronoun אָנֹכִי appears twice more (lines 7 and 8). I am wondering if, in this context of the meeting at the gate, this word has legal connotations.

In line 1 still there is a yod as the first person suffix of the qal perfect. In line two, those sitting here - or the inhabitants יֹּשְׁבִים from ישב shows the masculine plural (in which yod takes part) and the use of yod as an opening consonant. (Note its very own dagesh also.) In line 3 the two trailing yods of זִקְנֵי עַמִּי have different functions. The one on עַמִּי is a first person possessive pronoun. The other one (find it) is an abbreviated masculine plural which is often shortened or implied in a construct relationship - when two nouns are 'joined' to each other in succession.

In line 4 we have the function of yod in יִגְאַל as the third person singular masculine of the prefix conjugation, the imperfect.

Then in line 5 we have two new functions of yod - whew. The first is its appearance in the conjugation of נגד. This is in the word הַגִּידָה, the hiphil imperative. What's this - grammatical letters inserting themselves into the middle of a word! Perhaps this is an instance of a mater lectionis, a reader's helper.  I can't find the form in Lambdin - but I do see some yods in some of the paradigms and they look like vowels. The second use of yod in this line is its attachment to the preposition לִּי as if he might have said 'say so to me'.

I had conniptions for a moment that tet was going to steal a place on the grammatical team - but I don't think so. But it is not a typo on page 277 of Putnam's online grammar. [Note that ט tet sometimes does replace ת taf after metathesis in the hithpael of verbs whose first letter is the sibilant צ tsade. This is the only case I have found of a true secondment of a letter from team 2 to team 1.] Again I have not found mention of this in other grammars that I have to hand.

In line 5 also, there is a missing yod, for as the first character of a root, it sometimes disappears in the imperfect (ידע is the root of אֵדְעָה). This is a subordinate clause and could be rendered 'so that I may know'.

In line 6 the two yods are just parts of the word - both acting as vowels really.  In line 7, the yod appears to soften the link between the preposition and the pronoun. Line 8 has one yod as part of the preterite (imperfect with vav in the story line).

It seems that one verse was all we needed for this representative sample of the functions of yod. With 14 yods, 15 if you count the missing one, (check my counting), we have yod as a consonant, as a vowel, as a person pronoun, as the ending of the first person imperfect of the verb, as the masculine plural (with mem but also without) and as a smoothing of the sound between a preposition and its pronoun.

Well, well the Old Bishop in New Shoes?

I was testing backup and things - and restore simply doesn't work in Blogger - get a crazy message - bX-qm5h6h - I know how backup and restore with XML is tricky - too many escape sequences sometimes. But blogger's doesn't work. So I explored the XML a bit and discovered a tag that went on for ever with the entirety of its content escaped - probably exceeded a tag limit somewhere. I scanned some content to see if the text is backed up - and it is - pretty well as are all retained comments.

While I was exploring the content - what should pop out but a comment in 2007 by nt Wrong - what? He didn't exist in those days. Well I will keep his current identity secret. But the current NTW was a prolific commenter in those days. And his secret is not secret.

I don't miss NT Wrong or his imitators. But I miss Iyov. There was a person who loved and encouraged. And where is scott of the lower case and Kathy?