{"id":58211,"date":"2019-06-24T23:07:56","date_gmt":"2019-06-24T20:07:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=58211"},"modified":"2023-01-17T16:41:17","modified_gmt":"2023-01-17T14:41:17","slug":"confused-language-for-a-confused-king","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/confused-language-for-a-confused-king\/","title":{"rendered":"Confused Language For A Confused King"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[834,798,885],"acf":{"old_id":"58211","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":56490,"related_cahpter":"249","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"Saul\u2019s inadequacy and bafflement reflected in strange vocabulary and syntax","content":"

In a prior posting (see 1 Samuel 14<\/a>), I referred to the intentional use of confused language in Biblical Hebrew prose. Today\u2019s chapter affords us another opportunity to see this technique at work, though with much more at stake.<\/span><\/p>\n

The standard verbal form in Biblical Hebrew prose is known as the <\/span>wayyiqtol<\/span><\/em> form. The most common example is <\/span>wayyo\u02bemer<\/span><\/em> \u2018and he said\u2019, as in, \u201cAnd the Lord said to Moses,\u201d repeated 66x in the Torah.<\/span><\/p>\n

When we reach 1 Sam 17:38, the narrative describes Saul\u2019s dressing David with his armor, so that he can battle Goliath in appropriate fashion: \u201cAnd Saul dressed David (with) his body-suit, and he put the bronze helmet on his head; and he dressed him (with) the breast-plate.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n

Of the three actions, the first and third are introduced with the word <\/span>wayyalbesh<\/span><\/em> \u2018and he\/Saul dressed\u2019, the expected verbal form. But the middle one departs from the grammatical norm, by using the verb <\/span>we<\/span>-natan<\/span><\/em> \u2018and he put\u2019. Every ancient listener to the story would have recognized the peculiarity here. One scholar has written that the verbal form \u201cis syntactically impossible,\u201d and thus he presumes an error in scribal transmission, the solution to which is textual emendation \u2013 a common practice by those blissfully ignorant of the adroitness of ancient Hebrew writers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, anyone with even a basic knowledge of dressing in armor knows that the helmet is <\/span>always<\/span><\/em> donned last. Four times in the <\/span>Iliad<\/span><\/em>, Homer describes heroes preparing for battle; in each case the order is: greaves, corselet, shield, helmet. And while not armor, note that when Moses dresses Aaron with the priestly vestments in Lev 8:6-9, the last item donned is the headdress.<\/span><\/p>\n

From the Middle Ages we have the wonderful 15th-century<\/span> Ordonances of Chivalry manuscript<\/span><\/a> (held at the Morgan Library in New York), which includes a tract entitled \u201cHow a man schall be armyd.\u201d In great detail the author describes the manner of dressing, with the helmet affixed last.<\/span> In addition, there are numerous references to armor dressing in medieval literary compositions (e.g., <\/span>La Chanson de Roland<\/span><\/em>), and they consistently mention the helmet as the last item donned.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the overall goals of the author of 1 Samuel, as many scholars have noted, is to show the inadequacy of Saul. The present passage should be understood as part of the portrayal. \u00a0Saul\u2019s bafflement at the presence of the shepherd boy David on the battlefield and his volunteering to fight Goliath has caused the king to become so flustered that he is unable even to dress another man properly.<\/span><\/p>\n

The language of 1 Sam 17:38 parallels the scene, both through the order of the objects mentioned (with helmet not last) and by use of the \u201cincorrect\u201d verbal form <\/span>we-natan<\/em> <\/span>\u2018and he put\u2019. Poor Saul cannot even get the simplest action right, and the language reflects this. \u00a0Once again, we may marvel at the absolute brilliance of ancient Hebrew literature.<\/span><\/p>\n

image: James Tissot, Saul Puts His Armor upon David<\/em>, c. 1900<\/p>\n","image":{"ID":58212,"id":58212,"title":"isam17-tissot-armor","filename":"isam17-tissot-armor.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/isam17-tissot-armor.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/confused-language-for-a-confused-king\/isam17-tissot-armor\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"isam17-tissot-armor","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":58211,"date":"2019-06-24 20:07:42","modified":"2019-06-24 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