{"id":68036,"date":"2020-01-01T14:21:56","date_gmt":"2020-01-01T12:21:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=68036"},"modified":"2023-07-27T08:53:28","modified_gmt":"2023-07-27T05:53:28","slug":"as-well-or-as-lice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/as-well-or-as-lice\/","title":{"rendered":"As well…Or As Lice?\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In Isaiah 51, the prophet delivers God\u2019s message of consolation to Israel. He tells them that the land, desolate after the destruction, will become like the Garden of Eden once again. In verse 6, he uses poetic language to describe this future:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cRaise your eyes to the heavens,<\/span>
\n<\/span>And look upon the earth beneath:<\/span>
\n<\/span>Though the heavens should melt away like smoke,<\/span>
\n<\/span>And the earth wear out like a garment,<\/span>
\n<\/span>And its inhabitants die out as well,<\/span>
\n<\/span>My victory shall stand forever,<\/span>
\n<\/span>My triumph shall remain unbroken.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s take a look at what might seem to be a less important phrase in the verse \u2013 \u201cas well.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAs well\u201d is a translation of the Hebrew <\/span>kmo khen<\/span><\/em>. <\/span>Khen<\/span><\/em>\u00a0here is another form of the word <\/span>ken<\/span><\/em>. It is very familiar to us today as the Hebrew words for \u201cyes\u201d, but in Biblical Hebrew it meant \u201cso\u201d or \u201cthus.\u201d It appears in many Hebrew phrases, such as <\/span>im ken<\/span><\/em>\u00a0\u2013 \u201cif so\u201d, <\/span>al ken<\/span><\/em>\u00a0\u2013 \u201ctherefore\u201d, and the phrase from our verse \u2013 <\/span>kmo khen<\/span><\/em>\u00a0\u2013 \u201clikewise, as well.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ken<\/span><\/em>\u00a0likely derives from a root meaning \u201cestablished, confirmed\u201d, and is therefore cognate with a number of other Hebrew words using that root, such as <\/span>muchan<\/span><\/em>\u00a0\u2013 \u201cready\u201d, <\/span>nachon<\/span><\/em>\u00a0\u2013 \u201ccorrect\u201d, and <\/span>machon<\/span><\/em>\u00a0\u2013 <\/span><\/i>\u201cfixed place, institution.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

However, there is an entirely different explanation for the word <\/span>khen<\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>in Isaiah 51:6. This theory claims that <\/span>khen<\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>is the singular of <\/span>kinim<\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u2013 \u201clice\u201d, as in the third plague in Egypt (Exodus 8:12-14). Today we say that the singular form, \u201clouse\u201d, is <\/span>kina<\/span><\/em>, but these scholars say that <\/span>kina<\/span><\/em>\u00a0is either the feminine form of the word, or the form of the word in Rabbinic Hebrew, with <\/span>khen\u00a0<\/span><\/em>being the biblical form.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is difficult to prove or disprove this claim, as all the other appearances of lice in Biblical Hebrew are in the plural form <\/span>kinim<\/span><\/em>. <\/span><\/i>\u00a0But if that is the case, the phrase would be translated, \u201cand its inhabitants will die like a louse\u201d \u2013 something killed with no consideration. That fits well the other similes in the verse: \u201cmelt away like smoke\u201d and \u201cwear out like a garment.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Both translations have their merits, although I wonder if the suggestion \u201cas well\u201d is more popular since people don\u2019t like to think about lice\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":68037,"id":68037,"title":"is51-louse","filename":"is51-louse.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/is51-louse.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/as-well-or-as-lice\/is51-louse\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"is51-louse","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":68036,"date":"2020-01-01 12:15:15","modified":"2020-01-01 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