{"id":70247,"date":"2020-02-16T15:47:06","date_gmt":"2020-02-16T13:47:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=70247"},"modified":"2023-09-14T08:58:54","modified_gmt":"2023-09-14T05:58:54","slug":"tradition-philology-common-sense","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/tradition-philology-common-sense\/","title":{"rendered":"Tradition, Philology, Common Sense"},"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":[361,494,721],"acf":{"old_id":"70247","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":34243,"related_cahpter":"417","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"When the words don\u2019t make sense - try a (bold!) textual emendation","content":"

An early verse in this chapter poses a singular lexical challenge. <\/span><\/p>\n

You will forfeit (<\/span>ve-shamt\u2019tah<\/span><\/em>), by your own act (<\/span>u-bekha<\/span><\/em>), the inheritance I have given you; I will make you a slave to your enemies in a land you have never known. For you have kindled the flame of My wrath which shall burn for all time\u201d (4). <\/span><\/p>\n

Despite the ingenuity of the English translation\u2019s compensation (by your own act), the word <\/span>u-bekha<\/span><\/em> is superfluous, at best, and possibly even mistaken.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shadal listed some of the earlier attempts at its interpretation and offered his own:<\/span><\/p>\n

The word <\/span>u-bekha<\/span><\/em> is difficult. I have seen and heard and introduced many explanations but have not found any of them satisfying. Some emended the text to <\/span>yad\u2019kha<\/span><\/em>, [signifying] \u201cyou will withdraw your hand from your inheritance.\u201d Others have said that the word is completely superfluous, [signifying] \u201cyou shall be withdrawn,\u201d i.e., detached, \u201cfrom your inheritance.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It is possible that the extra <\/span>heh<\/span><\/em> at the end of <\/span>ve-shamt\u2019tah<\/span><\/em> was originally a <\/span>chet<\/span><\/em> [attached to the following word, yielding] \u201cyou shall retire your debts\u201d (<\/span>ve-shamat\u2019ta chob\u2019kha<\/span><\/em>)\u2026 A landowner resembles a lender who seeks to collect [the debt owed him] and the land is obliged to yield him produce annually. The Torah commanded us to withdraw our hands from those we collect from during the Sabbatical year as [it commanded to] withdraw our hands from the land during that year.<\/span><\/p>\n

They did not act accordingly, so the prophet informed them that they would be exiled from their land and then they would be forced to retire any [outstanding] debts lest the land cease giving them its best. Conversely, they themselves, in their exile in another country, will be forced to serve their enemies without respite.<\/span><\/p>\n

We recall that Shadal* based his commentary on three foundations: tradition, philology, and common sense. In a certain respect, this bold attempt at textual emendation combines all three\u2014rather than defying them, as it might appear. The given text made no sense, tradition itself recognizes several exchanges of similar looking consonants such as <\/span>heh<\/span><\/em> and <\/span>chet<\/span><\/em> (cf. Song of Songs 1:17), and the result is a text which is consistent both linguistically and thematically with the context in which it appears.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

*For an explanation of our objectives in studying Shadal\u2019s commentary,<\/span> see this introductory essay.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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