{"id":76634,"date":"2020-06-29T15:45:42","date_gmt":"2020-06-29T12:45:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=76634"},"modified":"2020-06-29T15:45:42","modified_gmt":"2020-06-29T12:45:42","slug":"of-plagues-and-poles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/of-plagues-and-poles\/","title":{"rendered":"Of Plagues And Poles"},"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":[],"acf":{"old_id":"76634","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":64450,"related_cahpter":"513","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"A word and its cognates\r\n\r\n","content":"

Chapter 13 of Hosea predicts terrible punishments for the Kingdom of Israel:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cEphraim\u2019s guilt is bound up, his sin is stored away. Pangs of childbirth assail him, and the babe is not wise\u2014 for this is no time to survive at the birthstool of babes. From Sheol itself I will save them, redeem them from very Death. Where, O Death, are your plagues? Your pestilence where, O Sheol? Revenge shall be far from My thoughts.\u201d (Hosea 13:12-14).<\/span><\/p>\n

The commentaries debate about whether these are direct statements, or rhetorical questions. In other words, is God stating \u201cFrom Sheol itself I will save them\u201d or asking rhetorically, \u201cFrom Sheol itself will I save them?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Similarly, the questions \u201cWhere, O Death, are your plagues? Your pestilence where, O Sheol?\u201d may be either be questioning Death and Sheol, asking where are the plagues that Israel deserves, or it may be a challenge to Death and Sheol, indicating that God will save the people from those punishments.<\/span><\/p>\n

In either case, Death is associated with plagues \u2013 <\/span>dever\u00a0<\/span><\/em>and Sheol (the place that souls descend to after death), is associated with pestilence \u2013 <\/span>kotev<\/span><\/em>. The meaning of <\/span>kotev<\/span><\/em>\u00a0(in other verses also appearing as <\/span>ketev<\/span><\/em>), isn\u2019t fully clear. While some interpretations say it means \u201cpestilence,\u201d others offer \u201cdestruction,\u201d or even a kind of demon (as it appears later in Talmudic Hebrew).<\/span><\/p>\n

Linguists say that the name originates from the concept of \u201ccutting off.\u201d In other Semitic languages, cognate words mean \u201ccut off\u201d as well as \u201carrow.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A parallel between arrows and <\/span>ketev<\/span><\/em>\u00a0can be found in Psalms as well: \u201cYou need not fear the terror by night, or the <\/span>arrow<\/span> that flies by day, the plague that stalks in the darkness, or the <\/span>scourge<\/span> ketev<\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>that ravages at noon\u201d (Psalms 91:5-6)<\/span><\/p>\n

There are other Hebrew roots beginning with the same two letters <\/span>kt<\/span><\/em>\u00a0that also mean \u201ccut,\u201d such as <\/span>kataf<\/span><\/em>, <\/span>kat\u2019a<\/span><\/em>, and <\/span>katan<\/span><\/em>.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

As we mentioned, the Arabic word for \u201carrow\u201d \u2013 <\/span>qutbah<\/span><\/em>\u00a0is cognate with this Hebrew root. Another Arabic word, <\/span>qutb<\/span><\/em>\u00ad \u2013 meaning \u201caxis, pole\u201d also appears to be related. Perhaps this has to do with a pole being straight like an arrow, or that poles were cut in construction. In the Middle Ages, the Arabic <\/span>qutb<\/span><\/em>\u00a0was borrowed into Hebrew to mean \u201caxis, pole.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So today the North Pole is the <\/span>kotev hatzfoni<\/span><\/em>\u00a0and a polar bear is <\/span>dov kotev<\/span><\/em>. Considering that polar bears are the largest meat eaters living on land, and are particularly skilled and vicious hunters \u2013 the association with \u201cdestruction\u201d applies to them as well. Unfortunately, today man is actually a greater threat to them.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","image":{"ID":76636,"id":76636,"title":"hos13-k-t-b2","filename":"hos13-k-t-b2.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/of-plagues-and-poles\/hos13-k-t-b2\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"hos13-k-t-b2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":76634,"date":"2020-06-29 12:43:29","modified":"2020-06-29 12:43:43","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":960,"height":720,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2-300x225.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":225,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2-768x576.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":576,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2.jpg","large-width":960,"large-height":720,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2.jpg","1536x1536-width":960,"1536x1536-height":720,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2.jpg","2048x2048-width":960,"2048x2048-height":720,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2.jpg","post_full_size-width":960,"post_full_size-height":720,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2-560x420.jpg","home_baner-width":560,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Of Plagues And Poles","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"A word and its cognates","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":76636,"id":76636,"title":"hos13-k-t-b2","filename":"hos13-k-t-b2.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/of-plagues-and-poles\/hos13-k-t-b2\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"hos13-k-t-b2","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":76634,"date":"2020-06-29 12:43:29","modified":"2020-06-29 12:43:43","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":960,"height":720,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2-300x225.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":225,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2-768x576.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":576,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2.jpg","large-width":960,"large-height":720,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2.jpg","1536x1536-width":960,"1536x1536-height":720,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2.jpg","2048x2048-width":960,"2048x2048-height":720,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2.jpg","post_full_size-width":960,"post_full_size-height":720,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/hos13-k-t-b2-560x420.jpg","home_baner-width":560,"home_baner-height":420}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76634"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=76634"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":76637,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/76634\/revisions\/76637"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=76634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=76634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=76634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}