Nehemiah 4:17 - איש שלחו המים
Posted: Mon May 18, 2020 11:39 pm
Since Karl mentioned reading Nehemiah this past week, Jonathan Beck and I sat down on Zoom to read through the book together. Today we came to the end of chapter 4, and the last phrase of the chapter struck me as very odd.
Nehemiah 4:17
I'm lost as to how to understand it in this verse.
The KJV seems to revocalize the word and turn it into a verb: "So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing."
It would seem to be read as אִישׁ שְׁלָחוֹ הַמַּ֫יִם each man cast it aside (?) (only when he got in) the water. That is, they kept their clothes on at all times except when bathing.
Both the NIV and the NAS tie it to שֶׁ֫לַח and says that each kept his weapon with him even when bathing.
How would you understand the expression here? Any help would be outstanding!
Nehemiah 4:17
וְאֵ֨ין אֲנִ֜י וְאַחַ֣י וּנְעָרַ֗י וְאַנְשֵׁ֤י הַמִּשְׁמָר֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אַֽחֲרַ֔י אֵין־אֲנַ֥חְנוּ פֹֽשְׁטִ֖ים בְּגָדֵ֑ינוּ אִ֖ישׁ שִׁלְח֥וֹ הַמָּֽיִם׃
The issue is אִישׁ שִׁלְחוֹ הַמָּ֫יִם. We saw the word שֶׁ֫לַח used several times in this chapter in reference to some sort of weapon. Holladay says "javelin, dart." Gesenius defines it as "a weapon, missile" and says that it specifically refers to "a sword."I'm lost as to how to understand it in this verse.
The KJV seems to revocalize the word and turn it into a verb: "So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing."
It would seem to be read as אִישׁ שְׁלָחוֹ הַמַּ֫יִם each man cast it aside (?) (only when he got in) the water. That is, they kept their clothes on at all times except when bathing.
Both the NIV and the NAS tie it to שֶׁ֫לַח and says that each kept his weapon with him even when bathing.
How would you understand the expression here? Any help would be outstanding!