Steve:
What follows is my 2¢ and some of the thoughts behind my question.
SteveMiller wrote:Hi Karl,
1. It seems you're missing the meaning of the mem, from. My people is exiled from (or because of) lack of knowledge.
Yes, you’re right that it refers to because of lack of knowledge.
SteveMiller wrote:2. Wouldn't you have to translate מתי as "my dead" rather than just "dead"? which wouldn't make sense.
How about "and its glory is men of hunger"?
As I see it, the understanding of this section of the verse depends on the meaning of
מתי—it’s used most often in the meaning of “when?”. It’s also used for “my dead” as in Genesis 23:4, 8, 13. It’s also used in the sense of “few” in Genesis 34:30, Deut 4:27, Isaiah 41:14, Jeremiah 44:28, Psalm 105:12, 1 Chron 16:19.
It’s used in construct for “dead ones” Isaiah 22:2
But what is it’s understanding in Deut 33:6? Job 19:19?
I finally though tentatively settled on a construct for “dead ones” as in Isaiah 22:2 because of the following word “famine”
רעב.
SteveMiller wrote:3. Why do you translate צִחֵ֥ה as "bleached bones"? I see it's a hapax. My lexicons all give the meaning as "parched", but with no justification.
The word could mean "she is pure", but "multitude" is masculine.
Ernest Klein's A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the Hebrew Language gives some similar words in other languages:
Arab. sahā & Ethiop. sehewa = was clear, or was cloudless.
Also Arab. sāha = he dried up, or dried out.
You’re right that this is a happax. What is its root? Is it
צחח?
When we look at the root of
צחח and its other derivatives, there seems to be a common core of brightness, as the brightness of the desert, bare rocks, where even the stones are sun bleached. One of the derivative is apparently a bright, open area strewn with rocks where one can have public discussions Nehemiah 4:7 (verse 13 in English). Apparently refers to bare rock Ezekiel 24:7–8, 26:4, 14. So what is the brightness connected with thirst? The only thing I could think of, was in connection with those who die of hunger, namely that their bones would bleach in the sun. This is just a guess, which is why I posted this question on line here.
Karl W. Randolph.