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צלמות
Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2022 5:20 am
by Jason Hare
When I learned Hebrew initially, I learned specifically that צַלְמָ֫וֶת was a combination of צֵל and מָ֫וֶת (Segolate: máwtu → mawt → mā́weṯ).
Most lexicographers in the last generation (cf. DCH and HALOT, for example) suggest the emendation of צַלְמוּת ṣalmûṯ in all instances, saying that this is derived from the root צ.ל.ם and that the understanding “shadow of death” is a folk etymology that goes back a long time. By this, צַלְמוּת means “deep darkness” or “gloomy darkness,” and they contrast it to the regular darkness of חֹ֫שֶׁךְ.
Where do you sit with regard to the etymology of this term and how it should be read?
Re: צלמות
Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2022 10:11 am
by S_Walch
For me it would be exactly how far the understanding of צַלְמָ֫וֶת as "shadow of death" goes back; did it have this understanding when Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos were around? Did it go back as far as (the usually deemed "quite old") Job? Is it just specifically a poetical understanding, hence it's appearance in the Psalms?
Checking the LXX, σκιᾷ θανάτου is the translation in Isaiah 9:1, Jer 13:16, Psalm 23:4 (-ᾶς), 44:20, 107:10, 14 (-ᾶς), Job 3:5, 12:22 (-ὰν), 24:17 (x2), 28:3; in the other instances we have ἄκαρπος (barren) in Jer 2:6, γνοφερός in Job 10:21, σκιά in Jon 16:16, and ᾄδης in Job 38:17 (final instance, Job 10:22, is quite different between Hebrew and Greek versions, so no equivalent is used). This demonstrates the Greek translators could translate/interpret it differently in several contexts, though σκιᾷ θανάτου is the most common.
Evidently this does demonstrate that though it may indeed originally have meant a darkness/gloom that was "deeper than חֹשֶׁךְ" (as per HALOT), a development of how the word was understood occurred early enough, that "shadow of death" could easily have been in the minds of any of the authors whose works are contained in the Tanakh.
For me then, I wouldn't argue with anyone who just wanted to understand the word as some sort of darkness, or if someone wanted to understand it as the more commonly known "shadow of death".
Re: צלמות
Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2022 2:44 pm
by Jason Hare
That’s kinda how I feel about it, too. I wouldn’t make an issue of it, but it seems that the etymology snuck into the understanding of people very early on. We also have false etymologies of words in English that we all buy into, even as native speakers of this language. I’m sure that speakers of ancient Hebrew were convinced that words came from places that they didn’t really originate in.
Re: צלמות
Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2022 2:58 pm
by S_Walch
Oh there's certainly quite a lot in English. That the language is an amalgamation of numerous languages (Old English, Gaelic, German, French, Latin, Greek + influences from others) adds to such understandings. The Hebrew of the Tanakh likely has several lone-words from other languages which we know little about, and are unable to distinguish them from genuine Hebrew words.
One can easily see how צלמות came to be understood as צל + מות, as opposed to צלם + ending ות. I wonder whether the original spelling was צלמת, to which is was changed from the defective to the apparent plene צלמות, which then lead to the "shadow of death" understanding.