Isaiah 35:7

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Saboi

Isaiah 35:7

Post by Saboi »

והיה השרב לאגם וצמאון למבועי מים בנוה תנים רבצה חציר לקנא וגמא
καὶ ἡ ἄνυδρος ἔσται εἰς ἕλη καὶ εἰς τὴν διψῶσαν γῆν πηγὴ ὕδατος ἔσται ἐκεῖ εὐφροσύνη ὀρνέων ἔπαυλις καλάμου καὶ ἕλη

The Greek version of this verse is misaligned and various translations are given for תנים such as Dragons (KJV), Jackals (RSV) and Dogs (DBY), the Septuagint reading for this word is ὀρνέων (ornéon) 'Birds', a valid translation because תנים is πτηνῶν (ptēnōn) that means 'flying, winged creatures'', תנים phonetically similar too πτανόν (Doric).

They are two words that validate the translation, נוה & רבצה , these words are the homologs of θάλπῃ (heat, soften by heat) and εὐνῆς (Lay, nestling of a bird), the word רבצה is used in Deuteronomy 22:6 describing the warmth of a laying bird on its eggs and the Septuagint translation here is θάλπῃ (thalph).

בנוה תנים - In the nest of the birds that warms the grass" (poetically describes dew) and then the next word 'קנא, the valid reading is κάννα (Reed), but is similar too קן (Nest) and not a coincidence since birds commonly use reeds to make nests and גמא, also a valid reading of κάννα or σχοῖνος 'rush' or perhaps specifically referring to the ὀξύσχοινος (Juncus acutus) that are found in Israel & Lebanon in lowland grasslands, , freshwater wetland and Salt marshes.

The Septuagint reads גמא as 'ἕλη 'marsh-meadow, low ground by rivers' which is also a reading of סוף in Exodus 2:3 and the lexicon states 'Probably of Egyptian origin', which is incorrect, it is from στιβάς (Stibas) 'bed of straw, rushes, or leaves' also a word for hoarfrost, Isaiah is using double entendre in this verse.

The lexicon of שרב states 'From an unused root meaning to glare' but this word is just dialectic form of חרב and thus a ξηρός 'of a dried-up river'.

Extra context

Isaiah 35:2 'Glory of Lebanon (triple entendre )
כבוד הלבנון
- ἥπατα τοῦ κλιβάνου, ἥπατα τοῦ λευκοῦ
- ἥπατα τοῦ κόλπου (Liver & Heart)
- δόξα τοῦ Λιβάνου (Septuagint)
- Liver (ἥπατ, כבוד ) seat of the passions , also roots κύδος and 'Happy'
- Heart (κόλπου/לב) , ventricles of the heart(καρδίᾳ), a 'seat of desire, purpose '

Isaiah 35:6
נחל : χείμαρρον, winter-torrent
ערבה : ἐρήμῃ 'empty
מדבר : ἄνυδρος 'without water
בקע : διχή 'bisection, Bi-sect, διακόπτω, שני ספד, קפדתי , valley between two mountains. שני הרי
Isaac Fried
Posts: 1783
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:32 pm

Re: Isaiah 35:7

Post by Isaac Fried »

The root רבץ RBC is a member of good standing of the family of roots
רבד, רבץ
(מרבד = מה-רבד MA-RBAD is 'carpet')
רפד, רפט, רפס, רפש
(רֶפֶש REPE$ is 'mud')
and it means 'crouch, lie down.'
Hence, as KJV plausibly (sans Greek "cognates" and "homologs" ) translates it:
וְהָיָה הַשָּׁרָב לַאֲגַם "And the parched ground shall become a pool"
וְצִמָּאוֹן לְמַבּוּעֵי מָיִם "and the thirsty land springs of water"
בִּנְוֵה תַנִּים רִבְצָהּ "in the habitation of dragons (jackals of the desert?) where each (she?) lay
חָצִיר לְקָנֶה וָגֹמֶא "shall be grass with reeds and rushes"

Isaac Fried, Boston University
Saboi

Re: Isaiah 35:7

Post by Saboi »

The Spanish for Jackal is Chacal, the Persian word is شغال (šağâl), phonetically identical
with Σωγαλ, the given transliteration of שועל in 1 Samuel 13:17.

Isaiah 34:13 - Habitation of dragons and a court for owls.

The Septuagint translates תנים as σειρήνων (Sirens) , the bird-figures of Greek
mythology that lure sailors, Σειρήν is שיר ענה 'Music of the Sparrow' and
a play on שיר אני (Ezekiel 27:25) ' ships of Tarshish did sing' .

בהמה, βόσκημα, βῆμα - fatted beasts,

πτηνόν 'flying, winged
κτῆνόν 'flocks & Herds (צֹאן)
δράκοντα (Dragon) - רקון from ירק 'spitting, regurgitation (of birds)
Τυφωεύς (Typhon) from תפת 'Spitting'

רבד
ῥαπτός - stitched, patched, worked with the needle: hence ῥαπτά, τά, embroidered carpets
ῥάπτω - Sew together, metaph. c. dat., devise, contrive, plot. (τάπης/תפר).
ῥῆγος - a rug, blanket as the covering of a bed or sea

יריעות
δέρρεις - Leathern covering, of a jerkin, Eup.328; of a curtain,
Isaac Fried
Posts: 1783
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:32 pm

Re: Isaiah 35:7

Post by Isaac Fried »

In lamentations 4:3 we read:
‎גַּם תַּנִּים חָלְצוּ שַׁד הֵינִיקוּ גּוּרֵיהֶן
NIV: "Even jackals offer their breasts to nurse their young"

Isaac Fried, Boston University
Saboi

Re: Isaiah 35:7

Post by Saboi »

שועל aught to be the word for the Jackal, but if the verse is referring to a sea-mammal then perhaps
a Dolphin, or δελφίς (a symbol for speed at sea).

In Mycenaean Greek, λ is commonly not present, ἀδελφ-, ἀδευφ-, ἀδεφ-
with φ turning into נ (Labials) plus the case ending, ים.

The Septuagint word is δράκων that always refers too monsters of the sea.

Ezekiel 32:2 - כ תנים בימים ( whale in the sea )

This the same word here but contextually can't be a Jackal (שועל) and תנים also resembles κητῶν (Sea Monster, Cetus) and Ezekiel mentions Rivers in the Levant context.

Pausanias 4.35
Red water, in color like blood, is found in the land of the Hebrews near the city of Joppa. The water is close to the sea, and the account which the natives give of the spring is that Perseus, after destroying the sea-monster(תנים), to which the daughter of Cepheus was exposed, washed off the blood in the spring
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/tex ... g=original
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