Job 17:1 זעך

[kwrandolph]

Dear all:

This is a happax legomenon, and the definition given in dictionaries that I’ve found so far makes no sense in the context.

Any clues from cognate languages?

It appears to be a niphal verb connected to the plural noun as subject that follows it.

Karl W. Randolph.

[Isaac Fried]

זעך is a variant of דעך 'die out, wane, extinguish', said for fire, as in Isaiah 43:17. It is related also to the דך DAK, 'lowly' of Ps. 9:10. Also to דק DAQ, 'thin', as in Ex. 32:20, and to the זך ZAK of Ex. 30:34.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[S_Walch]

From HALOT:

זעך
By-form of דעך, :: Tur-S. Job 272: to be cut off (Vulg.; Arb. ziʿkat interruption of the journey).
nif: pf. נִזְעָֽכוּ (MSS נִדְעָֽכוּ): to be extinguished Jb 171 (:: cj. נֶעֶזְבוּ, to be left over).

[kwrandolph]

From HALOT:

זעך
By-form of דעך, :: Tur-S. Job 272: to be cut off (Vulg.; Arb. ziʿkat interruption of the journey).
nif: pf. נִזְעָֽכוּ (MSS נִדְעָֽכוּ): to be extinguished Jb 171 (:: cj. נֶעֶזְבוּ, to be left over).

The next chapter has דעך a few times, so to claim that this is the same makes the claim that this is a copyist error. Is it?

Assuming that this is a copyist error, “‎דעך to sputter out, die down of flame” doesn’t seem to fit those who are burying for me (a noun). The complete phrase is, נזעכו קברים לי with קברים as the subject of the verb.

The LXX has δεομαι δε ταφης και ου τυγχανω which suggests that a burial detail has been summoned.

So it looks as if we have a word that we don’t know, and no way to find out its meaning.

Karl W. Randolph.

[S_Walch]

Well the LXX would be translated as "and I implore for a burial, and I do not find it", indicating that the LXX translator was going bonkers trying to make head or tail of the Hebrew, or had a different Hebrew Vorlage.

The LXX appears to not have ימי, nor does it have לי, and then adds אם לא at the end, including מצא.

So yeah, I would definitely say that we have a word we don't know, and quite possibly are looking at a copyist error and/or very corrupted text.

[kwrandolph]

Well the LXX would be translated as "and I implore for a burial, and I do not find it", indicating that the LXX translator was going bonkers trying to make head or tail of the Hebrew, or had a different Hebrew Vorlage.

The LXX appears to not have ימי, nor does it have לי, and then adds אם לא at the end, including מצא.

So yeah, I would definitely say that we have a word we don't know, and quite possibly are looking at a copyist error and/or very corrupted text.

Or one other option—the translators of the LXX were just as puzzled as we are.

I have seen other examples of where the LXX translators were clueless, so for them to have been lost here as well is a possibility.

Karl W. Randolph.

[Isaac Fried]

Other variants of דעך - זעך are שח $AX, 'lower, decline', as in Isaiah 2:11, שכך $AKAK, 'subside', as in Esther 7:10, and שכח $AKAX, forget, ignore'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Mark Lightman]

Other variants of דעך - זעך are... שכח...

A מצב צבירה opposite to which (see ASEHL p. 19) is, methinks,זכר.