זַלְעָפָה ZALAPAH Ps. 11:6

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Isaac Fried
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Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:32 pm

זַלְעָפָה ZALAPAH Ps. 11:6

Post by Isaac Fried »

On our recent visit to Israel, while driving from Haifa to Tel Aviv along the western side of mount Carmel we were suddenly caught in a heavy downpour. גֶשֶם זִלְעָפוֹת GE$EM ZILAPOT exclaimed my wife.

Upon returning home, just two hours prior to the "Bomb Cyclone" dumping more than a foot of snow upon our street, I looked it up and have found Ps. 11:6
יַמְטֵר עַל-רְשָׁעִים פַּחִים אֵשׁ וְגָפְרִית וְרוּחַ זִלְעָפוֹת מְנָת כּוֹסָם
KJV: "Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup."

So what is זלעפוֹת? Some see in it זעף ZAP and זלף ZLP. To me it seems to be נ)זל-עפות), 'heavy outpour', put together.

As for NZL (notice how close נזל is to נשל and נצל) see the Song of Dborah, Judges 5:4-5
יהוה בְּצֵאתְךָ מִשֵּׂעִיר בְּצַעְדְּךָ מִשְּׂדֵה אֱדוֹם אֶרֶץ רָעָשָׁה גַּם שָׁמַיִם נָטָפוּ גַּם עָבִים נָטְפוּ מָיִם. הָרִים נָזְלוּ מִפְּנֵי יהוה
KJV:  Lord, when thou wentest out of Seir, when thou marchedst out of the field of Edom, the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds also dropped water. The mountains melted from before the Lord"

As for עפות APOT, I think it is the תּוֹעָפוֹת, of the root עף AP, 'up', the תּוֹ TO and the וֹת OT being but personal pronouns. See Nu. 23:24(22)
‎אֵל מוֹצִיאָם מִמִּצְרָיִם כְּתוֹעֲפֹת רְאֵם לוֹ
NIV: "God brought them out of Egypt; they have the strength of a wild ox."
Also Ps. 95:4
אֲשֶׁר בְּיָדוֹ מֶחְקְרֵי אָרֶץ וְתוֹעֲפוֹת הָרִים לוֹ
NIV: In his hand are the depths of the earth, and the mountain peaks belong to him."
Also Job 22:25
‎וְהָיָה שַׁדַּי בְּצָרֶיךָ וְכֶסֶף תּוֹעָפוֹת לָךְ
KJV: "Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence, and thou shalt have plenty of silver."

Isaac Fried, Boston University
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