Naso (Numbers 4.2, first word)

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cvkimball
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Naso (Numbers 4.2, first word)

Post by cvkimball »

What is the verb form of the first word of Numbers 4.2, naso?

נָשֹׂ֗א

Chris Kimball
West Redding, CT
USA
kwrandolph
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Re: Naso (Numbers 4.2, first word)

Post by kwrandolph »

cvkimball wrote:What is the verb form of the first word of Numbers 4.2, naso?

נָשֹׂ֗א

Chris Kimball
West Redding, CT
USA
I have no idea what the Masoretic points stand for. Seeing as they are demonstrably wrong often enough, I tend to ignore them.

Context, on the other hand, indicates that this is an imperative verb, singular because it was addressed specifically to Moses.

My 2¢.

Karl W. Randolph.
Michael W Abernathy
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Re: Naso (Numbers 4.2, first word)

Post by Michael W Abernathy »

It is usually taken to be a qal infinitive absolute used as an emphatic imperative. Waltke and O'Connor's Biblical Hebrew Syntax says that the use of the infinitive absolute for an infinitive is used mostly in the older passages of scripture and that it "predominately expresses divine and/ or prophetic commands: legislative commands. . ., divine commands. . ., or legislative jussive."
Michael Abernathy
cvkimball
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Re: Naso (Numbers 4.2, first word)

Post by cvkimball »

Infinitive absolute makes sense. I didn't know they could be used as an imperative. Thanks!
Mark Lightman
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Re: Naso (Numbers 4.2, first word)

Post by Mark Lightman »

The LXX does in fact render it with a singular imperative:
1 καὶ ἐλάλησε Κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν καὶ ᾿Ααρὼν λέγων· 2 λάβε τὸ κεφάλαιον τῶν υἱῶν Καὰθ...
while the Graecus Venetus, using an essentially Greek construction, employs an infinitive:
διαείλεκταί θ' ὁ ὀντωτς πρὸς μωσέα καὶ πρὸ ἀαρῶνα τῷ φάναι 2 ἐπαίρειν τὴν κεφαλὴν τῶν υἱέων καάθου...
Tanakh Ram not only paraphrases the idiom, but introduces a plural imperative:
סִפְרוּ אֶת בּנֵי קְהָת
Mark Lightman
Saboi

Re: Naso (Numbers 4.2, first word)

Post by Saboi »

נשא את־ראש is read as ἔνεικε τα κρᾶτα "bring the heads", rather then ἀρίθμησον τα κρᾶτα "count the heads" or ἀρίθμησον τα κέρατα "count the corps".

ראש; κεράς "corps, wing of an army"

Judges 7:16 - He divided the three hundred men into three companies [ראשים][κέρατα]
Job 1:17 - The Chaldeans made out three bands [ראשים] [κέρατα]

קהת/ἀγωγά "of an army, spartan youths"
עבדת/ὀπαδός "attendant, accompanying"

cf. 1 Maccabees 12:21
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Jason Hare
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Re: Naso (Numbers 4.2, first word)

Post by Jason Hare »

Saboi wrote:נשא את־ראש is read as ἔνεικε τα κρᾶτα "bring the heads", rather then ἀρίθμησον τα κρᾶτα "count the heads" or ἀρίθμησον τα κέρατα "count the corps".

ראש; κεράς "corps, wing of an army"

Judges 7:16 - He divided the three hundred men into three companies [ראשים][κέρατα]
Job 1:17 - The Chaldeans made out three bands [ראשים] [κέρατα]

קהת/ἀγωγά "of an army, spartan youths"
עבדת/ὀπαδός "attendant, accompanying"

cf. 1 Maccabees 12:21
Why all the Greek?
Jason Hare
Tel Aviv, Israel
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