Nahum 3:8

[S_Walch]

I'm just looking at the best way to understand the verse as it appears in the Wadi Muraba'at Minor Prophets:

התיטבי מנא אמון הישבה ביארים מים סביב לה אשר חיל מים חומתה

With the main emphasis on אשר חיל מים חומתה, which I'm having difficulty making much sense out of it:
1) "...whose rampart of waters [is] her wall"?
2) "...whom [had] a rampart of waters [as] her wall"?

I'm thinking this just may be a scribal mistake for אשר חיל ים מים חומתה, or seeing as though the text isn't complete -

התיטבי מ[נ]א אמו[ן הי]שבה [ ] חיל מים חומתה

- we may be looking at another sort of variant, to which I would be looking at more a case of option 2 above. Or could מים be "from the sea", with the meaning "her wall [is] a rampart from the sea" ?

Thoughts?

(FWIW: LXX has ης η αρχη θαλασσα και υδωρ τα τειχη αυτης "whose empire is the sea, water her walls" ; 8HevXIIgr has ης ισχυς θαλασσα υδωρ το τειχος αυτης "whose strength is the sea, water her wall" )

[kwrandolph]

I'm just looking at the best way to understand the verse as it appears in the Wadi Muraba'at Minor Prophets:

התיטבי מנא אמון הישבה ביארים מים סביב לה אשר חיל מים חומתה

With the main emphasis on אשר חיל מים חומתה, which I'm having difficulty making much sense out of it:
1) "...whose rampart of waters [is] her wall"?
2) "...whom [had] a rampart of waters [as] her wall"?

I think the first step is to recognize the meanings of words, and then will it be cleared up?

We previously discussed חומה on this list, in relation to Exodus 14:22, where we came to the conclusion that it meant not specifically a wall, but any barrier that protects. As such, a moat is a חומה that protects. So in this context, Nineveh depended on the river to act as a protective barrier.

Similarly חיל in not a rampart, rather refers to power. Usually expressed through the forces of army units, but also power acquired through monetary influence.

The MT has אשר חיל ים מים חומתה, which, in this context appears to me to be a scribal error for אשר חילים מים חומתה with חיל in the plural, making this to read “which the powers of waters are its protective barrier” while the variant you read has “which the power of waters is its protective barrier”.

This is my 2¢, does anyone have any other ideas?

Karl W. Randolph.

[S_Walch]

Thanks for that, Karl.

Could we be looking at a possible error for אשר מים חיל חומתה, with מים חיל being "powerful waters" ("whose powerful waters are her barrier")?

Of course, this is just getting more hypothetical than anything else...

[kwrandolph]

Could we be looking at a possible error for אשר מים חיל חומתה, with מים חיל being "powerful waters" ("whose powerful waters are her barrier")?

Of course, this is just getting more hypothetical than anything else...

Except, in this verse, חיל is a noun, not an adjective. And in the context, I think it works better as a noun “the power of waters” being the protective barrier with the power being emphasized and the waters being in more of an adjectival use.

Karl W. Randolph.

[Isaac Fried]

Seems to me that it is XEL, 'rampart, moat', as in Isaiah 26:1
עִיר עָז לָנוּ יְשׁוּעָה יָשִׁית חוֹמוֹת וָחֵל
NIV: "We have a strong city
God makes salvation
its walls and ramparts."

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

From the root XL we have:
חוֹל XOL, 'sand, dune'.
חל XEL, 'mound'. Close to גל GAL and to תל TEL.
חוּל XUL, 'circle or group dancing', as in Judges 21:21.
חיל XAYIL, 'army'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[S_Walch]

Thanks there Isaac.

How would you describe the development of חוּל XUL to חיל XAYIL to give the meaning "army"?

With חיל meaning "power", are we effectively looking at something along the lines of "circle/group of power/strength" = "army"? Or with the meaning of חוּל as "to twist, whirl", we're looking at "a whirl of strength" = "army"?

[S_Walch]

Could there also be a correlation between חיל/חל and איל/אל "strength/leader/mighty one"?

[Isaac Fried]

The Hebrew root expresses but a material state. The meaning of the derived words are secondary implications. Thus, a Hebrew root can only mean "big", and by implication "powerful" and "strong".

The Hebrew root חל XL is 'lage'; the component L in this root meaning 'tall'. It is applied to situations of a pile-up of grains of sand in a dune, as well as to a collection of people dancing together in a מה-חול = מחוֹל, or fighting together in a חיל.

"twist" and "whirl" are an added layers of observation of movement over time and are not implied by the root.

The root חל XL is a variant of כל QL, 'include', and eventually also of אכל 'eat, fill the stomach'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

[Isaac Fried]

Ste asks
Could there also be a correlation between חיל/חל and איל/אל "strength/leader/mighty one"?

Says I
As I said earlier the uni-literal Hebrew root ל L means 'lofty, tall'. Every Hebrew root containing L refers to an elevated state. "Knowing life" we infer that high = "strong", "superior", "leader" etc..
Roots, or words, with L? Many.
אל EL, 'god', as in אל עליון or אל-על EL-AL.
עלה ALEH, 'leaf'.
איל AYIL, 'ram'.
עוּל UL, 'mature'.
עוֹל OL, 'yoke'.
אלון ALON, 'oak'.
לוּל LUL, 'ladder'.
ליל LAYIL, 'the darkness covering the earth'.
עלילה ALIYLAH, 'tall tale'.

From the uni-literal root ח X we have חי XAY, 'alive, erect'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University