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A Play On Words in the Nineteenth Chapter of Job

A Play On Words in the Nineteenth Chapter of Job SHORT NOTES A PLAY ON WORDS IN THE NINETEENTH CHAPTER OF JOB The three-fold use of the word 11N in Chapter xix of the Book of Job has always been one of the puzzles of Biblical Exegesis. The Massoretic Text and English translation of these verses reads: 1) "My bones cleave to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth (20)... and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then without my flesh I shall see God (26)". The ancient translators, reading 111? in each of these places, under- stood it to mean "skin". This, however, compelled them to create such meaningless metaphors as "skin of the teeth", "bone in the teeth", "lips", etc. Further, in the one place where the meaning "skin" seems surest (20A), because of the juxtaposition of the word for flesh, they fashioned yet another series of confusing metaphors. The Medieval Jewish commentators were equally puzzled by these verses and the modern commentators have been able to do little better. Dr. GRAY, in the textual notes to verse 26A notes: 2) "Line is altogether obscure and uncertain" and he leaves the first clause untranslated. Dr. DRIVER http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Vetus Testamentum Brill

A Play On Words in the Nineteenth Chapter of Job

Vetus Testamentum , Volume 16 (4): 497 – Jan 1, 1966

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Publisher
Brill
Copyright
© 1966 Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, The Netherlands
ISSN
0042-4935
eISSN
1568-5330
DOI
10.1163/156853366X00313
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

SHORT NOTES A PLAY ON WORDS IN THE NINETEENTH CHAPTER OF JOB The three-fold use of the word 11N in Chapter xix of the Book of Job has always been one of the puzzles of Biblical Exegesis. The Massoretic Text and English translation of these verses reads: 1) "My bones cleave to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth (20)... and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then without my flesh I shall see God (26)". The ancient translators, reading 111? in each of these places, under- stood it to mean "skin". This, however, compelled them to create such meaningless metaphors as "skin of the teeth", "bone in the teeth", "lips", etc. Further, in the one place where the meaning "skin" seems surest (20A), because of the juxtaposition of the word for flesh, they fashioned yet another series of confusing metaphors. The Medieval Jewish commentators were equally puzzled by these verses and the modern commentators have been able to do little better. Dr. GRAY, in the textual notes to verse 26A notes: 2) "Line is altogether obscure and uncertain" and he leaves the first clause untranslated. Dr. DRIVER

Journal

Vetus TestamentumBrill

Published: Jan 1, 1966

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