dear kenneth, the association between LEV (heart?) and KLYWT (kidneys?) in the OT is very strong, so i stick with the traditional translation.
below i add some material on heart-kidneys which i found on the internet. nir cohen --------------------- (I) http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10213802 Am J Nephrol. 1999;19(2):101-6. The metaphorical and mythical use of the kidney in antiquity. Maio G. Source Institute for the History of Medicine and Science, University of Lübeck, Germany. [email protected] Abstract While the Syrians and the Arabs viewed the liver as the center of life, the kidneys, in contrast, held a primary place of importance in Israel. In Hebrew tradition, they were considered to be the most important internal organs along with the heart. In the Old Testament most frequently the kidneys are associated with the most inner stirrings of emotional life. But they are also viewed as the seat of the secret thoughts of the human; they are used as an omen metaphor, as a metaphor for moral discernment, for reflection and inspiration. This field of tension in metaphoric usage is resolved under the conception of the kidneys as life center. In the Old Testament the kidneys thus are primarily used as metaphor for the core of the person, for the area of greatest vulnerability. For us today, this metaphorical use of the kidneys has lost its meaning. One reason for its disappearance is certainly the monopoly of causal-analytic rationality in science of today. The kidney has developed from myth to organ, and with this transition a variety of perspectives and ways of looking at knowledge inherent in imaginative thought have been lost. But the metaphor uncovers a deeper level of truth, it represents another form of reconstruction of reality which needs not necessarily be subordinate to the scientific rationality. Today as well, these imaginative ideas can provide an approach to an essential level of reality which may otherwise remain hidden. ------------------------------- (II) (excerpt) http://barrynewman.wordpress.com/2010/03/21/the-heart-in-the-old-testament-part-x%CE%B9/ arry Newman's Blog March 21, 2010 “The Heart” in the Old Testament (part XΙ) Filed under: The Heart — barrynewman @ 9:37 pm Translations (cont.) Not uncommonly, where there were the same or very similar linguistic contexts, the translators sometimes used quite different English words, albeit with the same general meaning. This is particularly noteworthy in the NIV. For example “to say in the heart” is translated: “to realise’, to say to oneself”, “to think” or “to say in the heart”. “Heart of the seas” is sometimes translated: “high seas” but on other occasions: “heart of the seas”. Sometimes an unnecessary word seems to be added, for example where the NIV translates “heart” with “heart and soul” (1 Samuel 14:7). Both the NIV and the ESV translate “kidneys and heart” with “heart and mind” (Psalm 26:2), seemingly equating the English word “heart” with the Hebrew word for “kidneys” and the English word “mind” with the Hebrew word for “heart”. The one-off translation of “spirit” for “heart” in the NIV (2 Kings 5:26) is remarkable. ------------------------- >>>>> De: kenneth greifer <[email protected]> Para: <[email protected]> Data: Fri, 27 May 2011 15:45:11 +0000 Assunto: [b-hebrew] Jeremiah 17:9-10 JEREMIAH 17:1 is usually translated something like "the sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, by a stylus of diamond it is engraved on the tablet of their heart...." JEREMIAH 17:9 is usually translated something like "the heart is deceitful (is crooked) more than everything, and it is very sick (weak). Who will know it?" Then JEREMIAH 17:10 is usually translated something like "I the L-rd examine a heart, I try the reins (the mind) (kaf lamed yud vav tav), (and) to give to a man like (according to) his way, like the fruit of his deeds." I think this part has a mistake. "Reins and" sound funny. I think the Hebrew letters might be divided a tiny bit differently. JEREMIAH 17:10 might actually say "I the L-rd investigate a heart, examining (infinitive) a tool (kaf lamed yud) and a mark (tav vav), to give to a man like (according to) his way, and like the fruit of his deeds." The tool could be the pen or stylus used to write the mark, which could be the sin, on the tablet of the man's heart like JEREMIAH 17:1 describes. Kenneth Greifer _______________________________________________ b-hebrew mailing list [email protected] http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
