Hi Yigal,
Thanks! Of course tin or a wooden brick or whatever could have been used for such a tool, but if the Akkadian word gave name to the tool, I think it must mean "lead" (tin is normally בְדִיל and lead עֹפֶרֶת, so maybe אֲנָךְ was used only as a technical term, if we suppose it is a tool). Or to put it another way: if annaku means "tin" I don't think it would give name to this tool, unless it through "usage mistakes" came to mean "lead" when entering Hebrew: 1. Lead is special because it has a high density (tin is similar to iron in this regard). You want as much inertia as possible for this tool – if it is not stable it does not work properly. 2. According to Landsberger lead is way cheaper than tin. Regards, Daniel Lundsgaard Skovenborg ----- Original Message ----- > From: Yigal Levin <[email protected]> > To: [email protected] > Cc: > Sent: Friday, March 23, 2012 4:25 PM > Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] When did )NK in Amos 7:7f become interpreted as > "plumb line"? > > Hi Daniel, > > Rashi, David Qimhi and Ibn-Ezra (10-12th centuries) all claim the word is > similar to the Arabic and means either "lead" or "a builder's > tool" - which I suppose would be a plumb line. > > BTW, even if the Akkadian does mean "tin", tin could have been used > for the same purpose. Tin and lead are not all that different. Both were used > to > alloy with copper to produce bronze. > > > Best > > Yigal Levin > > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Daniel Lundsgaard > Skovenborg > Sent: Friday, March 23, 2012 4:44 PM > To: B-Hebrew > Subject: [b-hebrew] When did )NK in Amos 7:7f become interpreted as "plumb > line"? > > Hi, > > I recently became aware of some difficulties in the "traditional" > interpretation of the word אֲנָךְ in Amos 7:7f. It is usually translated > something like: > "… the Lord was standing by a plumb line (i.e. vertical) wall, with a plumb > line in his hand …" > > This is supported by the dictionaries which refer to cognate languages > (אֲנָךְ > is from Akkadian "annaku") where the word means "lead" or > "tin", which gives the meaning "lead" and thus "plumb > line" in Hebrew. Yet, Landsberger (JNES 24,285ff) has argued that the > Akkadian word means "tin", not "lead". > > There is much more to say about this issue, but what I want to ask you is how > old the "plumb line" interpretation is. > The oldest I have seen is Luther (Bleischnur), but I guess he was not the one > who came up with it. I have checked LXX (steel), Peshitta (following LXX), > Targum (judgement), Vulgate (brick trowel) and the early Christian > interpretations in "Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture" series > (Origen and Ephrem the Syrian, both following LXX/Peshitta). (As for Ephrem, > ACCS translates his quotation of Amos 7:8 "plumb line", but his > exegesis makes most sense if you understand him as LXX/Peshitta.) > > Do you know other sources before Luther that interpret אֲנָךְ as as a plumb > line? > > Regards, > Daniel Lundsgaard Skovenborg > > _______________________________________________ > b-hebrew mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew > > _______________________________________________ > b-hebrew mailing list > [email protected] > http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew > _______________________________________________ b-hebrew mailing list [email protected] http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
