Nir: On Fri, Oct 5, 2012 at 2:46 PM, Nir cohen - Prof. Mat. <[email protected]>wrote:
> jim, > > i suspect that the traditional reading of this phrase is wrong. > “Traditional reading”??? > L) $LM (WNW does not mean here "he has not paid enough" but > rather "he is not culpable enough". This latter reading is the traditional reading I have heard all my life. > the entire phrase changes its meaning > drastically: > > "so far i find not enough wrong with the emorites > (so as to expel them from the land)." > > or > > "only by that time (when the hebrews return after 4 > generations) will i find enough wrong with the emorites > (so as to expel them from the land)." > > in both versions, this gives a reason not why the emorites will be > punished, > but quite the contrary, why they will be spared for four entire generations > (along with the other canaanite groups). and, indirectly and more i > mportantly (to abraham), why the returning hebrews will have to wait these > four generations. > > A second question, is “Amorite” in this verse used as a noun or as an adjective? In other words, was there a certain perversion (whose identity was not mentioned in Genesis) that was particularly common among the Amorites, hence was known as “the Amorite perversion”? As far as Abram’s connections with a particular Amorite, that it was mentioned only once shows that it was probably no more than the likes of a rental agreement. That it was not a close relationship can be seen in that Abram told the king of Sodom to make a separate arrangement with Abram’s Amorite ally after the battle instead of the two acting in concert. > > nir cohen Karl W. Randolph.
_______________________________________________ b-hebrew mailing list [email protected] http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
