Cutting Off “Kith and Kin,” “Er and Onan”?: Interpreting an Obscure Phrase in Malachi 2:12
The participial phrase [inline-graphic 01] in Mal 2:12 has been a crux interpretum since the earliest versions of the Hebrew Bible. A comprehensive search reveals that at least ten distinct interpretations have been proposed for the obscure phrase by translators and commentators. Retroversion of anc...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Scholar's Press
2014
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| In: |
Journal of Biblical literature
Year: 2014, Volume: 133, Issue: 3, Pages: 519-537 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The participial phrase [inline-graphic 01] in Mal 2:12 has been a crux interpretum since the earliest versions of the Hebrew Bible. A comprehensive search reveals that at least ten distinct interpretations have been proposed for the obscure phrase by translators and commentators. Retroversion of ancient versions to a different Hebrew Vorlage, conjectural emendation, or various etymological and philological considerations of the homonymic verbs [inline-graphic 02] and [inline-graphic 03] (some on the basis of cognate languages) do not yield a clear understanding of how to interpret the obscure phrase. This article therefore proposes a different methodological approach. By comparing the construction [inline-graphic 04] + [inline-graphic 05] + two coordinated participles/nouns (often displaying alliteration and/or assonance) with other biblical texts, some progress is possible on discerning the meaning of this difficult phrase, even if an exact rendering remains beyond our grasp. Having established that the phrase is most likely a grammatical hendiadys, which constitutes an idiom for “offspring”—one’s own “kith and kin”—this article engages with a recent proposal for an inner-biblical allusion to Genesis 38, and the sons of Judah, [inline-graphic 06] and [inline-graphic 07]. |
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| ISSN: | 1934-3876 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of Biblical literature
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1353/jbl.2014.0033 |