“Treacherous as Water”(Gen 49.4)?: The Stem פחז in the Hebrew Bible
In the “blessing” of Gen 49.3-4, Reuben is censured for having violated his father Jacob’s concubine Bilhah. In this rebuke, the Hebrew uses a rare word, פחז, in an additionally awkward comparison: “like water.” Over the centuries the word פחז appears to have been difficult to translate and theref...
| 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: |
Sage
2023
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| In: |
The Bible translator
Year: 2023, Volume: 74, Issue: 2, Pages: 256-267 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
pḥz
/ Bible. Genesis 49,4
/ Bible. Judge 9,4
/ Bible. Ijob 6
/ Bible. Jeremia 23
/ Bible. Zefanja 3,4
/ Water
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| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament |
| Further subjects: | B
Water
B Jeremiah 23.32 B Genesis 49.4 B Job 6.15-20 B treacherous B Judges 9.4 B deceive B Zephaniah 3.4 B פחז |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In the “blessing” of Gen 49.3-4, Reuben is censured for having violated his father Jacob’s concubine Bilhah. In this rebuke, the Hebrew uses a rare word, פחז, in an additionally awkward comparison: “like water.” Over the centuries the word פחז appears to have been difficult to translate and therefore the simile “like water” is also difficult to understand. This is reflected in many Bible translations, but in the last decades a solution has been provided to solve this problem. In this contribution, the cultural significance of Reuben’s offence is discussed since it is not “just” a sexual offense. In addition, the meaning of the word פחז in the other biblical texts is analysed, followed by a discussion of the comparison “as water.” The discussion not only clarifies the text of Gen 49.4, but also the background of several other texts in the Bible. |
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| ISSN: | 2051-6789 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: The Bible translator
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1177/20516770231193001 |