In search of the meaning of hamas: studying an Old Testament word in context
The Hebrew word hamas in the Old Testament is most frequently translated as ""violence"". However, this translation often does not do justice to the context in which the word is used. The virtually constant translation of hamas as ""violence"" in literature pe...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
1991
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| In: |
Journal for semitics
Year: 1991, Volume: 3, Issue: 2, Pages: 156-166 |
| Further subjects: | B
""Original"" meaning (""Grundbedeutung"")
B Hebrew word hamas B Old Testament B Translated as ""violence"" |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Parallel Edition: | Non-electronic
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| Summary: | The Hebrew word hamas in the Old Testament is most frequently translated as ""violence"". However, this translation often does not do justice to the context in which the word is used. The virtually constant translation of hamas as ""violence"" in literature pertaining to the Old Testament, translations of the Bible and Hebrew lexicons is an example of the incorrect method of determining meaning and translation, whereby a single meaning is consistently allocated to a word. This method is based on the concept that a word has a so-called ""original"" meaning (""Grundbedeutung"") out of which all the meanings of the word are derived. A synchronic study of hamas shows that this word, because of its diversity of contexts, requires a much more nuanced translation. One of the problems of translating hamas as ""violence"" is this concept's modern-day connotation of physical force. However, the word hamas in the Old Testament also appears in the contexts of sin and injustice against God and one's fellow-man, judicial affairs, structural violence and the theodicy problem. |
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| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal for semitics
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| Persistent identifiers: | HDL: 10.10520/AJA10318471_187 |
