![]() ![]() ![]() This is significant, because God was not speaking formally, but like a father to his own children. Thou in English corresponds to "tu" in French and Spanish, and "du" in German. I see there and elsewhere that the original Hebrew for "Thou shalt not steal" is simply two words: "Lo' tignob" which seems to translate literally as simply "no steal" and is the correct way of saying "Do not steal." Therefore, I think that "do not steal" is a more direct translation.Īdding "thou" captures the "familiar" aspect of the verb in the second person. This is territory covered by any Biblical Hebrew grammar see, e.g., Waltke & O'Connor §31.5. However, imperfective verbs are not necessarily indicative. If applied to the decalogue, an indicative verb would entail a translation such as "you will not kill", as a statement of fact. In modern English, the use of "shall" tends to invoke an elevated register which may better accommodate the sort of nuance invoked by an absolute prohibition direct from the mouth of Yahweh.ġ. It's also the case that the use of the particle לא ( lo) rather than the alternative negative particle על ( al) indicates a more permanent and absolute sort of prohibition. This nuance is frequently neglected in modern English, and the persistence of "you shall not" in most translations of the Decalogue may in part reflect the pervasive nature of the KJV tradition. However, the construction "you shall not." is consistent with traditional English grammar, where "shall" with second and third person verbs expresses volition (whether desire, injunction, or prohibition). Perhaps the most straightforward rendering in modern English would be, This is the case throughout the Decalogue, e.g. One simple (though not fail-safe) test for identifying volitional uses of imperfective verbs is that the verb generally comes first in its clause. Unfortunately for English translators, this can at times be confusing since the imperfective is also used to express simple present and future tense ideas. prohibitions), imperfective verbs are used. Instead, to express negative commands (i.e. However, unlike English, imperative verbs in Hebrew can not be negated. indicative 1) verbs in English, those in the Decalogue are clearly volitional - Yahweh is expressing a prohibitive injunction, not merely a statement of fact.īiblical Hebrew has imperative verb forms, similar to English ("Go and do your homework!"). Although imperfective verbs in other contexts are sometimes translated as simple future tense (i.e. That is, the negative particle לא ( lo) is followed by an imperfective verb. The syntax of the Hebrew is consistent with other prohibitions throughout the legal texts of the Torah. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |