“He May Do Harm . . .”: Translation and Meaning of 2 Sam 12.18

Three major English translations, NRSV, ESV, and NASB, render וְאֵיךְ נֹאמַר אֵלָיו מֵת הַיֶּלֶד וְעָשָׂה רָעָה׃‎ as “How then can we tell him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” These translations insert the reflexive pronoun “himself” as the object of עשׂה‎. While such a reading is po...

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Détails bibliographiques
Auteur principal: Jones, Ethan (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
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Publié: Sage 2020
Dans: The Bible translator
Année: 2020, Volume: 71, Numéro: 3, Pages: 303-319
Sujets / Chaînes de mots-clés standardisés:B Bibel. Samuel 2. 12
B Bibel. Samuel 2. 12 / David, Israel, König
Classifications IxTheo:HB Ancien Testament
Sujets non-standardisés:B 2 Sam 12.18
B Reflexives
B David
B bibel. samuel, 2., 12,18
Accès en ligne: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Résumé:Three major English translations, NRSV, ESV, and NASB, render וְאֵיךְ נֹאמַר אֵלָיו מֵת הַיֶּלֶד וְעָשָׂה רָעָה׃‎ as “How then can we tell him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.” These translations insert the reflexive pronoun “himself” as the object of עשׂה‎. While such a reading is possible, it is not at all probable when we take into account how reflexives are expressed in Biblical Hebrew, as well as the syntax and semantics of עשׂה‎. This article contributes to our understanding of 2 Sam 12.18 not by offering a new translation of וְעָשָׂה רָעָה‎, but by providing a linguistic explanation for why translators should reject the reflexive “harm himself” and instead render the phrase as “he may do harm” (so MEV).
ISSN:2051-6789
Contient:Enthalten in: The Bible translator
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/2051677020949651