[B-Greek] Job 3:24
Ken Penner
pennerkm at mcmaster.ca
Fri Dec 12 14:43:50 EST 2003
Hi Rick,
As you probably know, PRO seems to be the most common way the translator of
Job rendered LPNY (4 out of 7 occurrences of LPNY). The other translations
of LPNY include TROPON, UPO, and ENANTI. Also, PNY is behind PRO in 5 out of
9 occurrences of PRO (one is MPNY). The other 4 cases have LNGD, B+RM, BL),
and BLYLW.
So the translator seems to have considered PRO the standard equivalent for
LPNY, and the question of interpretation could be shifted to wondering why
LPNY was used in the Hebrew.
That said, I'm not sure why "before" doesn't work in this context: "For
groaning is present before my food." The point of the passage seems to be
that even the most relaxing times (meals) are troubled times. No need to
look for rare meanings for PRO. Mind you, the NRSV has "like", with a
footnote: "Heb: before".
Ken Penner, M.C.S. (Biblical Languages, Greek Focus), M.A. (Hebrew Poetry)
Ph.D. (cand.), McMaster University
pennerkm at mcmaster.ca
Flash! Pro: http://socserv.socsci.mcmaster.ca/westerholm/flash or
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/flash_pro/join or
http://sensoft.nav.to
> While reading Job 3 this morning, PRO caught my attention in v.24:
>
> PRO GAR TWN SITWN MOU STENAGMOS hKEI,
> DAKRUW DE EGW SUNECOMENOS FOBWi.
>
> At first, I tried to translate PRO in its usual sense
> (before), but this
> did not seem to make much sense. It seemed to have more of the
> flavor of ANTI (the idea of substitution or exchange). This made
> perfect sense to me. The problem is that I don't know that PRO
> can be used as ANTI. Although neither LSJ nor BDAG discuss
> LXX vocabulary, my research in these volumes did not indicate such
> a use for PRO. The closest BDAG came to this possibility, IMO, is
> def. number 3, marker of precedence in importance or rank (pg. 864),
> but this still falls short of a definition that parallels ANTI.
>
> When I checked the Hebrew (the preposition lphn), neither BDB nor
> Gesenius were of any help at all.
>
> Finally, when I checked NET, footnote (# 91) for Job 3:24 says
> that the temporal meaning before makes very little sense here. The
> meaning "in place of, for" fits better. So, at least I'm
> not out on a
> limb
> totally by myself.
>
> Does PRO sometimes occur in the sense of exchange? Would you
> suggest this rendering of Job 3:24? Or is there another/better way
> to view the passage?
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