[B-Greek] LXX use of SUNAGW, Josh 10:6

Albert Pietersma albert.pietersma at sympatico.ca
Wed Mar 5 21:38:53 EST 2003


Dear Rodney,
If  the text you are citing were Polybius, for example, I might readily agree
with you that SUNAGW in your text might mean "have advanced."  That is to say,
you  glean from the semantic range sketched by the lexica a meaning for SUNAGW
that suits both the verse in question and the larger context.
Greek Josh 10.6, however, is not an an original composition but a translation,
and a  fairly literal one at that.  That then means that, qua text, it has a
vertical dimension (to its source text) as well as a horizontal one. Given the
literal mode of translation, the vertical dimension is likely to be rather
prominent. Thus after reading the Greek translation I would want to read the
source text to see just what the  relationship to its source amounts to in
detail.

As for the clauses you cite, the translation is word for word. As for
SUNHGMENOI EISIN one notes that the Hebrew has the nifal of QBTs as
counterpart, a verb that BDB glosses as "gather, collect," the nifal of which
may be either intransitive or passive. Accordingly NRSV translates: ". . . help
us, for all the kings of the Amorites who live in the hill country ARE GATHERED
against us." As a rule of thumb one would select that component of meaning for
SUNAGW in which it overlaps with QBTs. Thus notions of "gathering"  and
"collecting" are clearly in view, but not "advancing" I would judge.

If one had found only scant semantic overlap between the Greek and Hebrew verb,
one would then have asked a further question: Is the pairing of QBTs with
SUNAGW standard or non-standard / default or non-default in Joshua? As it
happens QBTs occurs only twice, 9.2 where it is translated by SUNERChOMAI and
here. But is not without interest to note in the LXX  SUNAGW is used to
translate fifty  different Hebrew verbs; clearly a real workhorse.

Conclusion: I would not feel a need to deviate from the NRSV as a translation
for the Greek. "ARE GATHERED" covers well the Greek stative. I would not select
"have advanced" or such like.
Al


bgreek at ntresources.com wrote:

> Josh 10:6, BOHQHSAN hHMIN, hOTI SUNHGHMENOI EISIN hHMAS PANTES hOI BASILEIS
> TWN AMORRAIWN
> "... help us, because all the kings of the Amorites have _____ us"
>
> SUNAGW usually means "to gather, assemble" (at least in NT), but as I was
> reading Josh 10 I noticed that BDAG also lists "to advance, move" (#5). This
> is an intransitive use and the NT refs that are cited are of a positive
> nature, but there is a note that it is used in a hostile sense in Theocritus
> and Polybius.
>
> In the context of Josh 10, I began to wonder if the message of the
> Gibeonites pleading for help from Joshua might not be a reference to the
> military advance of the Amorite troops, and perhaps to the beginning of the
> battle rather than to the fact that the Gibeonites were surrounded. (The
> difference is perhaps not great since an advance could entail surrounding
> the city.) The LXX lexicon by Lust does not list such an option. L&S,
> however, do note a number of instances of SUNAGW being used in a hostile
> sense of military action (1691.I.3), particularly to *join* battle or to
> *begin* the battle-strife. Other contextual factors include the fact that
> the Gibeonites are able to get a message out of the city (more likely if not
> surrounded), and that the Amorites have attempted (note the imperfect verb,
> which fits a tendential context) to force them to surrender (v 5) but have
> not yet succeeded in doing so. I'd understand the periphrastic here to
> describe "the predicament we're in" (stative)--their troops are advancing,
> and we need help."
>
> Is this a legitimate way to understand v 6, esp. SUNAGW, or am I reading too
> much into this word?
> (And perhaps SUNAGW EF' hHMAS needed require their being surrounded anyway,
> but I think that's one way to take it.)
>
> ====================================================
> Rodney J. Decker, Th.D., Associate Prof/NT
> Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit, PA,USA
> NTResources.com  PURL: purl.oclc.org/NT_Resources/
> Email: <rdecker> at <NTResources.com>
> ====================================================
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--
Albert Pietersma
Dept of Near&Middle Eastern Civilizations
4 Bancroft Avenue
University of Toronto
Toronto M5S 1C1
albert.pietersma at sympatico.ca
homepage http://www.chass.utoronto.ca:8080/~pietersm/




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