[B-Greek] Question regarding NT original Greek word
Carl Conrad
cwconrad2 at mac.com
Mon Nov 26 06:28:27 EST 2007
On Nov 25, 2007, at 8:04 PM, Amanda Loyacano wrote:
> I was reading one of your responses to a woman
> (http://lists.ibiblio.org/pipermail/b-greek/2007-January/041910.html )
>
> and wondered if there is a Greek word for uncut hair from NT times?
> Also,
> you mentioned in some languages that uncut can be translated. Can you
> elaborate on this? Thanks!
I responded to that original question on January 26 of this year. I
really don't think there's much to add to what I said there; I can
cite the BDAG definition of KOMH, the noun cognate to the verb KOMAW
which means "let the hair grow" (as opposed to "cut one's
hair" (KEIROMAI):
κόμη, ης, ἡ KOMH, HS, hH (s. prec. entry; Hom. et al.;
WSchubart, Der Gnomon des Idios Logos1919 [=BGU V], 71; 76 [II AD]:
ἱερεῦσι οὐκ ἐξὸν κόμην φορεῖν hIEREUSI
OUK EXON KOMHN FOREIN; LXX; Philo, Sacr. Abel. 25; Jos., Bell. 4, 561,
Ant. 14, 45; Tat. 25, 1; loanw. in rabb.) hair of a person’s head,
(long) hair of women (Xenophon Eph. 1, 2, 6; Achilles Tat. 8, 6, 8;
the contexts of these reff. suggest that the hair of the female
characters was long) 1 Cor 11:15, of hair without spec. ref. to
length, a matter that is treated in the clause that precedes. Well-
bred women would wear their tresses gathered up on their heads. κ.
οὔλη KOMH OULH curly hair ApcPt 3:10.—DELG. M-M.
As for the note about "uncut" as translatable in some languages, that
was not my comment but a note from Louw & Nida, a translator's lexicon
of NT Greek used by those who are trying to make the NT Greek text
intelligible in foreign languages that they are producing new
translations for. In English we can say "short hair" in the sense of
"hair that has been shorn." But the Greek word KOMH simply means
"hair" and its usage seems to be based on an assumption that "natural"
hair is long unless it has been cut. I think that whether or not a
language has a special word for uncut hair will depend upon the
cultural assumptions and norms of the people ordinarily speaking it:
what does this particular culture consider the normal state of hair as
worn by people -- or by men and by women (if the normal state is
different for the genders or different age-groups or different social
groups or classes)? The ancient Greek word usage seems based upon a
cultural norm of women letting their hair grow and men cutting theirs
or having it cut.
Carl W. Conrad
Department of Classics, Washington University (Retired)
1989 Grindstaff Road/Burnsville, NC 28714/(828) 675-4243
cwconrad at ioa.com or cwconrad2 at mac.com
WWW: http://www.ioa.com/~cwconrad/
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