Last Updated: 20/7/99
Introduction
Grammatical Type: vb hiph.
Occurrences: Total 2x OT, 0x Sir, 1x Qum, 0x inscr.
Qum: 1QH XI (formerly III) 9.
Text doubtful:
A.1 [nil].
B.1 At Is 31.5 the manuscript 1QIsa has +lp hiph (+ylphw) for +lm hiph. This reading of 1QIsa corresponds to that of Is 5.29, and may be a case of harmonization in the manuscript. Hasel comments ‘was den Sinn nicht ändert’ (1989:596), although whether a distinction is to be drawn is dependent on the semantic evidence of these two verbs.
It has further been suggested that the hiph inf abs +yl'm;haw; should be read here (e.g. Stade 1886:189; BHS), which may be implied by the Vg (salvans). The same suggestion is made for the previous verb lyci=hiw;, which also is rendered by a participle in the Vg. This seems to be unnecessary, and the construction of the MT is explicable by reference to GK § 113 t (Wildberger 1982:1237; Watts 1985:408).
B.2 The reading at 4Q183 1 ii 3 +lmyw could be either piel or hiphil. It is in parallelism with the hiphil (y#$wh , and hence could, through interference, be the hiphil. Since, however, the hiphil is so rare and restricted to one book on the OT, it is more likely that the verb in 4Q183 be interpreted as a piel.
Qere/Ketiv: none.
1. Root and Comparative Material
A.1 [See +lm niphal]
B.1 [nil].
2. Formal Characteristics
A.1 [See +lm niphal]
B.1 [nil]
3. Syntagmatics
A.1 The subject of the verb in Is 31.5 is twO)bfc; hwFhy:. The subject in Is 66.7 is ryi( ‘the city’ from the previous verse, although the language used is a metaphorical reference to birds.
A.2 The direct object at Is 66.7 and 1QH XI 9 is rkfzf ‘male’. In Is 31.5 the implied object from earlier in the verse is Mlf#f$w%ry; ‘Jerusalem’.
B.1 [nil].
4. Versions
a. LXX: sw&|zw (Is 31.5); ti/ktw (Is 66.7);
b. Peshitta: (zr (Is 31.5); plt@ (Is 66.7);
c. Targum: peal yd( (Is 31.5); ylg (Is 66.7);
d. Vulgate: salvo (Is 31.5); pario (Is 66.7);
A.1 For the most part the Versions select a standard lexeme meaning ‘to save’ for their translationsof +lm hiph at Is 31.5. The LXX and Vg render the +lm hiph at Is 66.7 as ‘to give birth’, whilst the Pesh chooses a popular rendering of +lm in all its verbal forms, and the Tg develops a messianic allusion.
A.2 The Tg rendering yd( at Is 31.5 may mean ‘to remove’, as translated by Chilton (1987:62), but in the peal and pael can also mean ‘to produce or conceive’ , which is more positive, in line with the other verbs in the Tg, than ‘to remove’. In view of the meaning of the other occurrence of the hiphil +lm at Is 66.7 there may be some subtlety in such an allusion in the Tg. It is, however, rendered at Is 66.7 by the imprecise verb plt@ in the Pesh, when the other versions are more accurate with renderings denoting ‘to give birth ’ (so LXX, Tg and Vg).
A.3 In the Vg the verb pario is used for both of the verbs dlayf and +lm hiphil in Is 66.7.
B.1 [nil]
5. Lexical/Semantic Field(s)
A.1 See +lm niphal.
A.2 +lm hiphil is found in parallelism with the verbs lcn hiph (Is 31.5) and dlayf (Is 66.7). It is collocated with the inf abs of xsapf% in Is 31.5.
B.1 [nil]
6. Exegesis
A.1 The parallelism at Is 31.5 with lyci=h suggests that +lm hiph denotes an activity of bringing about safety. The subject from verse 4 is the ‘ Lord of hosts’.
A.2 In Is 66.7 and 1QH XI 9 the meaning of the hiphil seems to be causative. The male child is caused to be brought out, i.e. ‘to give birth’ . There seems to be no distinction between the hiphil in these texts and the piel at Is 34.15, where the zwOp%qi is said to ‘lay its eggs’ (piel +lm).
A.3 The passage at 1QH XI 9 is modelled on Is 66.7 (Delcor 1962:111). It is clear from both texts that the hiph +lm is transitive, a situation that is not so evident with hiph +lp.
B.1 Sawyer (1972:98) suggests that the hiph of both +lm and +lp are due to interference, at the morphological level, from the more common terms (ay#i$wOh and lyci=hi. He notes that in the case of +lm hiph it occurs in the same verse as lcn hiph at Is 31.5, which does give support to his case, but the hiphil form can be accounted for as being causative. It would be difficult to prove such interference in Biblical Hebrew.
B.2 Hubbard correctly notes that the hiphil is causative, but then glosses it as ‘to cause to escape a tight spot’ (1997:953). He explains that this refers to the mother’ s womb and suggests that it perhaps also refers to the fate of a stillborn. He seems to infer too much from the context. It is true that the Lord promises in Is 31.5 that he will rescu e his people who are in difficulty, but there is no evidence that one should conclude that the hiphil denotes rescue ‘from a tight spot’ . The hiphil is used of giving birth since the baby is caused to come out, but that the baby was in a tight spot and hence that the verb could also denote the fate of a stillborn is conjecture.
7. Conclusion
The hiph of +lm expresses a causative motion, the attention often being on the action of bringing forth (hence ‘to give birth’ at Is 66.7, 1QH XI 9) or specifically b ringing about safety (Is 31.5). It may be transitive and may be used of god.
Bibliography
Chilton, B.C., 1987. The Isaiah Targum: introduction, translation apparatus and notes (The Aramaic Bible, 11) (Edinburgh: T&T Clark).
Delcor, M. 1962. Les Hymnes de Qumran (Hodayot), texte Hébreu- introduction, traduction - commentaire (Paris: Letouzey et Ané).
Hasel, G.F. 1989. Article +lapf% in TWAT VI:589-606.
Hubbard, R.L. 1997. Article +lm. In W.A. VanGemeren (ed.). The New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis (Carlisle: Paternoster Press), vol. 2, 95054.
Jenni, E. 1968. Das hebräische Pi‘el: Syntaktisch-semasiologisch Untersuchung einer Verbalform im Alten Testament (Zürich:EVZ-Verlag ).
Kutscher, E.Y. 1974. The language and linguistic background of the Isaiah Scroll (I Q Isa) [Studies on the Texts of the Desert of Judah 6] (Leiden: E.J. Brill).
Ruprecht, E. 1979. Article +lp piel in THAT II:420-27.
Sawyer, J.F.A. 1972. Semantics in Biblical Research: New Methods of Defining Hebrew Words for Salvation [Studies in Biblical Theology, Second Series, 24] (London: SCM Press).
Watts, J.D.W. 1985. Commentary on Isaiah 133 [WBC 24] (Waco, Texas: Word Books).
Wildberger, H. 1982. Commentary on Isaiah 2839 [BKAT X/3] (Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener Verlag).
Stade, B. 1886. Miscellen. ZAW 6:12289.
James K. Aitken
University of Cambridge.