Abstract

DIHI, Haim. Problematic Terminology of the Manna Pericope (Exod 16:14-15) in the Light of Medieval Jewish Commentators and Biblical Hebrew Philology. Old testam. essays [online]. 2020, vol.33, n.2, pp.189-206. ISSN 2312-3621.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2312-3621/2020/v33n2a3.

In this article, I shall discuss the adjective –••––– and the word –– in the phrase ––-••”, which both appear in the manna pericope in Exod 16:1415. I will present the different interpretations suggested by medieval Jewish commentators as well as modern scholars and dictionaries, and I shall attempt to show which one of the medieval interpretations is the most appropriate in the light of modern biblical philology. Medieval Jewish commentators suggested four different interpretations of the word –••–––, two of which, "rounded" and "uncovered", have also been supported by the findings of modern biblical philology. Two medieval commentators rightly interpreted the word –– in the phrase ––-••” as an interrogative pronoun. This is also the commonly accepted interpretation in contemporary modern biblical philology.

Keywords : Exod 16:14-15; Manna pericope; Jewish medieval commentators; Jewish medieval grammarians; modern biblical Hebrew philology; etymological equivalent; semantic equivalent; interrogative pronoun.

        · text in English     · English ( pdf )