Difference between revisions of "Dictionary:Changing Meanings/0"
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<div><b><center><span class="highlighted-notice">This topic has not yet undergone editorial review</span></center></b></div> | <div><b><center><span class="highlighted-notice">This topic has not yet undergone editorial review</span></center></b></div> | ||
<category>Within the Biblical Period | <category>Within the Biblical Period | ||
| + | <p>There are many words whose meaning might have changed from one period with Tanakh to another:</p> | ||
| + | <ul> | ||
| + | <li><b>בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל</b> – In most of Sefer Bereshit<fn>See Bereshit 42:5, 45:2 and 46:5. In several other verses () the meaning of the term is ambiguous.  See discussion below.</fn> and the opening verses of Sefer Shemot<fn>The phrase "בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל" in Shemot 1:1 clearly refers to the sons of Yaakov but verse 7 is ambiguous and could refer either to Yaakov's sons or to the entire Israelite nation. This depends on whether the verse is still part of the opening summary of Sefer Bereshit (cf. Bereshit 47:27) or is referring to events after the brothers' death.</fn> the term  refers to the sons of Yaakov, whereas afterwards it refers to the nation of Israel.  The turning point might be Shemot 1:9, which uniquely states "<b>עַם</b> בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל",‎<fn>This is the only place in Tanakh in which this exact term is used and there are only two other places in Tanakh (Shemot 3:10, 7:4) where Hashem uses a similar term, "עַמִּי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל".</fn> perhaps to clarify that the people have become a nation.<fn>See R. Hirsch on Shemot 1:1 and 9 who implies this.</fn>  There are several cases in which the meaning of the term is ambiguous:</li> | ||
| + | <ul> | ||
| + | <li>Bereshit 32:33 "לֹא יֹאכְלוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה" – See the debate in Bavli Chulin 100b whether this refers to something Yaakov's sons accepted upon themselves or whether this was a prohibition first commanded to the nation at at Sinai and placed in Sefer Bereshit to provide the reasoning.<fn>Compare also R"Y Bekhor Shor, Radak and Ralbag's reading of the verse.</fn></li> | ||
| + | <li>Bereshit 36:30</li> | ||
| + | <li></li> | ||
| + | </ul> | ||
| + | </ul> | ||
</category> | </category> | ||
<category>Biblical vs. Mishnaic Hebrew | <category>Biblical vs. Mishnaic Hebrew | ||
Version as of 02:47, 23 September 2020
Lexical: Changing Meanings
Within the Biblical Period
There are many words whose meaning might have changed from one period with Tanakh to another:
- בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל – In most of Sefer Bereshit1 and the opening verses of Sefer Shemot2 the term refers to the sons of Yaakov, whereas afterwards it refers to the nation of Israel. The turning point might be Shemot 1:9, which uniquely states "עַם בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל",3 perhaps to clarify that the people have become a nation.4 There are several cases in which the meaning of the term is ambiguous:
- Bereshit 32:33 "לֹא יֹאכְלוּ בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת גִּיד הַנָּשֶׁה" – See the debate in Bavli Chulin 100b whether this refers to something Yaakov's sons accepted upon themselves or whether this was a prohibition first commanded to the nation at at Sinai and placed in Sefer Bereshit to provide the reasoning.5
- Bereshit 36:30
