The problematic Hebrew word ‘ועבר’ Nahum 1:12: The study of ancient translations

Verbum et Ecclesia

 
 
Field Value
 
Title The problematic Hebrew word ‘ועבר’ Nahum 1:12: The study of ancient translations
 
Creator Chia, Philip S.
 
Subject Language textual criticism, word study, LXX, dead sea scrolls, Peshitta, Vulgate, Targum, Masoretic text, Nahum, ועבר.
Description What is the meaning of ‘ועבר’ found in Nahum 1:12? The textual tradition is divided. The Septuagint (LXX) omits this Hebrew word, while the Vulgate translates literally as ‘et pertransibit’ in Nahum 1:12. Although the Peshitta has a similar translation with the Masoretic text and the Vulgate, it differs on the subject: they will go through or ‘ܘܥܒܪܘ’. Targum, on the other hand, interprets the Hebrew word as ‘ויעברון על פרת ית’ or ‘they passed on the Euphrates’. This disagreement raises important questions about the original wording of the verse, its interpretation and the sources of the various readings that emerged during its transmission.
Intradisciplinary and/or interdisciplinary implications: This article employs textual criticism as its primary method, examining manuscript evidence, evaluating the chances of transcription and translation differences and considering contextual and linguistic factors. The aim is to determine the most likely original text and to investigate the possible reasons for the inconsistencies found among these ancient sources.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor University of Pretoria
Date 2025-08-01
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Translations
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/ve.v46i1.3505
 
Source Verbum et Ecclesia; Vol 46, No 1 (2025); 6 pages 2074-7705 1609-9982
 
Language eng
 
Relation
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https://verbumetecclesia.org.za/index.php/ve/article/view/3505/8997 https://verbumetecclesia.org.za/index.php/ve/article/view/3505/8998 https://verbumetecclesia.org.za/index.php/ve/article/view/3505/8999 https://verbumetecclesia.org.za/index.php/ve/article/view/3505/9000
 
Coverage Middle East Old Testament Period Language
Rights Copyright (c) 2025 Philip S. Chia https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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