Can you, like him, spread out the skies,/raqa` means to "spread out".
hard as a cast metal mirror? (ESV)
will you, with him, spread out the clouds,/
solid as a mirror of molten metal? (NET)
can you join him in spreading out the skies,/
hard as a mirror of cast bronze? (NIV)
Can you, with him, spread out [raqa`] the skies [shachaq],/
strong [chazaq] as a mirror [r'iy] of molten [yatsaq] metal?
shachaq is more often translated "clouds" or "dust". It is less often used for "heaven" and the more common word for heaven is the Bible is shamayim.
chazaq means "strong", so "hard" or "solid" seems reasonable if the context is that of a solid object.
r'iy means means "appearance". The more common word for mirror is mar'ah. Mirror may seem an appropriate translation based on the meaning "appearance". However the Septuagint doesn’t translate the word as “mirror” but “appearance”.
yatsaq means to "pour out". It is translated into English as "molten" only here. As mirrors were made of metal (not glass) poured out metal is molten metal. Thus a reasonable translation if mirror is correct. But what is a molten mirror? One in the process of being cast (see ESV and NIV)? But a molten mirror would not be hard or strong, though perhaps mighty or powerful. The word "metal" is supplied for clarification, it is not in the Hebrew.
Going with the more usual meanings of the words (if the context allows it), for the first half of the verse we get, as per the NET,
Will you, with him, spread out the [strong] clouds,/Newman translates the verse
Can you, with Him, spread out the mighty clouds,
With an appearance of being poured out?
No comments:
Post a Comment