Hebrew [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] = Akkadian qata napasu: a term of non-allegiance.

• Author: Tawil, Hayim
• Position: Brief Communications

To Harry Epstein

[LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] (m. Avot 1:6)

The last chapter in Daniel, chapter twelve, has traditionally been divided into two basic units: (1) a) an eschatological prophecy foreseeing the final victory of God's chosen ones--the ultimate victory of the righteous--introduced by the standard formula [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] "at that time" (Dan. 12:1-4), (2) and b) an epilogue (vv. 5-13) involving two major subunits: 1. a celestial colloquy about the end in the form of a vision of two angels, one of whom states the duration of the troubles just foretold (vv. 5-7), and 2. an inquiry as to the conclusion of the age; the answer given is that the "final phase" ([LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]) will be a time of purification, with personal bliss assured in the resurrection (vv. 8-13).

Our present concern is with the subunit of Dan. 12:5-7 in general and with the hapax idiomatic expression ([LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]) in particular. Dan. 12:5-7 reads as follows:

[LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]

5. Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing, one on one bank of the river, the other on the other bank of the river. 6. One said to the man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the river, "How long until the end of these awful things?" 7. Then I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the water of the river, swear by the Ever-Living One as he lifted his right hand and his left hand to heaven "for a time, times and a half a time and at the termination of nappes yad of the holy people all these things will come to an end."

The clause [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] has been variously rendered: "and when an end is made to breaking in pieces the power of the Holy People" (ICC); "and when the breaking of the power of the holy people comes to an end" (NJPS, RSV); "and when the power of the holy people is no longer being shattered" (RV).

The idiomatic hapax [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] has elicited much comment from modern biblical scholars: "the final sentence is difficult"; (3) "it is entirely vague"; (4) "the conclusion of the verse is a puzzle"; (5) "the Heb. is unusual"; (6) "the last clause of 12:7 is obscure in the MT"; (7) "the MT is not impossible, but it is not clear to what point it would refer." (8) Accordingly, various emendations have been suggested. Charles emends the verb [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] to [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] "one who pulls down (a structure)," considering the MT "to be a corruption." (9) Ginsberg rejects this emendation as "too unidiomatic in the context to be worth the considerable alteration of the graphic picture which it involves."(10) The NEB revocalizes the verb to [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII], deriving the word from [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] II "to disperse, scatter," hence translating the clause: "when the power of the holy people ceases to be dispersed." The most celebrated transposition of word and revocalization is that of Bevan, who transposes the word [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] and--repointing [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] to [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII]--renders the clause as [LANGUAGE NOT REPRODUCIBLE IN ASCII] "when the power of the shatterer (of the holy people) should come to an end," (11) referring to Antiochus IV. This widely accepted emendation was re jected by Ginsberg on both grammatical and historical grounds...