Judges 10:4
In the passage posted, click on the Strong's number for cities, and see what comes up. I'm not getting the proper word meaning but something altogether different. Is this a glitch or is there something else that I'm missing?
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The reference shows that it is Strong’s 5895 for me.
Keith Pang, PhD Check out my blog @ https://keithkpang.wixsite.com/magnifyingjesus
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(Showing NIV) it seems that the surface text reads similar ayarim and this text and even the lemma might be similar if looking at the Hebrew and taking away the vocalization. Nevertheless this looks like a bug - the Hebrew strongs in other cases of ir is given as 5892
Have joy in the Lord!
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It gives the same number for me also, Keith, but clicking on that number takes us to the wrong meaning. Thanks for your input.
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Thanks for your reply. I thought this to be a bug but wanted to confirm with you folks. Is it that these little critters don't get fixed very quickly? I had reported previously, Leviticus 21:18, with the Inline Interlinear turned on, clicking on the last word "any thing superfluous" and that is also off kilter in that it will not give how it's translated in other Bible versions under the Information panel. It will work with the Interlinear turned off, but it's not been fixed in order to work with the Interlinear turned on. Is what seems to be slow fixes because it's not getting reported to the Techs or is it because there is so many of these problems to be fixed and it doesn't happen in just a few short months?
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I checked several translations and get the same error. I noticed that 5895 is given for 'donkeys' and 'cities' in that verse.
The Factbook also opens to Donkey for both 'donkeys' and 'cities' in that verse. With the interlinear turned off in ESV, NASB, and LEB, I get the same error.
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The Hebrew word is the word for "donkey" in both cases. There is no error that they are marked the same. Now, the question you seem to be really interested in, is whether the word for "donkey" was intended/was the original text. That is a question of textual criticism, and you can make a case that the second one was originally "city." But don't confuse this with there being an error in the tagging.
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Thank you so much, Robert, for that explanation. Would you think that "Havoth-jair" would indeed refer to cities / towns instead of a group of donkeys, and/or a word play is intended as some suggest?
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It seems difficult to make sense of a group of donkeys being called "the tent villages of Jair," yes. I don't really see how this could be wordplay. Also, the combination of a form of קָרָא with עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה seems to be the way of sharing the name of geographical features.
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Turning on the Insights panel will show that it is a play on words, likely not an error. The parallel 30 donkeys/30 towns was the tell that made me look for this.
c. ‘(thirty) towns’ versions; Hebr. repeats ‘young donkeys’; play on words: ‘air, ‘young donkey’, ‘ir, ‘town’ and jair.
Flaunting the AI rule (sorry, but I am not a Hebrew scholar and am too lazy to track down a commentary to quote to say the same thing.)
There is indeed a Hebrew wordplay in Judges 10:4 involving the words for "donkeys" and "towns/cities." The text says Jair had thirty sons who rode on thirty "donkeys" (ayārîm) and controlled thirty "towns" (‘arîm), called Havvoth-jair.
The wordplay is as follows:
The Hebrew for "ass colts" (donkeys) is עֲיָרִים (ayārîm).
The Hebrew for "towns/cities" is עָרִים (‘arîm).
These words are nearly identical in sound, differing only by the presence of a yod (י) in ayārîm (donkeys). The text deliberately uses these similar-sounding words to create a paronomasia, or play on words, between the sons riding donkeys (ayārîm) and their control over towns (‘arîm). This literary device is a hallmark of early Hebrew narrative style and is seen elsewhere in Judges (e.g., Samson’s riddle in Judges 15:16)2.
"There is a curious play of words on Jair (yair), 'ass-colts' (ayārîm), and 'cities,' which ought to be arîm, but is purposely altered for the sake of the paronomasia. ... The word in Hebrew for ass colts is identical with that for cities, as here pointed, and this play upon the words belongs to the same turn of mind as produced Jotham’s fable and Samson's riddle (Judges 14:14). Judges 10:4 is another form for ערים, from a singular עיר equals עיר, a city, and is chosen because of its similarity in sound to עירים, asses."2
Summary:
The wordplay in Judges 10:4 is between ayārîm (donkeys) and ‘arîm (towns/cities), emphasizing Jair's wealth and the status of his sons, and showcasing a typical Hebrew literary pun2.Orthodox Bishop Alfeyev: "To be a theologian means to have experience of a personal encounter with God through prayer and worship."; Orthodox proverb: "We know where the Church is, we do not know where it is not."
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Thank you for your helpful thoughts MJ.Smith and Robert Read. Your input is very much valued.
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