Category Archives: 16 – Job – איוב

חנמל and רשפים

חנמל is a hapax occurring in Psalms 78:47

תהלים עח:מז

יַהֲרֹ֣ג בַּבָּרָ֣ד גַּפְנָ֑ם וְ֝שִׁקְמוֹתָ֗ם בַּֽחֲנָמַֽל: ַיַּסְגֵּ֣ר לַבָּרָ֣ד בְּעִירָ֑ם וּ֝מִקְנֵיהֶ֗ם לָרְשָׁפִֽים:

It is clearly similar to ברד and has destructive power.  HALOT gives “devastating flood” based on an article by Ludwig Koehler (Journal of Biblical Literature, vol. 59 p. 39, 1940), which, unfortunately, is in German.

רשף is a more common word, occurring eight times in TaNa”KH (see below) including once as a name.  HALOT has a long entry on רשף, beginning with a statement of the uncertainty of the etymology, but suggesting that it probably originated as a personal name (as attested in TaNa”KH as well – I Chronicles 7:25).  Its usage in TaNa”KH suggests a sense of fire, e.g. Song of Songs 8:6 רשפיה רשפי אש שלהבתיה.

Quoting from HALOT:

“Both derivations evoke the sinister features which are the essence of this deity, who was worshipped [sic] throughout the Near East.  Rašap was actually identified with the Babylonian god Nergal and can similarly be regarded as a god of the underworld, a god of plagues, and a god of war.”

דברים לב:כד
מְזֵ֥י רָעָ֛ב וּלְחֻ֥מֵי רֶ֖שֶׁף וְקֶ֣טֶב מְרִירִ֑י וְשֶׁן־ בְּהֵמֹת֙ אֲשַׁלַּח־בָּ֔ם עִם־חֲמַ֖ת זֹחֲלֵ֥י עָפָֽר:

חבקוק ג:ה
לְפָנָ֖יו יֵ֣לֶךְ דָּ֑בֶר וְיֵצֵ֥א רֶ֖שֶׁף לְרַגְלָֽיו:

תהלים עו:ד
שָׁ֭מָּה שִׁבַּ֣ר רִשְׁפֵי־קָ֑שֶׁת מָגֵ֬ן וְחֶ֖רֶב וּמִלְחָמָ֣ה סֶֽלָה:

תהלים עח:מח
וַיַּסְגֵּ֣ר לַבָּרָ֣ד בְּעִירָ֑ם וּ֝מִקְנֵיהֶ֗ם לָרְשָׁפִֽים:

איוב ה:ז
כִּֽי־אָ֭דָם לְעָמָ֣ל יוּלָּ֑ד וּבְנֵי־רֶ֗שֶׁף יַגְבִּ֥יהוּ עֽוּף:

שיר השירים ח:ו
שִׂימֵ֨נִי כַֽחוֹתָ֜ם עַל־לִבֶּ֗ךָ כַּֽחוֹתָם֙ עַל־זְרוֹעֶ֔ךָ כִּֽי־עַזָּ֤ה כַמָּ֙וֶת֙ אַהֲבָ֔ה קָשָׁ֥ה כִשְׁא֖וֹל קִנְאָ֑ה רְשָׁפֶ֕יהָ רִשְׁפֵּ֕י אֵ֖שׁ שַׁלְהֶ֥בֶתְיָֽה:

דברי הימים א ז:כה
וְרֶ֣פַח בְּנ֗וֹ וְרֶ֧שֶׁף וְתֶ֛לַח בְּנ֖וֹ וְתַ֥חַן בְּנֽוֹ:

ממשק חרול

חרל

צפניה ב:ט

לָכֵ֣ן חַי־אָ֡נִי נְאֻם֩ יי צְבָא֜וֹת אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל כִּֽי־מוֹאָ֞ב כִּסְדֹ֤ם תִּֽהְיֶה֙ וּבְנֵ֤י עַמּוֹן֙ כַּֽעֲמֹרָ֔ה מִמְשַׁ֥ק חָר֛וּל וּמִכְרֵה־מֶ֥לַח וּשְׁמָמָ֖ה עַד־עוֹלָ֑ם שְׁאֵרִ֤ית עַמִּי֙ יְבָזּ֔וּם וְיֶ֥תֶר גוי [גּוֹיִ֖י] יִנְחָלֽוּם:

 משלי כד:לא

וְהִנֵּ֨ה עָ֮לָ֤ה כֻלּ֨וֹ׀ קִמְּשֹׂנִ֗ים כָּסּ֣וּ פָנָ֣יו חֲרֻלִּ֑ים וְגֶ֖דֶר אֲבָנָ֣יו נֶהֱרָֽסָה:

 איוב ל:ז

בֵּין־שִׂיחִ֥ים יִנְהָ֑קוּ תַּ֖חַת חָר֣וּל יְסֻפָּֽחוּ:

KJV translates ממשק חרול in צפניה as “even the breeding of nettles” and translates חרול and חרלים in Job and Zephanaiah similarly: “nettles”.  Both BDB and HALOT translate it as “weed”, but neither gives a certain origin or translation.  The phrase ממשק חרול adds difficulty as ממשק is also an unusual word.

For the root משק BDB writes “assumed as root of two following, but wholly dubious”!  They translate ממשק as “place of possession” and therefore ממשק חרול as a “place possessed by chickpeas”.  HALOT has “ground overgrown with weeds”.  Interestingly, under משק, HALOT has a definition meaning “infestation” – from Isaiah 33:4 כמשק גבים, but HALOT does not suggest “infested with weeds” in צפניה.

 

 

גבור חיל

What does גבור חיל mean?

The phrase appears 42 times in eight different books.  In Job 21:7 the similar phrase גברו חיל appears.  In most cases, it seems to mean someone who has displayed military heroism, but sometimes it is not clear that it means an actual military hero.