Chris Weimer

Judge or anyone else with access to the Syriac Old Testament -

How is Rahab spelt in Joshua and Psalms 87? Is it like the Hebrew רהב or like the Aramaic Matthew רחב? Thanks.

Yuri Kuchinsky

Chris,

I'm not sure about different fonts but, in the Peshitta OT, as well as in the OS Mt, Rahab is spelled resh-heth-beth.

In Hebrew, Rahab is spelled resh-he-beth.

Regards,

Yuri.

spin

In Hebr. Ps 87:4 we find rhb but Josh, eg 2:1, has rxb.

It's hard to understand the Mt 1:5 reference. It doesn't make itself clear, though there is some literary relationship with Ruth 4:21, which, if you have the Pesh. TNK for Ruth, would be interesting to see transliterated. How are the names written, is this mention of rxb there?

Hebr 11:31 and Jam 2:25 are clear references to Josh, but Mt 1:5 doesn't allow such a connection.


spin

Yuri Kuchinsky

There's no Rahab in Ruth 4:21.

(Ruth 4:18-22 RSV) Now these are the descendants of Perez: Perez was the father of Hezron,
19 Hezron of Ram, Ram of Amminadab,
20 Amminadab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon,
21 Salmon of Boaz, Boaz of Obed,
22 Obed of Jesse, and Jesse of David.

As to Psalms 87:4,

(Psalms 87:4 RSV) Among those who know me I
mention Rahab and Babylon; behold, Philistia and
Tyre, with Ethiopia -- "This one was born there,"
they say.

Here are a couple of Aramaic versions,

Targum Psalms 87:4:
)dkrw [/dkryN#1#/] tw$bxtK mcr)y wbbl)y lyd(y ytK h) ply$t)y wcwr)y (M kw$)y dyN mlyK )ytrb) tmN%

Peshitta Psalms 87:4:
)tdkr _lrxb_ wl=bbl yd(:ty, h) pl$:ty) wcwr [Tyre] w(m) dkw$:y) [Ethiopia], hn) )tyld tmn,

The Targum of Psalms doesn't mention 'Rahab' at all... Peshitta Psalms has rxb.

Regards,

Yuri.

spin

The Targum has mcr)y, ie Egypt, which is just an elucidation of Rahab the Hebre rhb, a symbol for Egypt. The Peshitta is odd though, giving rxb rather than the biblical rhb. Still the Peshitta will certainly give rxb for Joshua 2:1, etc., as the Hebrew has the same. The Syriac has lost rhb.

I was fishing for the Peshitta of Ruth 4:21 because there was a slight chance that it might have had some form of Rahab as a possible source for Mt, but also because I wondered how the name Salmon was transliterated into Syriac.


spin

Chris Weimer

Thanks, Yuri. This is still puzzling on where exactly did Matthew get his genealogy list from.

Even though, the chronology still doesn't line up, as Rahab (of Joshua fame) would have been too old to be the great-grandmother of David. Error on Matthew's part, or an unknown Rahab which nothing mentioning her survives?

judge

Matthew probably got his geneology from the same source or in the same manner as the rest of the HB references he supplies.

They aren't POT, they aren't HB(middle ages version) they aren't LXX.

Where did Paul get his reference to Psalm 68 from?

Chris Weimer

I'm starting to doubt this. The first chapters and last chapters of Matthew are in stark contrast to the rest of it.

As for not using the LXX, he very well may have used a version of it - remember there were several versions and even more late (100 BCE - 100 CE) recensions of it.

spin

The DSS clearly shows a Hebrew Vorlage for the Greek, ie some of those differences apparently unique to the LXX are in the Hebrew fragments from Qumran that underlie the Greek translation.


spin

Yuri Kuchinsky

Here you go,

(Ruth 4:21 RSV) Salmon of Boaz, Boaz of Obed,

Peshitta:
(Ruth 4:21) w-$l) )wld l-b(z; w-b(z )wld l-(wbd%

Yuri.