Lee Daniel Quinn wrote:

> For many years, scholars have been translating Phoenician tablets.
> They have thousands of them -- most being what we would call
> bills of lading or shipping manifests. For a while they gave up
> because they were all about the same.
> An unnamed translator kept at it, and found that there were two
> parties that added, at the bottom of the regular lists, notes
> of a personal nature. These findings were very interesting.
> The reason for the above comment is that, in a note from one man
> to the other, he said, in essence:
> Did you hear about John's wife? She has become
> paralyzed. She has, what they say in this area,
> "turned into a pillar of salt."

Lee, its time for you to start a new career, in Biblical exegesis.
I agree with you. Lot's wife became paralyzed. Here's why:

The Hebrew phrase for "became a pillar of salt" is:
N'TZiB MeLaX (where X = het)

TZiB is a euphemistic reversal of BoTZ = mire, mud
When you, or more likely your wagon, become mired in the mud,
you can't move.

A Hebrew word for paralysis is shin-bet-tzadi SHaBaTZ
= cramp, convulsion; apoplexy, i.e., a sudden, usu. marked,
loss of bodily function due to rupture or occlusion of
a blood vessel. The initial shin in this word functions
as a prefix meaning "that which is caused by or results from".
Compare: SHiTaFoN = flood < shin + ToFaN = typhoon, storm.

The MeLaX = salt is a euphemistic reversal of het-lamed-mem
XaLaM = to be healthy, be strong. That is, she became weak
and not healthy, probably as the result of a stroke or
aneurysm.

Israel Cohen
izzy_cohen@bmc.com

Welcome Izzy and thanks for that most enlightening explanation. We could certainly use a Hebrew Bible scholar around here - one who actually understands Hebrew that is. BTW, where was Quinn's original post that you referenced?

interesting, I also read that pillar of salt could be read as pillar of vapor?

Shalom!

That's bloody interesting! Looks entirely plausible too.

I wonder, does the pesher method of interpretation work for that which we goyim know as the Old Testament?

Regards,
Brad