Language Studies

Aramaic Thoughts

The Peshitta of the Old Testament - Part 19

Judges 20:33 (NKJV) reads, “Then Israel’s men in ambush burst forth from their position in the plain of Geba.” The HCSB at the same point reads, “while the Israelites in ambush charged out of their places west of Geba.” At the same point, the Tanak (the 1985 Jewish Publication Society translation reads, “the Israelite ambush was rushing out from its position at Maareh-geba.” Finally, the Stone Edition of the Tanach (another Jewish translation, published in 1996) reads, “Meanwhile the Israelite ambush was withdrawing from its place, from the Plain of Gibeah.” What accounts for all the differences among these versions?

We’ll begin with the most difficult aspect, which is whether it is “plain” or “place west” or “maareh.” The Tanak translators have taken the view that ma’areh is part of the place name, and have simply transliterated the name. The other versions have considered that it is not part of the name, and thus have attempted to translate it. The trouble with this approach is that the Hebrew word ma’areh as the Masoretic text has it here means “nakedness,” or perhaps “naked place.” Thus the versions have assumed that it refers to a bare place or a plain at Geba.

According to the textual footnote in the HCSB, the Septuagint, the Peshitta, and the Vulgate all read “places west of Geba,” which the HCSB then follows in its translation. But at least some Greek manuscripts do what the Tanak does, and consider ma’areh part of the place name.

One other possibility exists that is suggested by the note in the HCSB, and that is that the word in question should not be ma’areh, but rather m’arah, which means cave. The two words are identical as far as the consonants go. If, however, the word should be “cave” rather than “nakedness,” it is curious that none of the Hebrew manuscripts have pointed the text that way, nor have any of the ancient versions translated it that way.

All things considered, my own preference is for the path followed by the Tanak and at least some of the Greek manuscripts—that ma’areh is part of the place name. One thing that further suggests this from the Hebrew text is the fact that ma’areh is linked to the following word (Geba) in such a way as to indicate they are to be understood together.

As for the rest of the verse, most of the versions are in agreement against the Stone Edition Tanach in understanding the verb as indicating a going toward, rather than a going away from. The other versions also see the place name as Geba, rather than a variant on the name Gibeah. Again, this is probably correct.

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