After 24 Years, Scholar Completes 3,000-Page Translation Of The Hebrew Bible
“[Alter’s] accomplishment…is almost absurdly impressive. One wants to call it titanic or Olympian or even heroic, but those are the wrong words―pagan words. Alter will have to settle for one of the God-fearing Hebraic terms of praise that stipple his text: ‘righteous’ or ‘strong’ or, simply, ‘wise.’”- Adam Gopnik, New Yorker
Mar 13, 2019 - Reading Robert Alter’s magisterial The Hebrew Bible: A Translation with Commentary gave me that same sense of wonder and learning about many things I hadn’t noticed before. ...
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He also changed the wording in Psalm 23 — "thou anointest my head with oil," is what you'll find in the King James translation. "But the Hebrew verb does not mean 'to anoint,' " Alter says. "The word that's actually used by the psalmist means 'to make luxuriant' — something like that. It's a very physical word. So after wrestling with other alternatives ... I ended up saying 'you moisten my head with oil.' "
| 1達味詩歌。上主是我的牧者，我實在一無所缺。 |
| 2他使我臥在青綠的草場，又領我走近幽靜的水旁， |
| 3還使我的心靈得到舒暢。他為了自己名號的原由，領我踏上了正義的坦途。 |
| 4縱使我應走過陰森的幽谷，我不怕凶險，因你與我同在。你的牧杖和短棒，是我的安慰舒暢。 |
| 5在我對頭面前，你為我擺設了筵席；在我的頭上傅油，使我的杯爵滿溢。 |
| 6在我一生歲月裡，幸福與慈愛常隨不離；我將住在上主的殿裡，直至悠遠的時日。 |
Psalm 23 King James Version (KJV)
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
smear or rub with oil, typically as part of a religious ceremony.
"high priests were anointed with oil"
| synonyms: | smear with oil, rub with oil, apply oil to, spread oil over;
archaicanele
"during the public baptism, the head of the infant was anointed"
|
smear or rub something with (any other substance).
"Kuna Indians anoint the tips of their arrows with poison"
ceremonially confer divine or holy office upon (a priest or monarch) by smearing or rubbing with oil.
"Samuel anointed him king"
anoint ：傅油；敷油；擦聖油；膏油：聖事中的敷抹（傅）油行動。同 unction 。
Anointing of the Sick, Sacrament of the ：病人傅油聖事；病人聖事；終傅聖事（舊稱）：七件聖事之一，司鐸用聖油敷抹病人，並誦念規定經文，藉以將病人託付給基督，求祂賜與安慰和拯救（法典 998 ）。因此教友病重時，應請神父傅（敷抹）聖油，使之增加恩寵，赦免罪過，並減輕其精神及肉體方面的苦痛，有時也會恢復病患之健康（雅五 14-15? ）。舊稱 Extreme Unction
/lʌɡˈʒʊərɪənt,lʌɡˈzjʊərɪənt,lʌkˈsjʊərɪənt/
(of vegetation) rich and profuse in growth; lush.
"forests of dark, luxuriant foliage"
(of hair) thick and healthy.
"she tossed her luxuriant dark hair"
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Alter also tried to steer clear of words with a lot of syllables — you don't find many of those in biblical Hebrew, he says — and he omitted words that felt extraneous.
Alter points to one example in Psalm 30: The King James translation uses the phrase "What profit is there in my blood?" Alter removed "is there" to leave: "What profit in my blood?" Which he says is much closer to the rhythm of the Hebrew.
| 1祝聖聖殿詩歌。達味作。 |
| 2上主，我稱揚你，因為你救拔了我，你也沒有使我的仇敵向我自誇。 |
| 3上主，我一向你呼號，我主，你便醫治了我。 |
| 4上主，你由陰府中把我救出，又使我安全復生，免降幽谷。 |
| 5上主的聖民，請向上主歌頌，稱謝他的聖名。 |
| 6因為他的忿怒，瞬息消散；他的恩愛卻要終生綿延。晚間雖令人哭涕，清晨卻使人歡喜。 |
| 7我曾自誇過說：「我永不會動搖。」 |
| 8上主，你恩待了我，使我立足於穩固的山崗；但是你一掩面，我便立即感覺到失措驚惶。 |
| 9上主，我曾向你呼號，我曾向我主哀求說： |
| 10「我如果降入陰府，我的血於你何益？灰土豈能讚美你，或宣揚你的忠義？ |
| 11上主，請俯聽我，憐憫我；上主，求你前來助佑我。」 |
| 12你把我的哀痛，給我變成了舞蹈，脫去了我的苦衣給我披上喜樂； |
| 13為此，我的心靈歌頌你，永不止息；上主，我的天主，我要永遠稱謝你！ |
