From: Steven Craig Miller (scmiller@www.plantnet.com)
Date: Fri Dec 03 1999 - 10:16:29 EST
<x-flowed>To: Randall Buth,
JAF: << The term 'near' says that the subject is *outside* of a significant
boundary ... >>
I will note that you quoted this statement from Joe A. Friberg, without
giving any credit as to who wrote it. That makes it hard for us who are
trying to follow the flow of thought and would like to go back and see this
statement in its full context.
RB: << I wouldn't buy that one for Hebrew. E.g. Jonah 1.5-7 has the captain
come right up to Jonah's face. >>
I think you are absolutely correct, what might be true for English and/or
Greek is not necessarily true for a similar word in Hebrew. The Hebrew verb
QRB seems at times to mean more than merely "be near," rather it seems to
mean also "approach" and even be "present." Here the NRSV simply translates
it as "came."
IMO the semantic domain of "near" & "far" refers to two terms which are
simply relative points of orientation (from the view point of the speaker)
which says nothing about absolute distance (or time). The English adverb
"near" can refer to this semantic domain and mean "at, within, or to a
short distance or time," but this same adverb can also mean "in a close or
intimate manner." This seems to me to be a different semantic domain. To my
knowledge, neither the Greek term EGGUS, nor the cognate verb EGGIZW,
carries this meaning, although I wouldn't be surprised if someone found
such an example, since it seems to me to be a natural extension of this term.
As I have defined the semantic domain of "near" & "far," I would tend to
more or less concur with Joe A. Friberg's statement quoted above (assuming
that it refers to such a semantic domain). On the other hand, that does not
mean that the English adverb "near" can't be used for other semantic
domains. And as you have pointed out, it doesn't tell us the full semantic
range of the Hebrew term QRB.
What do you (or others) think?
-Steven Craig Miller
Alton, Illinois (USA)
scmiller@www.plantnet.com
"Words are like people. To know them well one must meet them on their own
level, in their own environment. In different circumstances they react
differently. Like a face they take on varying expressions. Some of them
move from place to place; some never return to their earlier familiar
surroundings. But to know their past is to know a little better what makes
them act as they do in the present" (Frederick W. Danker, "Multipurpose
Tools for Bible Study," 1993:135).
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