Keywords

Bible, Biblical studies, biblical word, Biblical Names

Abstract

This study reviews the naming reports in the MT r that contain the phrase [Hebrew text] () in order to analyze the current practice of regularly rendering the subjects of these reports as indefinite. Though this is understandable in some cases, I contend that many of these subjects can just as well be understood as definite. Whereas the difference may seem insignificant in some passages, rendering the subject as definite is productive in others. A complete examination of all biblical naming reports is a large and complex undertaking, well beyond the limitations of the present study. This review of the reports containing [Hebrew text] thus comprises a small portion of a much larger whole. Also, rather than being an exhaustive study in which a wide variety of commentators are sampled and quoted, this is more an exploratory essay, making only limited reference to a few commentators and translations. The questions asked and the results obtained are hopefully applicable to other studies of naming reports as well.