morningstar2651 said:

I have a question that may be difficult for someone who hasn't studied Semitic languages (especially Hebrew).

I've noticed that the word that translates to serpent in Gen. 3:1 is spelled the same as a variety of other words in the Bible. I was curious how the word has so many disparate meanings, and how the correct meaning of the word is determined in translation.

Click to expand...

They're all the same basic meaning in Hebrew.

I hope someome can address your question in more detail. I would be interested.

Lammy

Translations are not always possible as one word to one word.
consider how you might translate sky~water
-cloud
-cumulus
-nimbus
-snow
-mist
-fog
-rain
-drizzle
-hail
-steam
-and so on...

A Bible translation is a very simplistic book for basic life guidance.
Further studies use lexicons or dictionaries. These offer 2 or 3 word options.
More advanced is the Theological wordbook of the OT (2 volumes)
Still more advanced is the Theological dictionary of the OT (14 or 15 volumes)
The more advanced books will give you pages of how a word is used.
Translation is then based on the word's context usage.

The Hebrew language has far fewer words than Greek or English. Hebrew words generally have a root, which is a verb spelled as 3 consonants. Prefixes, suffixes and vowel changes will affect the meaning, while the root remains the same. Occasionally, there seem to be two different roots represented by the same 3 letters. Sometimes this is because one of the roots is a "loan word" from a neighboring language.

Hebrew letters are consonants only. Hebrew has no letters for vowels. Modern Hebrew is written without any vowels at all. But for the Bible, scribes in the Middle Ages added markings above and below the consonants to indicate how the vowels should be pronounced when reading the Bible out loud.

According to the Brown-Driver-Briggs Lexicon (BDB) there seem to be two or three different roots that include this combination. The noun form with no additional consonants added is translated "serpent" or "dragon." The verb with this root means to practice divination or sorcery. The form meaning copper or bronze is possibly a loan-word of Egyptian origin. It has an extra letter added to the end in its noun form and a different letter added in the middle in its adjective form. The name given to the bronze serpent could be related to any or all of these roots, making an interesting wordplay.

Hey, Morningstar Could you tell us how you posted the Hebrew font?

http://christianforums.com/showthread.php?t=7258238