Is it true that the Hebrew original for 'In the beginning' is 'In 'A' beginning'?
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It is true
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I found this for you its pretty neat but I couldnt find necessarily the answer to your specific question
I found this for you its pretty neat but I couldnt find necessarily the answer to your specific question
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LamorakDesGalis
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It is true that the Hebrew בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית does not have the article. Some argue that it is a construct and subordinate to the next couple of verses. The traditional interpretation holds that the word is in the absolute state, therefore translated "In the beginning." The traditional interpretation has the support of at least one other instance of an adverbial in an absolute state without the article.
I'd say the majority, maybe even all of the English translations follow the traditional interpretation.
LDG
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yonah_mishael
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I really prefer Rashi's alternative explanation, that it should be a construct. Every time that we find בראשית in the Bible, it is in the construct -- "in the beginning of X." This would be the only exception, and I don't think it should be an exception. We would need to repoint the verse, which probably makes better sense. In this way, the first two verses are actually one sentence:
בראשית בְּרֹא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ והארץ הייתה תהו ובהו וחשך על פני תהם ורוח אלהים מרחפת על פני המים
"In the beginning of God's creating (that is, 'when God began to create') the heavens and the earth, the earth was tohu and bohu, darkness was upon the face of the abyss, and a divine wind was brooding over the face of the water."
This is setting the background for the first statement. Everything was chaos and void, and suddenly a voice came from the darkness: "Let there be light."
Instead of בָּרָא we should probably read בְּרֹא - infinitive construct.
Regards,
Yonah
בראשית בְּרֹא אלהים את השמים ואת הארץ והארץ הייתה תהו ובהו וחשך על פני תהם ורוח אלהים מרחפת על פני המים
"In the beginning of God's creating (that is, 'when God began to create') the heavens and the earth, the earth was tohu and bohu, darkness was upon the face of the abyss, and a divine wind was brooding over the face of the water."
This is setting the background for the first statement. Everything was chaos and void, and suddenly a voice came from the darkness: "Let there be light."
Instead of בָּרָא we should probably read בְּרֹא - infinitive construct.
Regards,
Yonah
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