VERSE: Gn38-16b


RASHIS COVERED: Gn38-16b Gn11-03b Gn11-07b Gn30-01b Gn10-01a


RULE:
====

{LIST}
The fundamental UNIFYING MEANING of the Hebrew word >HBH<
(>Hey-Beth-Hey<) is >TO DISCUSS,TO PLAN<--to negotiate--
to make something done, or to acquire something.
=================================================================
VERSE    TEXT OF VERSE WITH >HBH< MEANING >DISCUSS,PLAN<
======== ========================================================
Gn11-07b Lets >DISCUSS,PLAN< to go down to intefer with this city
Gn38-16b Lets >DISCUSS,PLAN< having an affair together*1
Ex01-10a Lets >DISCUSS,PLAN< to go to war on them
Gn11-03b Lets DISCUSS,MAKE A BUSINESS PLAN< for a new city*2
Gn30-01b >DISCUSS (with God-ie Pray)Please< with a prostitute. Even though she
   was a prostitute he didnt just come on her. He rather asked
   her to >Please prepare for prostitution<--thus he even though
   he was satisfying his raw physical desires he still had
   consideration for other people.
   {END OF LIST}

*2 Rashi also explains the moral issue of God >Going down< and
   destroying the city(ie dispersing them). This seems rather
   harsh. In fact God has only descended 10 times in all of
   human history.

   Rashi points out that the building of the city to rebel
   against God was not something semi-accidental (like an
   affair) but rather something premeditated and >PLANNED<
   (>HVH<). In a similar way Gods descent to punish the
   city was something >PLANNED< --- God was not just punishing
   evil but rather he was punishing >PREMEDITATED< evil.

*3 Rashi points out that Jacobs Father had similarly prayed
   for his wife to have a child. Rashi picturesquely
   sees prayer as a >Bargaining,Negotiating,Planning &
   Discussing< with God.

{END OF LIST}



FURTHER COMMENTS ON RASHI
=========================
Those who want to learn how to really read Rashis translations
of words should study these comments. Again my acknowledgement
to Chaiim Loike for spending several hours a year ago discussing
this with me.

1st:
===
Rashi on Gn11 and Radack in his book of Roots both indicate
that >HVH< has a fundamental meaning of >back and forth<
discussions whether for
--advice,
--commerce, or
--some work project
Thus the word has a fundamental meaning of BARGAINING or
NEGOTIATING. (Rashi on Gn11-03b, Radack ROOT Y-H-B)


2nd:
===
Rashi >SEEMS< to reverse himself on Gn38-16b where he says

----------------------------------------------------------
   >HVH< means >PREPARE< except where it is translated as
   >GIVE< And even when it is translated as >PREPARE< its
   meaning is close to >GIVE<
----------------------------------------------------------

Rashi is referring to the standard Aramaic translation
which can translate >HVH< as either >PREPARE< or >GIVE<


3rd
===
Our method of resolving these two contradictory Rashis is
to suggest a 3rd meaning to >HVH<. This 3rd meaning is an
abstract concept that unifies the other two meanings.

Indeed, we have suggested that >HVH< means to >PLAN,PREPARE,
DISCUSS< It means >TO NEGOTIATE TO ACQUIRE or DO SOMETHING<

Hence some verses may emphasize the >NEGOTIATION<
(ie Preparation) while other verses may emphasize
>ACQUISITION<---the giving of the object. Thus indeed
>HVH< can mean both >PREPARE< and >GIVE< but its fundamental
meaning is >NEGOTIATE TO ACQUIRE<.



4th
===
The RADACK indeed finds two strong supports for the above
thesis.


SUPPORT 1
---------
The root >Y-H-B< can mean >Your business needs & dealings<
as is found in the verse Ps55-23 >Throw on God your NEEDS
AND BUSINESS DEALINGS and let HIM support you<


SUPPORT 2
---------
{LIST}
Radack brilliantly shows that just as >HBH< which seems to
mean >GIVE< actually means to >PREPARE< so too the word
>WALK< which means >WALK< (LCh) also means >PREPARE<
This is shown in the following verses
===========================================================
VERSE   TEXT OF VERSE WITH walk TRANSLATED AS prepare/plot
======= ==================================================
Ecc2-1  Let me >PREPARE< for myself a life of happiness
Gn37-27 Let us >PREPARE/BARGAIN< to sell him to the Arabs
Gn19-32 Let us >PREPARE/PLOT< to make him drunk tonight
Jr18-18 Let us >PREPARE/PLOT< schemes against Jeremiah

{END OF LIST}



SUMMARY
=======
* A superficial reading of the Bible suggests that >HBH< can
mean >GIVE< or >PREPARE<

* A proper approach is to find one unifying abstract concept
of which these two translations are attributes. Thus the
concept of >BARGAINING,PREPARING,PLOTTING< has aspects of
>PREPARE< and aspects of >Getting someone to GIVE to you<

* We prove this conjecture by
---showing other uses of the root with this suggested
   unifying meaning

---showing other roots which can also mean both NEGOTIATE
   and have a simpler MOTION Meaning (like GIVE,WALK)


We suggest that the above approach is fundamental for
understanding Rashi


RASHI RULE USED: UNIFIED MEANING