Anonymous (via GotQuestions)
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S. Michael Houdmann
Supporter
Psalm 22:16 reads, "Dogs have surrounded me; a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet." The phrase "pierced my hands and feet" along with the context, is likely t...
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Vattachal-Vadakketil Thomas John alias V T John
Supporter
In the Good News Bible Ps. 22:16 reads as follows "A gang of evil men is round me; like a pack of dogs they close in on me; they T E A R at my hands and feet." Taking into account the foot-note on that page a second reading is "A gang of evil men is round me; like a pack of dogs they close in on me LIKE A LION at my hands and feet" As a third reading we have " A gang of evil men is round me; like a pack of dogs they close in on me; THEY TIE at my hands and feet. I agree that the version with the word is PIERCED is the most appropriate version..
Jack Gutknecht
Supporter
There is a Psalms fragment (Psalm 22:16) from Nahal Hever, where the word in question is written as כארו, karu, which becomes "dug" when omitting the aleph, as Vall had previously speculated. It may then involve a misspelling. It is from a Dead Sea Scroll written in Hebrew. I believe they call these a copyist's error. (Remember, we don't have the original manuscripts). This fragment clearly shows that the final letter in the crucial word vrak (ending with the longer letter vav (ו) rather than the shorter yod (י), yielding ka'aru) is a waw (v, in Hebrew ו), not a yod (y, in Hebrew י).) This confirms that the text should be translated “they pierced/dug,” rather than “like a lion.” The ancient Greek translation, the Septuagint, agrees with the Dead Sea Scrolls reading “pierce.” I have checked out the Septuagint from the public library and have read parts of it, parts familiar to me. And this would agree with what both prophets Isaiah and Zechariah prophesied, as Michael mentioned, Isaiah said, "He was pierced for our transgressions" (Isaiah 53:5). Zechariah prophesied, "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced" (Zechariah 12:10; compare John 19:37). I studied Hebrew for 3 years at Dallas Seminary and loved it! (3 years was 1 year more than the required 2 years).
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