Subject: Gen 49:10

From: Jim West <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 15:27:54 -0400 (EDT)

I would be most pleased if someone could answer the following questions
concerning Gen 49:10- (shiloh)

1- is it possible that the "qere" is a masoretic effort to ameliorate the
christian interpretation of this verse as a messianic text?

2- are there any DSS mss which have a variant here? (I am unable to locate any).

Thanks for your help.

Jim

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jim West
Professor of Biblical Languages, CCBI
Adjunct Professor of Bible, Quartz Hill School of Theology

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From: "James R. Adair" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 1996 01:38:08 -0400 (EDT)

> christian interpretation of this verse as a messianic text?

It's possible that the qere reading draws attention away from the
interpretation of "Shiloh" as an appellation, but the kethib could also be
read "which is his," or something similar.  Certainly Christianity read
this passage as messianic, but so did the targums.  Targum Onkelos reads
"until the time when the messiah comes to whom the kingdom belongs," and
Targum Neofiti reads similarly (but "king messiah").  Both the Peshitta
and LXX interpret rather than transcribe "Shiloh," with the LXX rendering
being somewhat more mysterious: "the things which are reserved," or some
such.  The earliest interpretation of this passage, which may also be 
messianic, may be Ezek 21:31 (21:27 Eng): "Ruin, ruin, ruin I will bring 
such as never was, until he comes whose right it is [(D-B) )$R-LW HM$P+, 
cf. (D KY-YB) $YLH in Gen], and I will give it (to him)."  Thus, the 
messianic interpretation seems to predate Christianity, and even the qere 
reading can be interpreted to lean in that direction.

Jimmy Adair
Manager of Information Technology Services, Scholars Press
    and
Managing Editor of TELA, the Scholars Press World Wide Web Site
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