From: [email-masked]
Date: Friday, 16 May 1997 11:14am PT

I am new to the list. I've been enjoying the lively converstation of the list:
the good, the bad and the ugly!

I am currently taking a Hebrew exegesis class on the Psalms. This week while
translating Psalm two, I came across a textual difficulty at verse 12. I am
writing from memory, but this is how I remember the issue: The readings are
usually "Kiss the son" (BHS, RSV, NIV) / "Kiss the feet (NRSV) / "Kiss purely"
(LXX and most early versions).

I have read Craigie's & H-J Kraus' commentaries on this psalm. So far I have
found Craigie's to be the most convincing argument. He pointed out that the
use of Aramaic loan word _bar_ is problematic. However he favors this
rendering because of the dissonance in using the Heb "ben," thus the text
would read "_ben_pen_." More importantly Craigie chose the MT pointing
because the Aramaic _bar_ in 2:12 is written to the foreign nations, not to
Israel.

However, much support outside of the MT exists for the reading of "Kiss
purely"(a repointing of the consonants _br_ to _bor_).

What I found highly conjectural, and which I present to the group, is the
NRSVs "Kiss the feet." Support for this rendering is found in H-J Kraus'
psalms commentary. He takes several consonants at the start of the verse,
transposes them to the end of _bar_, thus making "feet." While this emendation
of the text is possible, I am not persuaded since the plain reading of bor/bar
is workable. I was surprised that the NRSV translators favored "feet." Any
recommended articles dealing with this text would be welcomed.

I am a newbie to Heb TC and would also appreciate recommendations as how to
choose between variants in OTTC.

Mike Kennedy

M.A. student at Fuller Theological Seminary (Phoenix, AZ extension)