Are There Any Hebrew Scholars in the House?

Status
Not open for further replies.

rmccubbin

Puritan Board Freshman
I've been trying to verify whether or not this scroll is a portion of Exodus 3 or not. My elders would have no problem reading Greek but Hebrew is tricky. I was told it was part of the burning bush narrative. Can anyone confirm this? It is attached sideways to retain resolution. Thank you. -Ryan Mc.

IMG_9889.jpg
 
Maybe try uploading to a photo sharing site. I can't make out the jpg attached at all. I even tried saving the image and expanding it--but the characters are too fuzzy.

Otherwise, maybe take a close up of just a few verses.
 
Compare this, the Hebrew text of Exodus 3:1-15, and see if you find the same text:

3 וּמֹשֶׁ֗ה הָיָ֥ה רֹעֶ֛ה אֶת־צֹ֛אן יִתְרֹ֥ו חֹתְנֹ֖ו כֹּהֵ֣ן מִדְיָ֑ן וַיִּנְהַ֤ג אֶת־הַצֹּאן֙ אַחַ֣ר הַמִּדְבָּ֔ר וַיָּבֹ֛א אֶל־הַ֥ר הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים חֹרֵֽבָה׃
2 וַ֠יֵּרָא מַלְאַ֨ךְ יְהֹוָ֥ה אֵלָ֛יו בְּלַבַּת־אֵ֖שׁ מִתֹּ֣וךְ הַסְּנֶ֑ה וַיַּ֗רְא וְהִנֵּ֤ה הַסְּנֶה֙ בֹּעֵ֣ר בָּאֵ֔שׁ וְהַסְּנֶ֖ה אֵינֶ֥נּוּ אֻכָּֽל׃
3 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֔ה אָסֻֽרָה־נָּ֣א וְאֶרְאֶ֔ה אֶת־הַמַּרְאֶ֥ה הַגָּדֹ֖ל הַזֶּ֑ה מַדּ֖וּעַ לֹא־יִבְעַ֥ר הַסְּנֶֽה׃
4 וַיַּ֥רְא יְהוָ֖ה כִּ֣י סָ֣ר לִרְאֹ֑ות וַיִּקְרָא֩ אֵלָ֨יו אֱלֹהִ֜ים מִתֹּ֣וךְ הַסְּנֶ֗ה וַיֹּ֛אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֥ה מֹשֶׁ֖ה וַיֹּ֥אמֶר הִנֵּֽנִי׃
5 וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אַל־תִּקְרַ֣ב הֲלֹ֑ם שַׁל־נְעָלֶ֙יךָ֙ מֵעַ֣ל רַגְלֶ֔יךָ כִּ֣י הַמָּקֹ֗ום אֲשֶׁ֤ר אַתָּה֙ עֹומֵ֣ד עָלָ֔יו אַדְמַת־קֹ֖דֶשׁ הֽוּא׃
6 וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אָנֹכִי֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י אָבִ֔יךָ אֱלֹהֵ֧י אַבְרָהָ֛ם אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִצְחָ֖ק וֵאלֹהֵ֣י יַעֲקֹ֑ב וַיַּסְתֵּ֤ר מֹשֶׁה֙ פָּנָ֔יו כִּ֣י יָרֵ֔א מֵהַבִּ֖יט אֶל־הָאֱלֹהִֽים׃
7 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֔ה רָאֹ֥ה רָאִ֛יתִי אֶת־עֳנִ֥י עַמִּ֖י אֲשֶׁ֣ר בְּמִצְרָ֑יִם וְאֶת־צַעֲקָתָ֤ם שָׁמַ֙עְתִּי֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י נֹֽגְשָׂ֔יו כִּ֥י יָדַ֖עְתִּי אֶת־מַכְאֹבָֽיו׃
8 וָאֵרֵ֞ד לְהַצִּילֹ֣ו ׀ מִיַּ֣ד מִצְרַ֗יִם וּֽלְהַעֲלֹתֹו֮ מִן־הָאָ֣רֶץ הַהִוא֒ אֶל־אֶ֤רֶץ טֹובָה֙ וּרְחָבָ֔ה אֶל־אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָ֑שׁ אֶל־מְקֹ֤ום הַֽכְּנַעֲנִי֙ וְהַ֣חִתִּ֔י וְהָֽאֱמֹרִי֙ וְהַפְּרִזִּ֔י וְהַחִוִּ֖י וְהַיְבוּסִֽי׃
9 וְעַתָּ֕ה הִנֵּ֛ה צַעֲקַ֥ת בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל בָּ֣אָה אֵלָ֑י וְגַם־רָאִ֙יתִי֙ אֶת־הַלַּ֔חַץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר מִצְרַ֖יִם לֹחֲצִ֥ים אֹתָֽם׃
10 וְעַתָּ֣ה לְכָ֔ה וְאֶֽשְׁלָחֲךָ֖ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה וְהֹוצֵ֛א אֶת־עַמִּ֥י בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃
11 וַיֹּ֤אמֶר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים מִ֣י אָנֹ֔כִי כִּ֥י אֵלֵ֖ךְ אֶל־פַּרְעֹ֑ה וְכִ֥י אֹוצִ֛יא אֶת־בְּנֵ֥י יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל מִמִּצְרָֽיִם׃
12 וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ כִּֽי־אֶֽהְיֶ֣ה עִמָּ֔ךְ וְזֶה־לְּךָ֣ הָאֹ֔ות כִּ֥י אָנֹכִ֖י שְׁלַחְתִּ֑יךָ בְּהֹוצִֽיאֲךָ֤ אֶת־הָעָם֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם תַּֽעַבְדוּן֙ אֶת־הָ֣אֱלֹהִ֔ים עַ֖ל הָהָ֥ר הַזֶּֽה׃
13 וַיֹּ֨אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֜ה אֶל־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֗ים הִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֣י בָא֮ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ וְאָמַרְתִּ֣י לָהֶ֔ם אֱלֹהֵ֥י אֲבֹותֵיכֶ֖ם שְׁלָחַ֣נִי אֲלֵיכֶ֑ם וְאָֽמְרוּ־לִ֣י מַה־שְּׁמֹ֔ו מָ֥ה אֹמַ֖ר אֲלֵהֶֽם׃
14 וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶֽהְיֶ֑ה וַיֹּ֗אמֶר כֹּ֤ה תֹאמַר֙ לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֶֽהְיֶ֖ה שְׁלָחַ֥נִי אֲלֵיכֶֽם׃
15 וַיֹּאמֶר֩ עֹ֨וד אֱלֹהִ֜ים אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה כֹּֽה־תֹאמַר֮ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ יְהוָ֞ה אֱלֹהֵ֣י אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֗ם אֱלֹהֵ֨י אַבְרָהָ֜ם אֱלֹהֵ֥י יִצְחָ֛ק וֵאלֹהֵ֥י יַעֲקֹ֖ב שְׁלָחַ֣נִי אֲלֵיכֶ֑ם זֶה־שְּׁמִ֣י לְעֹלָ֔ם וְזֶ֥ה זִכְרִ֖י לְדֹ֥ר דֹּֽר׃
 
I'm not exactly a Hebrew scholar, but I can work with it with some proficiency. However, as was mentioned, the resolution on the .jpg does not allow one to be able to read the text.
 
Thank you gentlemen for the replies. I have taken better pictures with enhanced resolution and uploaded them to an album on my Flickr account. I greatly appreciate the help.

I can read English, French, and other modern languages upside down, but Hebrew upside down is much harder for me.

I'm having trouble saving the images to flip them, but after a cursory look, nothing in that looks like it is from Exodus 3.
 
The more I look at it, the less I think it is Scripture.

I recognize a discussion about Jethro, but many words look strange--like a more modern form of the language (but not modern Hebrew). I'm suspecting it might be from the Talmud.
 
Just a follow-up. I took a screen shot and flipped it to make it more readable. I marked up a copy of the image. From what I can tell, the passage to the right of the red line is not found anywhere in the various copies of the Hebrew manuscripts I have access to. The rest would take a bit of time to translate, but none of it looks familiar to me. (the word "Jethro" is circled in yellow).

jethro circled marked.jpg

Edit: see correction below.
 
Last edited:
Four lines down from the text that Vic has circled, we have the expression, "And the LORD said to Moses, When you go back to Egypt" which ends that line. It is the only place in the OT I find that exact sequence, matching Hebrew text.

This is Ex.4:21. It fits the context, where "Jethro" appears, 4:18. Vic has circled the second instance of "Jethro" in that v. v18 begins at the first full line above it. v19 follows.

That is all I can say about the page. I can't say anything about it's "authenticity" or provenance (or whatever).

Given that in the original page, this appears near the top of the second column (Hebrew reads from the right to left), it's quite likely that the first column contains a good bit of ch.3.

After further examination, it appears that column 1 begins with Ex.2:23 (first full line).
 
Last edited:
Good eye, Bruce.

I was having trouble making out some of the letters. The part I circled is indeed the last phrase of Exodus 4:18--I just misread it. I includes the phrase: " And Jethro said to Moses, Go in peace."

I don't have time to look at the other images, but it does look like it has a relevant portion of Exodus.
 
Thank you all very much! I'm grateful for your labors. It was taken out of a synagogue and is supposed to be around 150 years old which might explain the differences in text.

-Ryan
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top