Full text loading...
In the history of the exegesis of Isa 8:6b, the translation of the term וּמשׂוֹשְׂ has presented numerous difficulties both from the grammatical perspective and because of the complexity of the context. The majority of scholars follow the opinion of Ferdinand Hitzig. He supported the idea of an error by the copyist who might have confused the verb מסס con משׂשׂ. In this case, it would no longer speak of joy (מָשׂוֹשׂ), but of fear (מסס). However, this proposal has also been criticized particularly because of the ancient testimonies that favor the term . The author of the article has examined this term in its context. He then analyzed several texts that presented the same grammatical structure (Isa 7:17b, 20b; 8:6a, 6b; 9:10). Through this comparison, the hypothesis emerged that the sentence in 8:6b could be a gloss, in which the preposition אתֵ before וּמשׂוֹשְׂ could have been introduced without adequate attention to the grammar, or as a sign of the gloss itself. Finally, on the basis of the texts examined, the author proposes a new translation: "joy of Resin and of the son of Romelia" (Isa 8:6b).