Severus linked to Dex’s Staff Report on the subject. Dex says:
[QUOTE=Dex]
The word Nephilim itself unclear; the obvious root N-F-L would imply they are “fallen ones,” that is, fallen angels. The Septuagint (Greek translation of the Torah, from about 200 BC) translates Nephilim as “giants,” likely based on the reference in Numbers 13:33 (see below) that Nephilim were “of great size.” Thus, the term is commonly translated as giants or heroes.
[/QUOTE]
That’s true, even today. If you ask most Americans what “N-F-L” means to them, they’ll speak of “men of great size.”
[QUOTE=cmkeller]
So basically, this self-styled “America’s Rabbi” (heaven knows I never heard of him before now)
[/QUOTE]
Lapin has this radio show and writes books about how evil liberalism is, and he makes most of his money as a public speaker to Republican and conservative Christian groups. He was a friend of Jack Abramoff (Lapin’s brother, who’s a rabbi in Capetown, was involved in Abramoff becoming a baal tshuva), and got tied up in that scandal (his organization, “Toward Tradition”, was used for money laundering).
He comes from a pretty famous family, though. His great-uncle, Elyah Lopian, was big in the Mussar movement, and the whole family were prominent Lithuanian mitnagdim.
On the other hand, some things don’t translate at all.
For example, Hebrew has a neat two-word greeting, (often used by religious people): “Tizkeh lemitzvot”. Two simple words in Hebrew, but the only way to translate it into English is an entire awkard sentence: “Be well, and I hope you continue to have the pleasure of being able to do good deeds and have a meaningful life”.
[/QUOTE]
Hijack:
That translates just fine … you just have to spell out the connotations. Just like any translation of “How are you doing?” into another language has to make clear that there is no actual query of … oh … “by what mechanism or means is some one doing something unnamed”.
That previous paragraph jars the eye, but I trust everyone gets the gist.
That translates just fine … you just have to spell out the connotations. Just like any translation of “How are you doing?” into another language has to make clear that there is no actual query of … oh … “by what mechanism or means is some one doing something unnamed”.
That previous paragraph jars the eye, but I trust everyone gets the gist.
[/QUOTE]
Yeah, but now go ahead and explain to someone who doesn’t even speak English what the difference between “How are you doing?” and “How you doin’?” is…
[QUOTE=chappachula]
In modern Hebrew, the word for giant is “Anak”.
So the jolly green would be “ha-Anak ha-yarok ha-sameach”, but that sounds very awkward in Hebrew. (Imagine saying in English: “the tall man who is green and happy”).
[/QUOTE]
How about “all your aborted fetuses are belong to us” ?
Which prayer is it that says of G-d ‘You keep faith with those who sleep in the dust’? While this is widely assumed to refer to the bodily resurrection of the faifthful in the time of the moshiach, can we be sure that it isn’t a reference to the Nefilim? Perhaps in the messianic age, the Nefilim will be revealed to be giant vegetarians thus fulfilling the prophecy. The children of Seth shall pass away and a handful of Nefilim will inherit the earth. Given the ratio of land to giants, there’ll be so much land and wealth that they’ll have no interest in making war on each other. The nations (of two, three Nefilim tops) will not lift up sword against nation and they shall make war no more.
[QUOTE=DocCathode]
Which prayer is it that says of G-d ‘You keep faith with those who sleep in the dust’?
[/QUOTE]
Second blessing of the Amidah. The phrase is: …u’m’kaiyem emunato lishenei 'afar. I don’t see any Nefilim in that blessing; I read it as about both Divine mercy and Divine control over nature.
[QUOTE=chappachula]
“Tizkeh lemitzvot”. Two simple words in Hebrew, but the only way to translate it into English is an entire awkard sentence: “Be well, and I hope you continue to have the pleasure of being able to do good deeds and have a meaningful life”.
[/QUOTE]
I thought the translation was “live long and prosper”.
[QUOTE=Noone Special]
We don’t do Jolly Green Giant brand preserves here, so no idea about that one… Ha-anak ha-yarok ha-same’akh, I guess.
[/QUOTE]
Given that to this English speaker’s ears it looks like that would sound like someone was spitting something out, I can understand why you don’t have them.
Perhaps, the rabbi is basing his case on that ancient Hebrew was often written without the use of vowels or spaces between the words, and that contemporary translators are misinterpreting things. However, it seems equally likely (if not moreso) that “people of the earth” could be the Old Testament version of “redneck” or that they’re talking about the last surviving remnants of neanderthals.
Tangentially, the Arabic word for giant is ‘imlâq - but this is a loanword from Hebrew, originally referring to the Amalekites. Why Amalekites, I don’t know, unless it was a confusion of them with the Amorites, who were said to be “tall as cedars.”
Perhaps in the messianic age, the Nefilim will be revealed to be giant vegetarians thus fulfilling the prophecy. The children of Seth shall pass away and a handful of Nefilim will inherit the earth. Given the ratio of land to giants, there’ll be so much land and wealth that they’ll have no interest in making war on each other. The nations (of two, three Nefilim tops) will not lift up sword against nation and they shall make war no more.
