Isaiah 10:18 in the light of an Ammonite seal from the 7th century BC. A study of the translations of the biblical word nss and its extrabiblical tradition

Abstract

The aim of this research is to analyse the various translations proposed for nosēs ( נסֵֹס ), a possible biblical hapax given that its sole appearance is in Isaiah 10:18. This word belongs to a group of biblical roots whose meanings vary, something attributable to the often highly ambiguous nature of metaphrases (a result, in turn, of the late vocalization of the Hebrew Bible). Here, the possible etymological origins of the poˁlel participle nosēs ( נסֵֺס ) will be investigated through analysis of the extra-biblical use of the term in an Ammonite seal from the 7th century BC, and through a historical and comparative study of the verbal root nss in other Semitic languages. As far as the biblical interpretation of Isaiah 10:18 is concerned, a comparative analysis of the translations given in different Bibles will be undertaken. To conclude, attention will be drawn to biblical translations rendered directly from the Hebrew text, with the aim of shedding light on how Jewish scholars translating with knowledge of the Hebrew meaning might have come to agree on the same interpretation of the word.