God as an Enemy

What is it about?

The Syriac version of Lamentation is a translation of a Hebrew text very closely related to the Hebrew Masoretic Text. It displays in verse 2:3 the reading "The Lord has become an enemy", whereas all other versions, including Hebrew read "The Lord has become like an enemy". Investigations of the techniques of translation used by the Syriac translator, as well as considerations on the shape of the Hebrew original point to the latter as a source of the Syriac reading "God has become an enemy". This Hebrew original predates the Hebrew reading "God has become like an enemy" known from the Masoretic text. As a conclusion the Syriac translation in Lam 2:5 most likely witnesses the oldest Hebrew text of this passage.

Featured Image