ἑκηβόλος wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2019 8:16 am
Barry Hofstetter wrote: ↑Wed Mar 06, 2019 4:23 amExplanations of the LXX rendering could range from mistranslation to having a different Vorlage.
I didn't think to refer to the Hebrew. Apparently the same Hebew to Greek translation strategy was employed five times in the Psalms:
- Psalm 22:19 לְעֶזְרָ֥תִי חֽוּשָׁה, Psalm 21:20 εἰς τὴν ἀντίλημψίν μου πρόσχες
- Psalm 38:22 ח֥וּשָׁה לְעֶזְרָתִ֑י אֲ֝דֹנָ֗י, Psalm 37:23 πρόσχες εἰς τὴν βοήθειάν μου κύριε
- Psalm 40:13 יְ֝הוָ֗ה לְעֶזְרָ֥תִי חֽוּשָׁה׃, Psalm 39:14 κύριε εἰς τὸ βοηθῆσαί μοι πρόσχες
- Psalm 70:1 לְעֶזְרָ֥תִי חֽוּשָֽׁה׃, Psalm 69:2 εἰς τὴν βοήθειάν μου πρόσχες
- Psalm 71:12 אֱ֝לֹהַ֗י לְעֶזְרָ֥תִי חֽוּשָׁה׃, Psalm 70:12 ὁ θεός μου εἰς τὴν βοήθειάν μου πρόσχες
Does festināre necessarily involves (at least the image of) motion? Anthropomorphic imagery for the divine is suggestive of a meaning, rather than purely descriptive. It seems possible that to the Hebrew to Greek translator of these passages, the idea of
speed was in prioritisation. Something like "process my application first", rather than "bring the cavalry at a flat out gallop".
Were the Hebrew to Latin translators bilingual or did they work from word-lists and grammar books (or marry native speakers)?
It's generally agreed that the OL (Old Latin preceding Jerome's revision/translation) translations were done from the LXX. Jerome actually studied Hebrew (he describes this process in his letters). This is a nice summary article:
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jerome-x00b0
And this article by Barr is good as well:
https://www.escholar.manchester.ac.uk/a ... CUMENT.PDF
The OLD on festino:
festīnō ~āre, ~āuī, ~ātum intr. (tr.) [cf. Irish brass ‘swift’, Welsh brys ‘haste’]
1 To act hurriedly, make haste; (especially in present participle agreeing with subject of verb).
▶ nulla in re iam te ~are uolo CIC. Fam. 16.4.3; mare sentit amorem ~antis eri HOR. Ep. 1.1.85; qui semper in augenda ~at et obruitur re 1.16.68; LIV. 27.40.9; caue ‥ spem ~ando praecipitare meam OV. Pont. 3.1.140; libellos, qui mihi ‥ quadam ~andi uoluptate fluxerunt STAT. Silv. 1.pr.; quanto quis inlustrior, tanto magis falsi ac ~antes TAC. Ann. 1.7; (with internal accusative) erat in animo nihil ~are CIC. Att. 5.12.1; —seruoli esse duco ~antem currere PL. Poen. 523; haec ~ans scripsi in itinere CIC. Att. 6.4.3; abiit ~ans domum PHAED. 3.19.9; (cf.) remigio ueloque ‥ ~a et fuge PL. As. 157.
b to be fussily active, bustle.
▶ omnes ~ant intus totis aedibus PL. Cas. 763; apud nos eccillam ~at cum sorore uxor tua St. 536; qui unum quid mature transigit, is properat, qui multa simul incipit neque perficit, is ~at CATO orat. 72; alios ~are, lectos sternere, cenam adparare TER. Hau. 125; ~ando, agitando omnia plus timoris quam periculi effecerant SAL. Cat. 42.2.
c (of work) to go swiftly forward, proceed rapidly; (of time) to pass swiftly; (of plants) to be early in budding or maturing.
▶ sponte sua ~at opus SEN. Apoc. 4.1; si ualli ~et opus SIL. 1.244; —ut saeculorum infinita series ‥ sua lege ~et [QUINT.] Decl. 4.13; annis breuibus et ~antibus mensibus APUL. Fl. 9; —primo fauonio cornus (germinat) ‥ ~at et platanus PLIN. Nat. 16.98; 19.7.
2 (tr.) To perform with haste (the verbal idea implied by the object), hurry through, make haste over.
▶ ut ~atum non faciatis iter OV. Pont. 4.5.8; ~ata prior ‥ cura libelli MART. 10.2.1; ~at ‥ uias STAT. Theb. 2.478; ~atis per Gallias dilectibus TAC. Hist. 2.57; cum belli ciuilis praemia ~arentur 3.37; APUL. Met. 4.4.
3 To go or come quickly, hasten, hurry.
▶ quid illic ~et sentio PL. Trin. 615; tres uiae sunt ad Mutinam—quo ~at animus CIC. Phil. 12.22; solent nautae ~are quaestus sui causa Fam. 16.9.4; ~at calidus mulis gerulisque redemptor HOR. Ep. 2.2.72; aqua nubem lapidoso pondere et ~ante perrumpit APUL. Mun. 9; (impersonal passive) ~atum ‥ ad Padum est LIV. 21.47.2; quamquam angusto ~aretur aditu (aluei) [QUINT.] Decl. 13.4; (poet.) ~antia sistens fata STAT. Silv. 3.4.24.
b (tr.) to move quickly.
▶ ~ata ‥ signa mouebat SIL. 11.193; ~atis lictorum manibus in carcerem raptus TAC. Ann. 6.40.
4 To have little time to spare, be in a hurry, be pressed for time.
▶ ~abam eramque occupatior CIC. Att. 10.6.1; plura scripsissem, nisi tui ~arent Fam. 12.22a.4; cum ~antem ac praecurrentem Caesarem speraret libentius etiam crediturum suis promissis B. Alex. 71.1; innuit Latroni ~are Caesarem; finiret iam declamationem SEN. Con. 2.4.13.
b (with infinitive) to be anxious or impatient (to); (also with ut).
▶ perspexisse mihi uidebar, quam ~ares decedere CIC. Fam. 3.6.2; ~auit uterque confligere POL. Fam. 10.33.3; proelium commiserunt ~antes praeripere subsequentibus uictoriae societatem B. Alex. 27.4; dum ‥ arma uiris in arma natis auferre ~ant LIV. 9.9.11; quem equidem cruci adfixum uidere ~o CURT. 6.3.14; ut ~et oratio ab homine fugere PLIN. Nat. 28.87; —~are et urgere, ut prouinciam, ut legiones solus habeat TAC. Ann. 2.70.
c (with ad) to be impatient to reach (a new topic, etc.); (also with ab) to be in a hurry to abandon.
▶ ad singulare ‥ factum ~at oratio CIC. Phil. 1.3; semper ad euentum ~at HOR. Ars 148; legentium plerisque ‥ ~antibus ad haec noua LIV. pr.4; ad Taprobanen insulam ~ante animo PLIN. Nat. 6.79; ~o ad nostros JUV. 10.273; —ab expertis ~ant usibus omnes GRAT. 116.
5 To act promptly, avoid delay, lose no time.
▶ ~a atque, uti coepisti, perge SAL. Jug. 102.9; ~antibus sauiis APUL. Met. 5.7; (impersonal passive) ~andum ‥ in iis (sc. cepis Ascaloniis) est, quoniam maturae celeriter putrescunt PLIN. Nat. 19.103; ~andum ceteris uidebatur antequam cresceret ‥ coniuratio TAC. Hist. 1.33.
b (with infinitive) to lose no time (in), hasten (to); (also with supine or ad).
▶ tu, quaeso, ~a ad nos uenire CIC. Att. 3.26; quae laedunt oculos ~as demere HOR. Ep. 1.2.38; ille ~ans peruenire in urbem VELL. 2.59.5; ~at ‥ decurrere uelox flosculus ‥ uitae JUV. 9.126; di immortales ~auerunt uirtutes tuas ad gubernacula rei publicae ‥ admouere PLIN. Ep. Tra. 10.1.1; —(urnulam) adreptam completum ~at APUL. Met. 6.15; Soc. pr.4; —ipsis ‥ ~antibus ad effectum operis LIV. 6.4.6; ad uinum ~are non oportet CELS. 3.19.3; ipsa ad perniciem Poppaeae ~at TAC. Ann. 11.2; non esse ~andum ad tormenta ULP. dig. 29.5.1.5; (with gerund or gerundive) ~are ad eximendum eum (sc. dentem) ‥ non est necesse CELS. 6.9.5; ~are ad decernendum ULP. dig. 39.2.15.22.
6 (tr.) To perform, make, give, work on, prepare, etc., without delay, hasten to, lose no time in, be quick with.
▶ festiuum ~ant diem ENN. scen. 426; ni id ~aret, in summo periculo ‥ socios fore SAL. Jug. 77.1; soleas ~ate Hist. inc.20; ~are fugam VERG. A. 4.575; poenas ‥ ~at HOR. Ep. 1.2.61; ~ant arua coloni Aetna 264; iam, quas induat ille, ~at uestes OV. Met. 11:575; sera iuuenum uenus ‥ nec uirgines ~antur TAC. Ger. 20.3; quibus proelium et ~ati casus placebant Ann. 6.44.
b to advance in time, hurry on.
▶ ~atos nimium sibi sentit honores LUC. 8.24; celerius occidere ~atam maturitatem QUINT. Inst. 6.pr.10; quod ‥ missione ~ata fauorem militum quaesiuisset TAC. Ann. 1.52; mortem in se ~auit 4.28; PLIN. Pan. 69.5; mors ‥ domini gladiis tam ~ata JUV. 4.96; ~andae necis causa GEL. 17.16.5.
Glare, P. G. W. (Ed.). (2012). Oxford Latin Dictionary (Second Edition, Vol. I & II). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Yes, it does appear that the LXX translators have a different sense of the Hebrew:
חושׁ, חישׁ: qal: pf. חָשׁ, חַשְׁתִּי; impv. חוּשָׁה: hurry 1 S 20:38; w. le & inf. Hb 1:8.
hif.: pf. הֵחִישׁוּ; impf. וַתַּ֫חַשׁ, יָחִישָׁה, אָחִישָׁה, אֲחִשֶׁנָּה:—1. hurry (intrans.) Ju 20:37;—2. hasten s.thg Is 60:22; look for s.thg in a hurry Ps 55:9;—3. (qal?, oth. II hif.) hurry away, yield Is 28:16.
Holladay, W. L., & Köhler, L. (2000). A concise Hebrew and Aramaic lexicon of the Old Testament (p. 98). Leiden: Brill.
Not totally sure how to explain it.
N.E. Barry Hofstetter
Cuncta mortalia incerta...