Introducing Nitsav Lariv

Hello. I’m a new semi-perma-blogger here at FPR. I’m a graduate student in a similar field to these other folks, though much more Old Testament than New. I’ve been a denizen of the bloggernacle for a long time, posting here, there, and everywhere.

My moniker comes from a favorite passage of Isaiah, 3:13. KJV “The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.” This really does NOT convey the force of the Hebrew.

The first verb is nitsav, meaning to stand up, but also stand up against, take or make one’s stand with more force than mere standing.

“To plead” also doesn’t quite carry the right force. Lariv means “to contend with.” More technically, it means to bring to court, to sue. It finds usage in what has been called the “prophetic lawsuit.” In other words, God is about to lay the smack down on the Israelites.

The second phrase, paralleling the first, is omed ladin, “he stands to judge.” This phrase was my first choice for pen name, and I quickly dismissed it for obvious reasons when I saw how it looked it English. I suppose I could have written it more like it’s pronounced, omayd ladeen, but I didn’t think about that when coming up with the name.

The NRSV captures it better than the KJV, though of course, you should just all learn Hebrew. “The LORD rises to argue his case; he stands to judge the peoples.”

I’m glad to be at FPR, hoping to post once a week or so.

Tomorrow I’ll have a post about Elder McConkie, Targumim, and Bible translations.