Ethan wrote: ↑Sat May 12, 2018 3:42 pm
Servant reading must be unique too the KJV, the Septuagint render
the Hebrew as παιδάριον "little children" , παιδ "child" or νεᾶν "young, youthful"
I think the most famous naar - servant example is -
Then Abraham said to his servants, "You stay here with the ass. The boy and I will go up there; we will worship and we will return to you." (Gen. 22:5 TNK)
this is the older take -
And Abraham said unto his young men: 'Abide ye here with the ass, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will worship, and come back to you.' (Gen. 22:5 JPS)
A problem here is that Jewish exegesis has Ismael and Eliezer as the men and they both were quite a bit older than boys. So "servant" sort of saves the day.
However when Abraham sends his servant (again the Jewish guess is Eliezer) to look for a wife for Isaac -
And Abraham said to the senior servant of his household, who had charge of all that he owned, "Put your hand under my thigh
(Gen. 24:2 TNK)
the word for servant is the more normal
עֶ֥בֶד
אֶל־עַבְדּוֹ֙ זְקַ֣ן בֵּית֔וֹ (Gen. 24:2 WTT)
I mentioned this line when we discussed Almah -
As I stand by the spring of water, let the young woman who comes out to draw and to whom I say, 'Please, let me drink a little water from your jar,' (Gen. 24:43 TNK)
That word is unusual, but doesn't apply to a three year old. Probably took many years for nit wits to actually start counting the years in the various chronologies.
Actually this line is the servant recounting his adventure to Rebecca's family.
His original prayer goes -
let the maiden to whom I say, 'Please, lower your jar that I may drink,' and who replies, 'Drink, and I will also water your camels' -- let her be the one whom You have decreed for Your servant Isaac. Thereby shall I know that You have dealt graciously with my master."
(Gen. 24:14 TNK)
where the maiden is
הַֽנַּעֲרָ֗
When his prayer comes true -
The maiden was very beautiful, a virgin whom no man had known. She went down to the spring, filled her jar, and came up. (Gen. 24:16 TNK)
The maiden is still
הַֽנַּעֲרָ֗ and virgin is
בְּתוּלָ֕ה betulah
My guess is that when talking to the family, he used the more polite almah.