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On the noun אִישׁ in 1 Samuel 14:24 (1 of 2)

וְאִֽישׁ־יִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל נִגַּ֖שׂ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֑וּא וַיֹּ֩אֶל֩ שָׁא֨וּל אֶת־הָעָ֜ם לֵאמֹ֗ר אָר֣וּר הָ֠אִ֠ישׁ אֲשֶׁר־יֹ֨אכַל לֶ֜חֶם עַד־הָעֶ֗רֶב וְנִקַּמְתִּי֙ מֵאֹ֣יְבַ֔י וְלֹא־טָעַ֥ם כׇּל־הָעָ֖ם לָֽחֶם׃

Israel’s side was distressed that day. For Saul had laid an oath upon the troops: “Cursed be anyone who eats any food before night falls and I take revenge on my enemies.” So none of the troops ate anything.

(The above rendering comes from the RJPS translation—an adaptation of the NJPS translation—showing a slight modification projected for October 2023. Before accounting for this rendering, I will analyze the plain sense of the Hebrew term containing אִישׁ, by employing a situation-oriented construal as outlined in this introduction, pp. 11–16.)


See my comment at 13:6.

This is one of the instances where a “collective” usage of אִישׁ yields a more informative and coherent text than an individual reading.


As for rendering into English, the NJPS ‘The men of Israel’ is inadequate on several grounds. See my comment at Josh 10:24. Meanwhile, the fact that women are not in view can go without saying, because it is self-evident from the military context.

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