the nuclear powered borers gave been running since the fifties
at eight miles a day.
earth is an anthill atp
moar than enough room to protect the populace during
the nuclear powered borers gave been running since the fifties
at eight miles a day.
earth is an anthill atp
moar than enough room to protect the populace during
ORION ×ץ××
I. The Heb word ×ץ××, vocalized kÄsĂŽl, is the name of a âconstellation or individual âstar mentioned three times in the OT (Amos 5:8; Job 9:9; 38:31), in each instance in connection with kĂŽmâ (âPleiades), and once in a plural form at Isa 13:10. It is usually identified with Orion, though the evidence of the ancient versions and later sources is ambiguous. The plural should be understood in a general sense as âconstellationsâ. As a common noun, kÄsĂŽl has the sense âfoolâ, âstupid fellowâ.
A widespread view holds that the mention of kÄsĂŽl at Job 38:31 contains a reference to some lost legend of a âgiant or primeval âhero who, having rebelled against God, was subdued, bound, and placed in the sky. TUR-SINAI (1967) goes even further and understands all appearances of kÄsĂŽl and kĂŽmâ in the OT as mythological (rather than purely astronomical) references. Others have seen in the use of these words in Amos 5:8 a veiled polemic against astral worship.
II. The ancient versions are not consistent in their translations of kÄsĂŽl. In Amos 5:8 the LXX does not recognize the names of astronomical bodies; Symmachus translates astra, âstarsâ; Theodotion renders âHesperusâ (the evening star); and Aquila and the Vg translate âOrionâ. In Job 9:9 the LXX translates âHesperusâ, while the Vg translates âOrionâ; in Job 38:31, on the other hand, the LXX translates âOrionâ, but the Vg translates âArcturusâ. In Isa 13:10 the LXX translates âOrionâ; Aquila and Theodotion transliterate; and the Vg gives splendor earum, âtheir brillianceâ. The Targum translates Amos 5:8 by the cognate ksylĘž and renders kÄsĂŽl by nplĘž (npylĘž11QTgJob 38:31 npylĘž), âgiantâ, in the passages in Job and kÄsĂŽlĂŞhem by npylyhwn in Isa 13:10. The Peshitta translates ĘżywtĘž (a star or constellation of uncertain identity, either Aldebaran or Capella or, perhaps, Leo) in Amos 5:8; gbrĘž, âgiantâ, âheroâ, in Job 9:9 and 38:31; and âtheir hostsâ in Isa 13:10.
Several medieval Jewish scholars (Saadya, Ibn JanâḼ, Ibn BalĘżam, and Bar Ḥiyya) identify kÄsĂŽl with Canopus (al-suhayl), the second brightest star (after Sirius) in the sky; Ibn Ezra, on the other hand, takes it to be Antares (âthe heart of Scorpioâ). However, with the exception of DALMAN (who accepts the equation kÄsĂŽl = al suhayl but takes the latter to be Sirius, DALMAN 1928), modern opinion is virtually unanimous in identifying kÄsĂŽl with Orion.
Orion and the Pleiades are mentioned together in a number of Mesopotamian texts (Ĺ L IV/2 nos. 279 IV B12, 348 III B4; CAD Z, s.v. zappu), as well as in Homer (Iliad 18:486â489; Odyssey 5:272â274) and Hesiod (Works and Days 615, 619). In Mesopotamian religion, stars are considered either gods or symbols of gods (âconstellations, âGod, âStars). GASTER (1961) has claimed a connection between the Ugaritic story of Aqhat and the myth of Orion, arguing that both are seasonal myths of the âdisappearing godâ type, tied to astral phenomena. Despite the impressive amount of comparative material he adduces from Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and elsewhere, his attempt at a synthesis of the data remains, at best, highly conjectural.
III. A plausible case can be made for the view that the Hebrews saw in kÄsĂŽl a constellation representing a giant or hero. The translation of kÄsĂŽl in the Tg and Peshitta by words (nÄpÄąlÄĘž, gabbÄrÄ) having these meanings (cf. Gen 6:4, where the nÄpÄąlĂŽm are explicitly called âprimeval heroesâ) as well as the Akkadian name of the constellation, ĹĄitaddalu, âthe broad man, giantâ (Ĺ L IV/2 nos. 348 I, 393), point in this direction. So, too, the Arabic name for Orion is al-jabbâr, âthe giantâ, though this apparently reflects Greek influence (HESS 1932:97). In Greek mythology, Orion was seen as a figure of gigantic stature (Odyssey 11:309â310, 572). For traditions identifying Orion with âNimrod see K. PREISENDANZ, PW 17 [1936] 625.
Zalcman, L. (1999). Orion. In K. van der Toorn, B. Becking, & P. W. van der Horst (Eds.), Dictionary of deities and demons in the Bible (2nd extensively rev. ed., pp. 648â649). Brill; Eerdmans.