2008/6/16 "CS" wrote:

Yada,

in this chapter ( http://www.yadayahweh.co..._Salvation_Immanuel.YHWH) I discovered some disturbing PC grammar usage of "he or she" & "his or herself" and it so bothered me that I am writing to you about it.

I have been aware for sometime that this grammar use is a product of the PC educational assualt by the marxistFeministas and as such is a mark of their success in the War against Yahuweh and it has laways caused me much difficulty.

Below is one of several instances that I found and as a tech writer/editor I am more sensitive to this than most others would be.

So if you could clarify why this translation/syntax use is being employed or was it just a matter of "habit" and it will be purged in later editions then please do so.

I have been working my way through the material and have been most pleased with your efforts outcome.

"...Let's turn to Numbers 6 to examine the redemptive foreshadowing God used in choosing Nazareth for the Messiah and the Nazirite vow for the Israelites. "Yahuweh spoke to Moses saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, "When a man or a woman does something wonderful, symbolic of God's deliverance from judgment (pala), making a voluntary promise to serve God, taking the vow (nadir) of a Nazirite (naziyr - one who is separated onto God, also an untrimmed vine), to separate (nazar - to set themselves apart as a Nazirite and devote) him or herself to Yahuweh, he or she shall separate themselves (nazar) from wine and intoxicating drink.. or eat anything that is produced by the grape vine for all the days of his or her separation (nezer)." (Numbers 6:1-4)...."

"C,"

Thank you for the encouragement and for the constructive criticism.

My initial reaction was that you were correct. This particular passage differs from the preponderance of the translations in the book when it comes to gender inclusiveness. So, based upon your note, I dove back into it, eager to correct my mistake, but I was surprised by what I found...

Beney is a plural masculine noun, meaning children. Since English doesn't differentiate gender in the term, it's translated correctly. However, without regard to what follows, beney could have been translated "sons."

"Alehem is a third person masculine plural pronoun meaning they, those or them. While it is translated correctly, we have a second indication of masculinity.

However, Moses wrote 'iys, meaning "man," singular, masculine, and absolute, 'o, meaning "or" followed by 'isah, meaning woman, female, or wife--a feminine noun. Therefore, "When a man or a woman does something wonderful" is accurate.

There is no pronoun for the final "him or herself" but it is implied by the "man or woman" preceding it. Therefore, literally, the passage reads:

"Yahuweh spoke to Moses saying, 'Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them, "When a man or a woman does something wonderful, symbolic of God's deliverance from judgment (pala), making a voluntary promise to serve God, taking the vow (nadir) of a Nazirite (naziyr - one who is separated onto God, also an untrimmed vine), to separate (nazar - to set themselves apart as a Nazirite and devote) unto Yahuweh, ...

And while that's fine, the English breaks down without the "he or she which follows. The grammar and sentence structure of the languages differ, requiring the addition of the pronouns in English.

...he or she shall separate themselves (nazar) from wine and intoxicating drink.. or eat anything that is produced by the grape vine for all the days of his or her separation (nezer)."

Where I may be on thin ice is with the last set of pronouns. Hu' is a singular masculine third person pronoun used as a suffix and most often translated "he." It is, however, routinely used for both genders and for the neuter, being translated "he or she," or just "she." There are 11 occasions in the Torah were hu' has to be feminine.

As I dove deeper into the subject what I discovered is that the three Hebrew letters which make up the word were pointed differently by the Masoretes to distinguish between masculine and feminine, but that those distinctions aren't actually in the text.

Therefore, based upon English grammar, based upon the lexicons, based upon the history of the words, and most importantly, based upon the use of "man or woman" in the text, I think that this translation is accurate. It appears to be PC, but it's not. That isn't to say that this couldn't be translated better, only that this is as accurate as I'm capable of rendering the text.

If you find other examples of what appears to be gender related mistakes, please send them my way. The intent is to be accurate, not politically correct.

Yada

Great. As you know I'm anti PC because of its role in rendering two generations of Americans incapable of rational thought. It is why so many are so easily duped by their pastors, politicians, and teachers. Far too few people understand the source of PC and the actual reason for it. They are too caught up in its symptoms.

Thanks for sharing these concerns.

Yada