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ALSO..ALSO means BOTH |
RASHI: Nu24-25a ALSO...ALSO... means BOTH
VERY BRIEF SUMMARY
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Nu24-25a states ALSO DONT CURSE THEM...ALSO DONT BLESS
THEM. The repeated ALSO style is an idiom that denotes an
emphasis on BOTH items being treated EQUALLY. Bilam had learned
that you dont get SOMETHING for NOTHING. Every request for a
curse from God resulted in a blessing. So at this point Bilam
EQUALLY did not want the Jews CURSED or BLESSED--since no matter
what he did they would be blessed. Another good example occurs in
Ju08-22--ALSO YOU ALSO YOUR CHILDREN WILL RULE US. This is MORE
than a statement that BOTH will rule--it is a statement that
him and his children would be EQUALLY RESPECTED
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF RULE AND SUBRULE
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One of Rashis 6 main goals is to explain the meaning of
words the same way a dictionary does. But Rashi not only explains
the meaning of WORDS but also explains the meaning of PHRASES.
Each WORD in a phrase may have a clear meaning but the PHRASE
as a whole may have a nuance that goes beyond its individual
words.
REFERENCES
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The RashiYomi dictionary page may be found at
http://www.RashiYomi.com/words.htm
TODAYS LIST
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We gather several verses where the ALSO-ALSO style is used.
We show how this style indicates an emphasis on BOTH ITEMS
BEING TREATED EQUALLY. Note one need not use a CD ROM to
obtain these lists. The Masorites left us long lists of
verses that exhibit strange patterns thousands of years
before the advent of computers.
|
| VERSE |
TEXT OF VERSE*1 |
EMPHASIS OF BOTH |
| Ju08-22 |
Both YOU and YOUR SON will rule us |
Equal respect |
| Nu24-25a |
Dont BLESS them;Dont CURSE them |
Leave me alone |
| Gn24-25 |
We have GOOD & CHEAP FODDER |
Can accomodate |
| Gn32-20 |
He commanded the 1st,2nd... |
Equal emphasis*2 |
| Gn43-08a |
Neither you,us,or animals will die |
Equal emphasis*3 |
| Gn44-16a |
Both the thief & us are yours |
Treat us as a group |
| Ex04-10a |
I always stuttered--today,yesterday |
Equal stuttering*4 |
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COMMENTS |
*1 The Biblical text uses the idiom ALSO ALSO. We have
omitted this literal translation because it isnt idiomatic
in English. Instead we have used the word BOTH, NEITHER
AND etc. The important nuance of EMPHASIS OF BOTHNESS is
brought out in the 3rd column
*2 Normally you lose interest when you repeat something.
In this case he had the same seriousness and interest
when he repeated his words
*3 In other words we are not just saying that their will
be food for us and the animals but rather there is an
emphasis that there will be EQUAL FOOD for us and the
animals---despite the famine the animals, ourselves and
you (our leader) will eat the same.
*4 Moses point here was DESPITE the fact of a divine revelation
he still stuttered the same. Since therefore there was no
hope of curing it it wouldnt be appropriate to send a
stutterer to a King.
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