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VERSE: Nu31-48a
RASHIS COVERED: Lv26-16a Nu01-50a Nu01-49a Nu26-62a Nu14-29a
Nu31-48a Gn40-04a
================== PKD has 8 MEANINGS ==========================
VERY BRIEF SUMMARY
------------------
THe root PKD has 8 meanings. THese meanings can vary
depending upon the grammatical mode used and the context
Here are some rules
-- in the PASSIVE, PKD means MISSING
-- in the AcTIVE with PREPOSITION ETH, PKD means REMEMBER
-- in the ACTIVE with PREPOSITION AL, PKD means VISIT ON
-- in the AcTIVE with no PREPOSITION, PKD means REVU
-- in the CAUSATIVE, PKD means to APPOINT
However if numbers are mentioned in the verse then even
in the AcTIVE or CAUSATIVE, PKD can mean COUNTINGS
REFERENCE
---------
I first tackled this difficult root in
http://www.Rashiyomi.com/h2n7.htm (Posting v4-1-50)
One can also look up http://www.Rashiyomi.com/nu01-50a.htm
In that posting I simply noted that CONTEXT can distinguish
between PKD meaning APPOINT vs COUNT
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
---------------
Yossi Zoimen who has frequently contributed to this list
pointed out that PKD always means APPOINT in the CAUSATIVE
and always means COUNT in the ACTIVE.
Actually a more thorough analysis shows that in the
ACTIVE, PKD can mean REVU and VISIT SINS.
To complicate matters, although Yossis observations are
true there seem to be 2 exceptions which are dealt with
in the footnotes*10.
TODAYS LIST
-----------
Accordingly I consider this list a work in progress.
On the one hand I believe the list of verses below gives
very strong evidence of the partial rules we have
advocated. On the other hand I believe a more full
explanation is needed. Here is the list
=================================================================
MODE PRP VERSE TEXT OF VERSE--PKD translation is CAPPED
========== === ======== =========================================
ACTIVE ETH Gn21-01 God REMEMBERED Sarah (& gave her a child)
ACTIVE ETH Ex04-31 They understood that God REMEMBERED them
ACTIVE ETH 1S02-21 God REMEMBERED Channah
ACTIVE ETH Nu26-63 Who COUNTED the Jews in Sinai
ACTIVE ETH Nu01-49a Do not COUNT the Levites
---------- --- -------- -----------------------------------------
ACTIVE AL Ex32-34 I will APPOINT their sins against them*1
ACTIVE AL Is13-11 I will APPOINT (Command)evil against them
ACTIVE AL Jr15-03 I will APPOINT on them 4 families
---------- --- -------- -----------------------------------------
ACTIVE --- Ps89-33 I will REVU their sins with a rod
ACTIVE --- Jb05-24 You will REVU your family & find no fault
ACTIVE --- Ps65-10 You have REVUed the land & watered it
---------- --- -------- -----------------------------------------
CAUSATIVE Gn39-05 Since he APPOINTED him on his house
CAUSATIVE 2R07-17 The king APPOINTED the officer there
CAUSATIVE Js10-18 APPOINT people to watch them
CAUSATIVE Lv26-16a I will APPOINT against them wild animals
CAUSATIVE Nu01-50a Now APPOINT the Levites on the Temple
---------- --- -------- -----------------------------------------
INTERACTIV Nu26-62a Levites WERE NOT COUNTED among the Jews*2
---------- --- --------------------------------------------------
Participle Nu31-48a The APPOINTED OFFICERS on the army
Participle Nu01-46 The Total COUNT*3
Participle Nu14-29a All your COUNTED people will die*4
---------- --- -------- -----------------------------------------
NOTES
-----
*1 The concept of VISITING SINS AGAINST PEOPLE occurs
- in the ACTIVE (Ex32-34)
- in the CAUSATIVE (Lv26-16a)
Rashi resolves this by translating
--------------------------------------
I will APPOINT their sins against them
--------------------------------------
At any rate the ACTIVE tense
- DOES use PKD to denote VISITING punishment
- DOES not use PKD to denote APPOINTING an officer
*2 The interactive seems to be used for the passive
I expect there is some further nuance but cannot find it.
*3 An additional point is that PKD only means COUNT in
the context of ASSIGNMENT. That is we can translate
PKD either as APPOINT or ASSIGN. Some typical verses would be
-- ASSIGN the Jews of 20 and above
-- all the ASSIGNMENTS that were ASSIGNED were so many
It would then make sense that
-- PKD means ASSIGN (not count)
-- PKD means VISIT sins (ASSIGN punishments for sins)
-- PKD in the CAUSATIVE means to APPOINT (Make someone
CAUSE others to be ASSIGNED)
Perhaps this is the simplest approach.
Note especially Gn40-04a
------------------------------------------------
And Joseph was ASSIGNED to the same prison ward
------------------------------------------------
The translations JOE WAS COUNTED WITH THEM or
JOE WAS APPOINTED ON THEM are inappropriate.
Against this simple approach are verses like Gn21-01:
God REMEMBERED Sarah and gave her a child.
The translation ASSIGN would not be appropriate here.
*4 Rashi makes two points
- only those above 20 were punished since God does not punish
people between 12/13 and 20
- The Levites were not punished
But the fact that the Levites were not punished is not
inferred from here. Rather it is inferred from the fact
that
- they did not sin among the spies (indeed there was no
Levite representative)
- they were not punished on account of the spy sin
- they in general abstained from the sins of the Jewish
people (Such as the Golden calf, the spies and the
Moabite Prostitution)
-------------------------- LONGER FOOTNOTES --------------
*10 There are two apparent exceptions to the assertion that
in the active mode PKD means REMEMBER/VISIT/COUNT.
Gn40-04a
------------------------------------------------------
And the prison managers APPOINTED Joseph with them
and he served them
------------------------------------------------------
However I would translate this verse as follows
---------------------------------------------------
And the prison managers COUNTED Joseph with them
(with the chef and wine butler)
---------------------------------------------------
The point being that there are no APPOINTMENTS in
prison. Rather every prisoner was ASSIGNED to a
different quarter. Joseph was assigned (or counted)
with the Kings servants (apparently because Joseph
was respected for his good work for Potiphar)
Isa34-16
------------------------------------------------
..all the birds will be on this desolate spot...
none of them will be missing
none of them will be MISSING
------------------------------------------------
The rule of thumb is that
-- in the PASSIVE, PKD means MISSING
-- in the ACTIVE, PKD means to COUNT
But in Isa34-16, PKD seems to mean TO COUNT.
And in fact the major rishonim--Rashi, Radack, Ibn Ezra
--translate it this way.
But this would be the only exception where PKD in the
active has the passive meaning of missing!!
Therefore I would translate the verse as
------------------------------------------------
..all the birds will be on this desolate spot...
none of them will be missing
none of them will be (obsessively) COUNTING
------------------------------------------------
In other words, when something is missing you
count to see if it is there. A mother bird who
is worried about losing her birds will go into
a counting routine. So the verse states
- no bird will be missing
- no bird will even have anxiety about missing
=================================================================
RASHI RULE USED: GRAMMARr
---------------------------------------------------
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Volume 14 Number 16
#*#*#*#*# (C) 2001, RashiYomi Inc. Dr Hendel President #*#*#*#*#
Volume 14 Number 16