Blaz0ej S0trba, «hn#$w#$ of the Canticle», Vol. 85 (2004) 475-502
The term hn#$w#$ is revisited
primarily in the Canticle of Solomon. The most ancient translation –– "lily" ––
of this flower though questioned in recent decades is still widely used. The
LXX’s rendering kri/non is examined and found as the
best translation for the lexeme N#$w#$ –– meaning
"lotus" –– being an Egyptian loan word. This translation fits to the OT
references better than "lily". The textual employment of
hn#$w#$ in the poetry of the Canticle is a chief and commanding proof for
"lotus". The "lily" translation for both hn#$w#$
and kri/non for the majority of the OT cases is seen
as incorrect since it does not pay due attention to the literary and historical
context of the Canticle.
of the Canticle 477
hnvwv
the understanding of its Hebrew original hnvwv which had been labelled
as “lilyâ€. Nobody seriously questioned this labelling except recently
some scholars like Loretz (7), M.H. Pope (8) and especially O. Keel. He
states that behind the Hebrew term hnvwv lies the Egyptian flower
lotus (9).
2. Krinon – the translation of hnvwv
v
The LXX reads krinon in all occurrences where hnvwv refers to a
v
flower. Only in the superscription of the psalms, the LXX translates
the lexeme in a completely different way: tw'n ajlloiwqhsomevnwn, Pss
45[44],1; 60[59],1; 69[68],1; 80[79],1. In one instance, 1 Kgs 7,22,
the LXX does not have a translation at all.
On the other hand, the LXX employs krivnon in some other
instances where the Hebrew term hnvwv does not appear (Exod 25,31-
40; Num 8,4). The MT interestingly employs in this description of the
top of the lamp-stand the more general term jr"p,. The LXX seemingly
implies the word hnvwv as its rendering krivnon in these instances
reveals, Exod 25,31 (10).33.34. In v. 33 of the MT the first descriptive
clause is repeated twice but in the LXX this repetition is minus (11).
More intriguing is that the LXX in the description of the manufacture
of the lamp-stand in Exod 37,17-24 does not use krivnon anymore,
although in both Exod 25,33 and Exod 37,19 the phrases in question
(7) O. LORETZ, Studien zur althebräischen Poesie 1. Das althebräische
Liebeslied. Untersuchungen zur Stichometrie und Redaktionsgeschichte des
Hohenliedes und des 45. Psalms (AOAT 14; Kevelaer – Neukirchen-Vluyn 1971)
13, considers that “Wahrscheinlich ist der in der Kunst berühmte blaue Lotus
(Nymphaea caerulea Sav.) gemeintâ€. Yet, in his translation he opts for “lilyâ€.
(8) M.H. POPE, Song of Songs. A New Translation with Introduction and
Commentary (AB 7C; New York 1977).
(9) O. KEEL, Deine Blicken sind Tauben. Zur Metaphorik des Hohen Liedes
(SBS 114/115; Stuttgart 1984) 63-78; ID., Das Hohelied (ZBK 18; Zürich 1986).
For the symbolism of love in the Canticle in the context of Near East, see his
“Hohesliedâ€, NBL II (1995) 183-191 and “Le Cantique des cantiques: parallèles
littérairesâ€, MoBi 128 (2000) 38-43.
(10) Symmachus has a[nqh “bloom, blossom†instead of krivna, whereas
Aquila has blastoiv a literalism from jr"p, (to sprout, to bud); cf. J.W. WEVERS,
Notes on the Greek Text of Exodus (SBLSCS 30; Atlanta, GE 1990) 405-407.
(11) M.L. Wade explains that “there is no ‘loss’ of meaning, but rather the
MT communicates this organizational meaning more explicitly, i.e. by repeating
itâ€, whereas the LXX communicates the same meaning more implicitly, i.e.
without repeating it; Consistency of Translation Techniques in the Tabernacle
Accounts of Exodus in the Old Greek (SBLSCS 49; Atlanta, GE 2003) 181, n. 61.