Pinker, «On the Meaning of wy+m in Habakkuk 3,14a», Vol. 86 (2005) 376-386
In Hab 3,14a the minimal emendation
of wy+mb “with his staffs” into yw+mb “into the
spun of” is suggested. Hab 3,14 is perceived as describing God on His chariot
chasing the enemy’s fleeing horsemen, piercing the spun or braids at the back of
their head. These horsemen have previously much enjoyed the chase and the loot
when they attacked Judah.
On the Meaning of wyfm in Habakkuk 3,14a 379
against themselves; a reversal not attested in other passages where God
conquers the sea monster (Isa 27,1; Job 26,12-13; Ps 74,13). The major
difficulty with the MT wyfm is its 3rd person, which is out of place in a strophe
that is otherwise in 2nd person. Many commentators opt to read with Barberini
“your shaftsâ€. The BHS suggests the reading Úyfmb (19) or Úyt/fmb and mentions
that the reading hfmb has been proposed. Of these emendations, based on the
evolution of the Hebrew script, the reading hfmb appears to be the more
attractive. This emendation is also in agreement with the singular çar and
God’s use of His own weapons. However, it must be noted that in the
preceding verse the weapon used to smash the head has not been indicated,
and that a shaft or rod would be an overly primitive weapon for use by God
when He has in His possession a tynj (20). Further, a shaft can not be used for
piercing heads. Marduk used a similar weapon (mit≤t≤u) in Enuma elish to crush
Tiamat’s head. I therefore tend to consider wyfm a scribal error, in which the
letters wy were transposed giving an original ywfm “spun(s) ofâ€. This emendation
will be discussed later in detail.
çar means “head, top, commencementâ€. Most commentators take the
term çar literally, “human headâ€. However, Ibn Ezra takes çar as the singular
“the leaderâ€, and more recently O’Connor suggested that it might be
preferable to understand it here and in the preceding verse as “chief,
leaderâ€(21). It seems to me that understanding çar in such a sense would
diminish the magnitude of God’s destructive power in the theophany, since
usually the number of chiefs or leaders is relatively small.
The versions differ on whether çar should be understood as singular or
plural. The MT and Vulgate read it as singular, but the Septuagint, Targum,
Peshitta and Barberini as plural. If the singular is assumed, then to make the
plural wyfm plausible it must be something light as “arrowsâ€, which has already
been deemed unlikely. Many commentators who accept the singular feel that
the context requires emending çar to /çar or yçar (22). Kimchi, Abarbanel and
Metzudot, understand çar as the plural “headsâ€. Rashi apparently takes the
same position, identifying the defeated enemy in this verse as Sennacherib
and his cohorts. I do not see any problem with understanding çar as the plural
“headsâ€. It can be justified as a case of pars pro toto, or that it stems from an
understanding çar as being in construct with a plural noun wzrp. The context
of close-quarters combat suggests taking çar as referring to the “head†of a
human body.
With respect to aggressive acts aimed at a human head the HB uses the
following verbs: trk (2 Sam 20,22; 1 Sam 17,51; 31,9), hkn (Jonah 4,8), ≈jm
(Hab 3,13; Ps 68,22; 110,6; Jud 5,26), qjm (Jud 5,26), acn (Gen 40,13.19), rws
(1 Sam 17,46; 2 Sam 1,10; 16,9), and bqn (Hab 3,14). If decapitation is
excluded then ≈jm appears as the most frequent verb associated with assault
(19) A.M. HABERMAN, “‘hzyng’ h jswn ypl qwqbj rps lç òg qrpâ€, Beth Mikra 26 (1981)
107. The Genizah text supports this reading.
(20) Note that in 1Sam 14,27 the hfmh hxq is the wooden shaft of the tynj. Jonathan used
it because the sharp metallic part was soiled by use in battle.
(21) M. O’CONNOR, Hebrew Verse Structure (Winona Lake 1980) 238. Tanhum also
reads wyzrp yçar and translates “the leaders in charge of the citiesâ€. See H. SHY, Tanhum Ha-
Yerushalmi’s Commentary on the Minor Prophets (Jerusalem 1991) 236.
(22) HABERMAN, “‘hzyng’ h jswn ypl qwqbj rps lç òg qrpâ€, 107. The Genizah text has wçar.