-
Habakkuk 3:16—Where Did the אֲשֶר Go?
- Hebrew Studies
- National Association of Professors of Hebrew
- Volume 44, 2003
- pp. 129-138
- 10.1353/hbr.2003.0001
- Article
- Additional Information
- Purchase/rental options available:
Almost every modern treatment of the אֲשֶר in Hab 3:16 opts to emend the text to a form of אַשֶר "step," citing the text of the Septuagint as support. The few exegetes that choose to maintain the Masoretic Text interpret the אֲשֶר as either a causal or concessive particle. In this article, I will argue that neither option is viable—the first does not have convincing textual support; the second reflects an inaccurate understanding of Biblical Hebrew grammar. Rather, I will propose that the אֲשֶר clause in Hab 3:16 is an "extraposed relative clause" that modifies the substantive תְַּחְתִּי