Participants in Old Testament Texts and the Translator: Reference Devices and Their Rhetorical Impact (review)

Hebrew Studies 45 (2004) 305 Reviews PARTICIPANTS IN OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS AND THE TRANSLATOR : REFERENCE DEVICES AND THEIR RHETORICAL IMPACT. By Lénart J. de Regt. SSN 39. Pp. viii + 125. Assen: Van Gorcum, 1999. Cloth, € 63.50. $70.00. Professor de Regt has written a book that needs to be understood by anyone doing literary studies of the Hebrew Bible. While the word “translator” in the main title helps to explain some of the academic background to the topic, the book is for anyone who would like to understand the many choices that an author made while writing Biblical Hebrew. Translation considerations are a minor theme in the book, although de Regt is sensitive to points in his study that will have implications for translators, and he points them out at appropriate points within larger discussions. Participant reference is not a traditional category for those learning another language. Neither an introduction to Biblical Hebrew nor a reference grammar normally has a chapter or section on participant reference. Consequently , one of the first tasks of de Regt’s book is to explain what the topic is and why it is important. In his words: It is not enough to know who are the participants and who does what to whom; one also needs to establish why they are referred to the way they are. Participants that are main characters in the story and those that are not, seem to be referred to differently…while main characters are more often pronominalised than others, explicit reference tends to occur at paragraph borders. Unusual or unexpected instances of participant reference are the most interesting : a proper name (sometimes with an extended description), noun or pronoun where one might expect a pronominal or inflectional affix, and vice versa, as well as an unexpected order of participants. Once the reason for an unexpected type of reference at a particular point in the text is clear, this will contribute to a better understanding of its rhetorical impact and the intentions of its author. (p 1) The basic issue of the book is an attempt to explain how the various Hebrew structures were chosen to introduce and track characters in a biblical text. These structures include: proper names (e.g., Abraham, Mephibosheth); definite noun phrases (e.g., the two daughters-in-law); complex phrases (e.g., Ruth the Moabitess who returned); noun phrases (e.g., a woman); pronouns (e.g., they); verbal concord (e.g., subject marking on verb); separate object pronouns (e.g., htwa [her]); object pronouns on verbs; possessive pronoun (e.g., his house); null marking (e.g., he said [to him]); and an explicit reference as a grammatical subject, object, object of preposition, nominal possessive, or extra grammatical item (appositive, casus pendans, afterthought). Hebrew Studies 45 (2004) 306 Reviews These structures must be cross-referenced with functions such as introducing a participant, reintroducing a participant after short or long gaps, global anaphoric reference, local anaphoric reference, identification in ambiguous situations, major participants versus minor participants, thematic reversals , special temporary highlighting of a participant, specifying a quality of a participant, unit boundaries (such as beginning or ending a paragraph), and exiting a participant from a scene or story. The book is divided into four chapters that logically cover the subject. Chapter 1, pages 1–12, is an introduction to what is meant by participant reference. Chapter 2, pages 13–54, describes “usual patterns.” Chapter 3, pages 55–94, focuses on “special patterns.” The final chapter, pages 95–97, provides a synthesis of “general conclusions.” To these chapters are added four indices for biblical references, named participants, Bible translations, and modern authors. The introductory chapter surveys various strategies used in languages around the world and then provides some examples in the Hebrew Bible. For example, de Regt mentions that an author’s empathy with a participant can be signaled linguistically by using pronouns and affixes for more direct personal interest while noun phrases may show where an author’s empathy does not lie. Proposed examples of longer descriptions signaling negative empathy include “Laban his mother’s brother” (Gen 29:10; 3 times), “Cushanrishataim , king of Aram” (Judg 3:8, 10), “Jabin, king of Canaan” (Judg 4...