cheenc03a.pdf

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STARS
To the primitive imagination that which moves is I'eshit!z renderr by 'ryy~ifhn.' which probably has
regarded us possessing life. Thur the heavenly bodies piiilological connection with the Hebrew name, and
arc phcfurrd as living beings, and form subject of folk- perhaps upon this analogy we may vocalise qp, 'ijyuf
lore and lexend. Stars, in particular, are closely (Hoffnmnn), or else, with closer ~pprorimatio" to the
associated w%h angels.
Syriac, ey, ,. 'ayyri, or w.9, 'ijyif.
The .the host of heaven' generally denotes the stars
(zK.l?za213i 2345 Ut.4~9 173 l.i.82 1013 Zeph.15; yp (b) i.?,, Mrii (Job 9'9 3831 Amos 58) is generally
Cen. 21 Pr.336 Ir10za 4611); bur insome carer, erpecirily in supposed to denote O X ~ jg.a.), N the most remarkable
late writings, invisible agencier are also denoted by the snmr
ierm (I K. 22 r~ Is. M4 N~h.96 and perhaps Dm. 8 of conrtellafione, both on account of the brilliancy and
10).
Cp
aI,o 1,.24,1 and the fine ooet!ui rwtement in lob381 . fcrr .. colour of the three principal stars,2 and the striking
CXEAT,X. 5 z., e).
resemblance of the figure to a gigantic human form
S:>ecial stars or conrtellations mentioned in the Bible erluippcd with belt and sword. The position of this
are us follo\r :-
group, a few degreerS. of the Ecliptic, renders it a very
(a) qv, 'dyi; (J0b38~~) ; on the versions and on the cv~~spicuous object as viewed from the N. temperate
zone, and among the Greeks and the Romans it ,\a5
su~l,oscd .. form VY. , 'lit [lobgqj, . .. see AncTuxus. The
niuch observed as a sign of the reasons.
3, Special 8tara allusion to the ' children ' of 'Ayii' Thur its hcliacal rising, southing, and bett,ing arc severally
limits fbr porsibilitics of interpretation connected wirh different agricultural o errtloni (Her. Olp#.
OrgrOupa. to such consre~~ationr ar can be ssiJ?, ~ f l arrJ?): , bur, crpecially, tIe time of irr rettlng
marks the commencement of we, and stormy wzather, when
oictured under the form of a mother with children. navigarion becomerdangerour (Her. O$j. 618fl; Hor. E$. 157 ;
Among the ancientr there appear to have been two virg, ,En. 1 jg 452).
such-Ursa major, arid the Pleiader.
The mention ofthe ,bands of Orion' in , lob 38x1 ~. is
In favour of Urrv maior is cited the Arabic title perhaps an allurion to the three stars of the beit, and
for thlr co.stellat,on.
refers to the chains with nhirh the giant-~dullL~vitted
This is "ll'i,'the bier ' thsfourrtarrforming thequdrilateral obstinate' eiant-li.n,lwasthoueht ,. --,
tohave beenconfined
b~ing regarded as a hie:, which is followed by three mournsrs, by the ~ e&. If man can loose th~e
bands-the poet
bendt na'f, 'the daughters of rhe bier.'
seems to mean-he may then hope to gain control over
It is, however, quite imporrible philologically to
thore changes in the reason which the constellation
connect the Arabic word no'l with the Hebrew 'dvii; marks. In
nor is there, in the passage of ~ o b in which 'dyii
. lob 99 . Amos 58 h$si/ a~~ears . to be cited
on account of its great brilliancy3
appears, any trace of the idea of bier and hearern or (c) np.?, kimdh (Job 99 3831 Amos 58) is translated
mourners. It is the merit of M. A. Stern1 ('Die
Stcrtrbilder in Hiob 38y f ,' in Geiger's lud Zeifrrhr ' Pleiades ' by EV and many moderns, in accordance
32588) to have been the first among modems to adopt
with the renderlag of B in both passages of Job,4
the inter~~etation ' Pleiades.' and to have stated his case
Symm. md Vg. in Job 3831, and Symm. and Theodot.
with great cogency. Stern disposer of the claims of
in Amos. If, however, the grounds upon which 'dyij
Urra major by pointing out that 'dyii with the three
has been identified with the Pleiades can be considered
other con~tellations mentioned in . lob3811 -, 6. . is cited
sufficient, it is evident that we murt look elsewhere for
by the poet on account of its meteorolo~ical imporfthe
constellation represented by kimrih. Stern presser
the claims of Canis major with its bright star Siriusnntr.
T..* 8. ..i.l.", f,.n the ,cte",. 1 7, ,A "C. -.\r by far the largest of the fixed stars-known to the
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