ࠅࠊࠋ ࠄࠇࠉࠄ ࠅࠊࠋ ࠄࠏࠅࠐ ࠅࠊࠋ ࠄࠓࠌࠔ ࠏࠋ ࠄࠀࠓࠑ ࠋࠌࠔࠐࠇࠅࠕࠉࠄࠌ ࠉࠑࠀࠅ ࠌࠍ ࠄࠕࠁࠄ
Gen. 8:19 [Samaritan Pentateuch]
וכל החיה וכל העוף וכל הרמש על הארץ למשפחותיהם יצאו מן התבה
And every living thing, and every bird, and every creeping thing upon the earth, after their families, went out from the ark.
Gen. 8:19 [Masoretic Text]
כָּל־הַֽחַיָּ֗ה כָּל־הָרֶ֨מֶשׂ֙ וְכָל־הָעֹ֔וף כֹּ֖ל רֹומֵ֣שׂ עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם יָצְא֖וּ מִן־הַתֵּבָֽה׃
Every living thing, every creeping thing, and every bird, all that creeps upon the earth, after their families, went out from the ark.
| Number | Hebrew | Samaritan | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | וכל | ࠅࠊࠋ | And all |
| 2 | החיה | ࠄࠇࠉࠄ | the living creatures |
| 3 | וכל | ࠅࠊࠋ | and all |
| 4 | העוף | ࠄࠏࠅࠐ | the birds |
| 5 | וכל | ࠅࠊࠋ | and all |
| 6 | הרמש | ࠄࠓࠌࠔ | the creeping things |
| 7 | על | ࠏࠋ | on |
| 8 | הארץ | ࠄࠀࠓࠑ | the earth |
| 9 | למשפחותיהם | ࠋࠌࠔࠐࠇࠅࠕࠉࠄࠌ | according to their families |
| 10 | יצאו | ࠉࠑࠀࠅ | they went out |
| 11 | מן | ࠌࠍ | from |
| 12 | התבה | ࠄࠕࠁࠄ | the ark |
Morphology
- כָּל־הַֽחַיָּ֗ה (kol-haḥayyāh) – Root: חיה (ḥ-y-h); Form: Noun, singular feminine construct with definite article ה; Translation: “Every living thing”; Notes: Refers to all types of living creatures.
- כָּל־הָרֶ֨מֶשׂ (kol-hāremeś) – Root: רמש (r-m-ś); Form: Noun, singular masculine construct with definite article ה; Translation: “every creeping thing”; Notes: Refers to crawling creatures on the earth.
- וְכָל־הָעֹ֔וף (wəḵol-hāʿôf) – Root: עוף (ʿ-w-p); Form: Conjunction וְ + noun, singular masculine construct with definite article ה; Translation: “and every bird”; Notes: Includes all flying creatures.
- כֹּ֖ל רֹומֵ֣שׂ (kol rōmēś) – Root: רמש (r-m-ś); Form: Noun, singular masculine construct + participle Qal singular masculine; Translation: “all that creeps”; Notes: Describes movement upon the ground.
- עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ (ʿal-hāʾāreṣ) – Root: ארץ (ʾ-r-ṣ); Form: Preposition עַל + noun, singular feminine construct with definite article ה; Translation: “upon the earth”; Notes: Specifies location.
- לְמִשְׁפְּחֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם (ləmišpəḥōṯêhem) – Root: משפחה (m-š-p-ḥ); Form: Preposition לְ + noun, plural feminine construct with third masculine plural suffix; Translation: “after their families”; Notes: Indicates the division of creatures by family group.
- יָצְא֖וּ (yāṣʾū) – Root: יצא (y-ṣ-ʾ); Form: Qal perfect, third common plural; Translation: “went out”; Notes: Refers to the act of leaving the ark.
- מִן־הַתֵּבָֽה (min-hattēḇāh) – Root: תבה (t-b-h); Form: Preposition מִן־ + noun, singular feminine construct with definite article ה; Translation: “from the ark”; Notes: Specifies the source of departure.
Textual Commentary on Genesis 8:19
Genesis 8:19 presents a minor stylistic variation between the Masoretic Text (MT) and the Samaritan Pentateuch (SP), with some support from the Septuagint (LXX) and the Peshitta for the Samaritan ordering of phrases. The key differences involve word order and the use of conjunctions in listing the animals that left the ark.
Key Differences
| Feature | Samaritan Pentateuch (SP) | Masoretic Text (MT) | Effect on Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conjunction “ו” (“And”) Before Animal Categories | וכל החיה וכל העוף וכל הרמש (ve-kol haḥayah ve-kol haʿof ve-kol haromes) | כל החיה כל הרמש וכל העוף (kol haḥayah kol haromes ve-kol haʿof) | The SP includes “ו” (“and”) before “every living thing,” “every bird,” and “every creeping thing,” making the list more structured and explicit. |
| Word Order of “Birds” and “Creeping Things” | וכל העוף וכל הרמש על הארץ (ve-kol haʿof ve-kol haromes al ha-arets) | כל הרמש וכל העוף (kol haromes ve-kol haʿof) | The SP lists “birds” before “creeping things”, while the MT lists “creeping things” before “birds.” The LXX supports the SP’s order. |
| “After their families, they went out from the ark” | למשפחותיהם יצאו מן התבה (le-mishpeḥoteihem yatsʾu min ha-tevah) | למשפחותיהם יצאו מן התבה (le-mishpeḥoteihem yatsʾu min ha-tevah) | Identical wording. |
Support for the Samaritan Reading from the LXX and Peshitta
Conjunction Usage (“ו” Before Each Category)
- The SP explicitly adds “ו” (“and”) before each category: “and every living thing,” “and every bird,” “and every creeping thing.”
- The MT lacks “ו” before “every living thing” and “every creeping thing,” making the list more compressed.
- The LXX, Peshitta and Vulgate support the SP’s use of explicit conjunctions, which could indicate an older textual tradition or a scribal tendency in the SP to make lists more structured.
Word Order Variation: “Birds” Before “Creeping Things”
- The SP places “birds” before “creeping things”: “וכל העוף וכל הרמש”.
- The MT reverses the order, placing,”creeping things” before “birds.”
- This suggests that the MT either intentionally or accidentally altered the order, or that the SP reflects a slightly different early tradition.
Textual and Linguistic Implications
- The inclusion of “ו” (“and”) in the SP, LXX, and Peshitta suggests that the MT’s compressed form may be a later editorial refinement.
- Both texts preserve the same overall meaning, describing the animals leaving the ark in family groups.
Conclusion
The primary differences between the Masoretic Text and the Samaritan Pentateuch in Genesis 8:19 are the explicit conjunctions in the SP and the reversal of “birds” and “creeping things.” The LXX and Peshitta support the SP’s use of “ו” (“and”) before each category, indicating that this may represent an earlier or alternative scribal tradition. The MT’s compressed form and different word order could be later adjustments, but they do not change the meaning of the passage, which remains a description of the orderly exit of animals from the ark.