Did Samson's riddle rhyme in the original?
May 31, 2016 7:48 AM Subscribe
If you're an average Joe you probably know Samson's riddle (Judges 14:14) as: "Out of the eater, something to eat. Out of the strong, something sweet." or something like that. Most English translations rhyme the [eat/meat] with [sweet]. But what about the original?
My question is really threefold:
1.) What was the original language used in writing the Book of Judges? I'm assuming Biblical Hebrew, but it could have been Aramaic for all I know.
2.) How did the original verse read? By which I mean if you know the original language can you type out or copy/paste it here?
3.) When spoken aloud, did the original rhyme or is that a fanciful thing that has been perpetrated throughout most English translations?
I don't have any pressing reason to ask this, I just started thinking about it while getting dressed this morning and figured you would know the answer.
My question is really threefold:
1.) What was the original language used in writing the Book of Judges? I'm assuming Biblical Hebrew, but it could have been Aramaic for all I know.
2.) How did the original verse read? By which I mean if you know the original language can you type out or copy/paste it here?
3.) When spoken aloud, did the original rhyme or is that a fanciful thing that has been perpetrated throughout most English translations?
I don't have any pressing reason to ask this, I just started thinking about it while getting dressed this morning and figured you would know the answer.
Best answer: In the Hebrew it's - מֵהָאֹכֵל יָצָא מַאֲכָל, וּמֵעַז, יָצָא מָתוֹק (me-ha-ochel yatza me-achal, umeaz yatza matok), and doesn't rhyme.
posted by Mchelly at 8:02 AM on May 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Mchelly at 8:02 AM on May 31, 2016 [1 favorite]
It does not rhyme, presumably the King James guy was getting poetic again.
This section was translated by the First Westminster Company group: Lancelot Andrewes, John Overall, Hadrian à Saravia, Richard Clarke, John Layfield, Robert Tighe, Francis Burleigh, Geoffrey King, Richard Thomson, and William Bedwell.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:35 AM on May 31, 2016 [6 favorites]
This section was translated by the First Westminster Company group: Lancelot Andrewes, John Overall, Hadrian à Saravia, Richard Clarke, John Layfield, Robert Tighe, Francis Burleigh, Geoffrey King, Richard Thomson, and William Bedwell.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:35 AM on May 31, 2016 [6 favorites]
Response by poster: Oddly enough the KJV is one that doesn't stick the rhyme:
"And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness."
I guess this was initiated by whoever got around to doing it in English next.
posted by komara at 8:40 AM on May 31, 2016
"And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness."
I guess this was initiated by whoever got around to doing it in English next.
posted by komara at 8:40 AM on May 31, 2016
As others have said, it doesn't rhyme in Hebrew, but I would also point out that this verse is classified as poetry by biblical scholars. Ancient Hebrew poetry is often characterized by parallel structure, and this is a classic example of that. So I wouldn't call the rhyming English versions a "fanciful" choice. It's a sinple way to signal to English readers that this is a riddle poem, which is usually indicated for us by rhyme. When it's easy to make the English version rhyme without affecting the meaning, it's a nice touch.
posted by Pater Aletheias at 11:38 AM on May 31, 2016 [6 favorites]
posted by Pater Aletheias at 11:38 AM on May 31, 2016 [6 favorites]
You made me curious. None of these old Bibles has the rhyme; they all all go with "sweetness". (Or "swetnesse".) Some of them flip the sentences around so that the rhyme isn't even possible.
Of Bibles in this list, the first to use "sweet" is Thomson's Translation (1808), with What eatable came from the eater; and, from the fierce, what that is sweet?
The first one with the rhyme is the Lamsa Bible (1933), with Out of the eater came forth something to eat, and out of the bitter came forth something sweet.
The Good News translation (1976) modernizes but still has "came": Out of the eater came something to eat; Out of the strong came something sweet.
Looks like it wasn't until the New International Version came out in 1978 that your exact phrasing was used. I do remember that in their phrasing and offsetting they tried to emphasize poetry in the Bible, and you can see that in your verse.
That was fun! :-)
posted by clawsoon at 12:04 PM on May 31, 2016 [7 favorites]
Of Bibles in this list, the first to use "sweet" is Thomson's Translation (1808), with What eatable came from the eater; and, from the fierce, what that is sweet?
The first one with the rhyme is the Lamsa Bible (1933), with Out of the eater came forth something to eat, and out of the bitter came forth something sweet.
The Good News translation (1976) modernizes but still has "came": Out of the eater came something to eat; Out of the strong came something sweet.
Looks like it wasn't until the New International Version came out in 1978 that your exact phrasing was used. I do remember that in their phrasing and offsetting they tried to emphasize poetry in the Bible, and you can see that in your verse.
That was fun! :-)
posted by clawsoon at 12:04 PM on May 31, 2016 [7 favorites]
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2) וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם, מֵהָאֹכֵל יָצָא מַאֲכָל, וּמֵעַז, יָצָא מָתוֹק
Which is roughly: vayomer lahem, mahaoHel yatzah ma-ah-Hal, ooma-az, yatzah matok (that's just the riddle part--the capital Hs are gutteral).
3) It does not rhyme, presumably the King James guy was getting poetic again.
posted by leesh at 8:00 AM on May 31, 2016 [3 favorites]