Nov 2, 2004 18:53
19 yrs ago
Hebrew term
Rebecca
viahafta
Non-PRO
Hebrew to English
Other
Religion
Jewish religion
The "viahafta" prayer said at Dachau by a concentration camp survivor
Proposed translations
(English)
| 3 -1 | prayer |
Edith Kelly
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| 5 +4 | Thou shalt love |
Eynat
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Proposed translations
-1
41 mins
Edith Kelly
Switzerland
Switzerland
Native in English
Switzerland
Professional conference interpreter
Native in: German 
, English
Works in: German to English, English to German, Dutch to German, and 4 more.
Selected
prayer
This is a Hebrew prayer.
Baruch ata adonai, elohenu melech ha olam...
"(be) blessed you, the Lord, our God, king of the world..."
viahafta et adonai elohenu...
the first word is mispelled, should read viahavta et adonai elohenu...
the verb is lehehov, to love, the tense is past, but in the Hebrew Bible the past tense has also a meaning of future.
Therefore: "and you will love the Lord, our God..."
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you; just in time for my sermon. "
+4
1 hr
Thou shalt love
It's ve-ahavta
ואהבתה
(vav-alef-heh-vet-tav-heh)
- which means 'Thou shalt love ...' ('...God thy Lord with all thy soul' etc).
The construction with vav- ('and-') is called vav ha-hipukh (reversing 'and'), and is a literary Biblical syntactical device for indicating an indefinite future, or in this case an imperative (thou shalt).
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Note added at 1 hr 39 mins (2004-11-02 20:32:59 GMT)
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Small correction:
ve-ahavta et adonay eloheykha be-khol levavkha u-ve-khol nafshekha u-ve-khol me\'odekha =
Thou shalt love God thy Lord with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all your being
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Note added at 15 hrs 28 mins (2004-11-03 10:22:34 GMT)
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I am told I should omit the final heh, i.e. thus:
ואהבת
- which of course is true in modern Hebrew and usually elsewhere. However, I am pretty sure that\'s how the Bible spells it sometimes, though not perhaps here; so I stuck it on because it\'s nice and archaic and poetical :-)
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Note added at 6 days (2004-11-08 23:33:44 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------
Wrong answer chosen yet again ... LOLOLOL.
What a waste of time some askers are.
ואהבתה
(vav-alef-heh-vet-tav-heh)
- which means 'Thou shalt love ...' ('...God thy Lord with all thy soul' etc).
The construction with vav- ('and-') is called vav ha-hipukh (reversing 'and'), and is a literary Biblical syntactical device for indicating an indefinite future, or in this case an imperative (thou shalt).
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr 39 mins (2004-11-02 20:32:59 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Small correction:
ve-ahavta et adonay eloheykha be-khol levavkha u-ve-khol nafshekha u-ve-khol me\'odekha =
Thou shalt love God thy Lord with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all your being
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 15 hrs 28 mins (2004-11-03 10:22:34 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
I am told I should omit the final heh, i.e. thus:
ואהבת
- which of course is true in modern Hebrew and usually elsewhere. However, I am pretty sure that\'s how the Bible spells it sometimes, though not perhaps here; so I stuck it on because it\'s nice and archaic and poetical :-)
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 days (2004-11-08 23:33:44 GMT) Post-grading
--------------------------------------------------
Wrong answer chosen yet again ... LOLOLOL.
What a waste of time some askers are.
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Sue Goldian
2 hrs
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Thanks :-)
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| agree |
snatalieg
: thank you eynat!
2 hrs
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Thanks :-)
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| agree |
Suzan Chin
: Yes. And it's ואהבת :)
4 hrs
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Thanks :-) I have seen it spelled in the Bible with a heh at the end, I am quite sure, though not perhaps here. Of course, modern Hebrew never has a final heh here.
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| agree |
Akiva Brest (X)
: The reversing vav can cahnge tenses from past to future and vice versa. With the heh added on the meaning would be "and you will love her"
2 days 3 hrs
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Thanks. That's what I said about the vav. I don't think what you say about the heh is true at all.
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