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shebanq

נִיר nīr – lamp, brand, mark (?)

Semantic Fields: Utensils   Light   
Author(s): Cornelis Houtman
First published: 2011-03-24
Citation: Cornelis Houtman, נִיר nīr – lamp, brand, mark (?),
               Semantics of Ancient Hebrew Database (sahd-online.com), 2011 (WORK IN PROGRESS)

Introduction

Grammatical type:
Occurrences: 5x HB (0/3/2); ??x Sir; ??x Qum; ??x Inscr. (Total: ??)

  • Nebiim: 1 Kgs 11:36; 15:4; 2 Kgs 8:19;
  • Ketubim: 2 Chron 21:7; Prov 21:4.

A.1 Prov 21:4: נִר, many MSS: נֵר.

1. Root and Comparative Material

A.1 → נֵר.

Ugaritic: HAHAT, 815, cites Ugaritic nyr ‘luminary’, as a cognate. This it is, but not morphologically. Because in Ugaritic the y is normally a consonant, this proposal is acceptable only if one emends MT (æניָּר). But nothing is gained by this operation.

2. Formal Characteristics

A.1 [Will be added later.]

3. Syntagmatics

A.1 [Will be added later.]

4. Ancient Versions

a. Septuagint (LXX) and other Greek versions (αʹ, σʹ, θʹ):

  • LXX 2 Kgs 8:19; 2 Chron 21:7 λύχνος -- GELS-L, 286: ‘lamp’; LSJ, 1068: ‘portable light, lamp’. Prov 21:4 λαμπτήρ -- GELS-L, 277: ‘lantern, lamp, torch’; LSJ, 1028: (1) ‘stand or grate for pine and other wood used for lightning rooms’ (2) ‘lantern’. In the dynamic-equivalent translation of 1 Kgs 11:36; 15:4 a literal rendering of נִיר is lacking (in contrast toα´ and σ´: λύχνος). In Hos 10:12 נִיר IIis translated as φως, ‘light’.

b. Peshitta (Pesh):

  • 1 Kgs 11:36; 15:4; 2 Kgs 8:19; Prov 21:4 šrgʾ ‘lamp’; 2 Chron 21:7 šrgʾ nhyrʾ ‘shining lamp’, a double translation.

c. Targum (Tg):

  • 2 Chron 21:7 מלכו; 1 Kgs 11:36; 15:4; 2 Kgs 8:19 מלכותא -- Levy, CWT, vol. 2, 41: ‘Königthum, Herrschaft, Regierung’; Jastrow, DTT, 791: ‘kingdom, rulership’; Sokoloff, DJPA, 310: ‘kingdom, government’. Prov 21:4 שרגא → נֵר, section 5.

d. Vulgate (Vg):

  • 1 Kgs 11:36; 15:4; 2 Kgs 8:19; Prov 21:4; 2 Chron 21:7 lucerna ‘lamp’.

A.1

5. Lexical/Semantic Fields

A.1 [Will be added later.]

6. Exegesis

6.1 Textual Evidence

A.1 Usually נִיר is regarded as a by-form of → נֵר. It is used four times (1 Kgs 11:36; 15:4; 2 Kgs 8:19 = 2 Chron 21:7) in similar phrases to emphasise the stability, continuity and vitality of the Davidic dynasty. Apparently it is a metaphor for the Davidic descendant. The metaphor indicates that the dynastic light is kept burning, i.e. that there will be, without interruption, a Davidic king on the throne in Jerusalem. This interpretation is not entirely undisputed. With reference to the Akkadian nīru, ‘yoke’, in a figurative sense ‘dominion’ (Hanson 1968; Tawil, ZIBBC, 238-9), as well as the Egyptian nr, ‘power’ (Görg 1985), the meaning ‘dominion, sovereignty’ has been defended. So, using a different argument, a return is made to the targumic interpretation (see section 5) which was based on exegesis with help of the Aramaic נִרָה ‘yoke’. However, the use of Akkadian nūru ‘light, lamp’ as a royal epithet (CAD (N) 2, 349) argues in favour of the metaphorical use.

The text and sense of נִר inProv. 21:4b are doubtful. נִר is equated by some with נֵר (‘the lamp [= happiness, delight] of the wicked is sin’), by others with נִיר (Torah: 0. Nebiim: 2. Ketubim: 1. Total: 3; Prov 21:4b: ‘the tillage [or, ploughing] of the wicked is sin’; cf. the use of נִיר [‘the tillable, untilled or fallow ground’] in Jer 4:3; Hos 10:12; Prov 13:23). Another possibility that might be explored is to connect the word with Akkadian nīru III, a mark for the identification of animals; Arab. nāra ‘to make a mark upon a camel with a hot iron’, nār ‘brand, mark made with a hot iron’. For a similar proposal see Driver 1951, 185. This would result in the translation ‘Haughty eyes and a proud heart, the hallmark of the wicked, are sin.’ However, all three interpretations remain uncertain.

6.2 Pictorial Material

A.1

6.3 Archaeology

A.1 → נֵר.

7. Conclusion

A.1 נִיר, which is used only in figurative language, evidently denotes the burning lamp, especially its light. As such it is used a few times for the Davidic king or descendant. In Prov 21:4 a rendering ‘brand’ in the sense of ‘hallmark’ might be considered.

Bibliography

Görg 1985: M. Görg, ‘Ein ‘‘Machtzeichen’’ Davids 1 Könige xi 36’, VT 35 (1985), 363-368

Hanson 1968: P.D. Hanson, 'The Song of Heshbon and David’s N\^{I*R}’, HThR 61 (1968), 297-320

See also the literature cited under → נֵר.

Semantics of Ancient Hebrew Database