Saturday, April 25, 2020

Above vs Among woman

Some Protestants, especially some KJV onlyists claim Mary was only "blessed AMONG woman" and not "blessed ABOVE woman" as the KJV says about Jael in Judges 5:24.

Look at the Hebrew translated "above women" in Judges 5:24--מִנָּשִׁים minnashim


תְּבֹרַךְ, מִנָּשִׁים--יָעֵל, אֵשֶׁת חֶבֶר הַקֵּינִי: מִנָּשִׁים בָּאֹהֶל, תְּבֹרָךְ.
Blessed above women [מִנָּשִׁים minnashim] shall Jael be, the wife of Heber the Kenite, above women in the tent shall she be blessed. 
Let's look at another verse where the same word is used:

1 Samuel 15:33
וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל--כַּאֲשֶׁר שִׁכְּלָה נָשִׁים חַרְבֶּךָ, כֵּן-תִּשְׁכַּל מִנָּשִׁים אִמֶּךָ; וַיְשַׁסֵּף שְׁמוּאֵל אֶת-אֲגָג לִפְנֵי יְהוָה, בַּגִּלְגָּל.
And Samuel said, As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be childless ____among women___ [מִנָּשִׁים minnashim]. And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal.--1 Samuel 15:33 (English is the KJV)
The fact is the mem before nashim usually is translated "from, among..." etc

Going back to Judges 5:24 we see other translations https://biblehub.com/judges/5-24.htm
For instance, NKJV says 
"“Most blessed among women is Jael, The wife of Heber the Kenite; Blessed is she among women in tents."--Judges 5:24, NKJV

Berean says: "Most blessed among women is Jael"

Brenton (translating the Greek LXX): "Blessed among women be Jael "

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