קלו מנשרים סוסיו

מאת: אבנר רמו

הנה כעננים יעלה וכסופה מרכבותיו--קלו מנשרים סוסיו; אוי לנו כי שדדנו.“

Behold, he comes up as clouds, and his chariots are as the whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe to us! For we are undone” (Jer 4:13; see also: 2 Sam 1:23; Thr 4:19). Yet in the Book of Habakkuk we find:

וקלו מנמרים סוסיו, וחדו מזאבי ערב, ופשו פרשיו; ופרשיו מרחוק יבאו--יעפו, כנשר חש לאכול.

“Their horses also are swifter than leopards, and are more fierce than the wolves of the desert; and their horsemen spread themselves; yea, their horsemen come from far, they fly as a vulture that hasten to devour” (Hab 1:8). However, the comparison between these verses suggests that here מנמרים (minemerim) is a letter-substitution error of מנשרים (minesharim) - “than eagles.” The understanding of the Greek (but not the English) translator of וחדו מזאבי ערב as “and be swifter than the wolves of Arabia” suggests that the translator believed that here חדו (khadu) is a letter-substitution error of: חשו (khashu) - “rushed” (e.g. Ps 119:60). The understanding of the English translator of פשו פרשיו as “their horsemen spread themselves” is not supported by the Greek translator. However, the last part of this verse suggests that פשו (pashu) is another letter-substitution error of חשו (khashu) - “rushed” (e.g. Jud 20:37; 1 Sam 20:38; Is 5:19; 28:16; 60:22; Ps 22:20; 38:23; 40:14; 55:9; 70:2, 6; 71:12; 90:10; 119:60; 141:1).