מסגר או מטהר?

מאת: אבנר רמו

אל: avnerramu @ aol.com

In the Book of Samuel we read:
וחרש לא ימצא בכל ארץ ישראל: כי-אמר (אמרו) פלשתים--פן יעשו העברים חרב או חנית.
“Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel; for the Philistines said: Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears” (1 Sam 13:19).

The Greeks translator wrote here: “craftsmen in iron.” Indeed we find in the Bible
חרשי ברזל - “smiths” (2 Ch 24:12; see also: Is 44:12), but there are also: חרש אבן - “engraver in stone” (Ex 28:11; 2 Sam 5:11), חרש עצים - “carpenter” (Is 44:13; see also: 2 Sam 5:11; 2 Ki 12:12; 1 Ch 14:1), and חרש נחשת - “a worker in brass” (1 Ki 7:14; see also: 2 Ch 24:12). These Hebrew terms indicate that the accurate meaning of word חרש (kharash) is “craftsmen” and not “a smith.”

In the Book of Exodus we read:
ויעש את-המנרה זהב טהור; מקשה עשה את-המנרה ירכה וקנה--גביעיה כפתריה ופרחיה ממנה היו.
וששה קנים יצאים מצדיה: שלשה קני מנרה מצדה האחד, ושלשה קני מנרה מצדה השני.
שלשה גבעים משקדים בקנה האחד, כפתר ופרח, ושלשה גבעים משקדים בקנה אחד, כפתר ופרח; כן לששת הקנים היצאים מן-המנרה.
ובמנרה ארבעה גבעים: משקדים--כפתריה ופרחיה.
וכפתר תחת שני הקנים ממנה, וכפתר תחת שני הקנים ממנה, וכפתר תחת-שני הקנים ממנה--לששת הקניםהיצאים ממנה.
כפתריהם וקנתם ממנה היו; כלה מקשה אחת, זהב טהור.
ויעש את-נרתיה שבעה; ומלקחיה ומחתתיה זהב טהור.
ככר זהב טהור עשה אתה ואת, כל-כליה.
“And he made the candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work made he the candlestick, even its base, and its shaft; its cups, its knops, and its flowers, were of one piece with it.
And there were six branches going out of the sides thereof: three branches of the candlestick out of the one side thereof, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side thereof;
Three cups made like almond-blossoms in one branch, a knop and a flower; and three cups made like almond-blossoms in the other branch, a knop and a flower. So for the six branches going out of the candlestick.
And in the candlestick were four cups made like almond-blossoms, the knops thereof, and the flowers thereof;
And a knop under two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, and a knop under two branches of one piece with it, for the six branches going out of it.
Their knops and their branches were of one piece with it; the whole of it was one beaten work of pure gold.
And he made the lamps thereof, seven, and the tongs thereof, and the snuff dishes thereof, of pure gold.
Of a talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof” (Ex 37:17-24; see also: Ex 25:31-39).

In the Book of Kings we find another description of the candlestick and its tools:
ואת-המנרות חמש מימין וחמש משמאול לפני הדביר--זהב סגור; והפרח והנרת והמלקחים זהב.
והספות והמזמרות והמזרקות, והכפות והמחתות--זהב סגור;
“And the candlesticks, five on the right side, and five on the left, before the Sanctuary, of pure gold; and the flowers, and the lamps, and the tongs, of gold;
And the cups, and the snuffers, and the basins, and the pans, and the fire-pans, of pure gold” (1 Ki 7:49-50; see also: 1 Ch 4:20-22).

The comparison between these verses and the understanding of the English (but not the Greek) translator suggest that זהב סגור (zahav sagur) is a misspelled זהב טהור (zahav tahor) - “pure gold.”

The term זהב טהור (zahav tahor) appears multiple times in the in the Books of Exodus and Chronicles (Ex 25:11, 17, 24, 29, 31, 36, 38, 39; 28:14, 22, 36; 30:3; 37:2, 6, 11, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 26; 39:15, 25, 30; 1 Ch 28:17; 2 Ch 3:4; 9:17). However, the term זהב סגור (zahav sagur) does not appear in the Books of Exodus and 1 Chronicles.

The term זהב סגור (zahav sagur) appears mainly in the Book of Kings (1 Ki 6:20, 21; 7:49, 50; 10:21), yet the term זהב טהור (zahav tahor) is not mentioned in this book. The term זהב סגור (zahav sagur) also appears in the 2nd Book of Chronicles (2 Ch 4:20, 22; 9:20), but these verses were copied from the 1st Book of Kings.

In the 2nd Book of Kings (2 Ki 24:14, 16) and in the Book of Jeremiah (Jer 24:1; 29:2) we find the expression החרש והמסגר - “the craftsmaen and the smiths.” The Greek translator does not support this interpretation and he wrote here: “the craftsman and he that encloses” or “the artisans and the prisoners.”

As indicated above, we already encountered the terms חרשי ברזל - “smiths” (2 Ch 24:12; see also: Is 44:12) and חרש נחשת - “a worker in brass” (1 Ki 7:14; see also: 2 Ch 24:12), so the interpretation of the new term מסגר (masger) as “a smith” by the English translator seems to be superfluous at best.

The fact that the word סגור (sagur) appears to be a misspelled טהור (tahor) - “pure” suggests the possibility that מסגר (masger) is a misspelled מטהר (metaher) - “a purifier” (of metals?).

In the Book of Malachi we read: וישב מצרף ומטהר כסף - “And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver” (Mal 3:3). This verse suggests that a “purifier” of metals could have been a specific profession different from that of a craftsmen and it may have been referred to as מטהר (metaher) or in its misspelled version מסגר (masger).