קוד: A sheep or a ramp? - כבש בתנ"ך
סוג: פרטים1
מאת: אבנר רמו
אל:
In the Book of Kings we read about King Solomon:
ויעש המלך כסא-שן גדול; ויצפהו זהב מופז.
שש מעלות לכסה וראש-עגל לכסה מאחריו, וידת מזה ומזה, אל-מקום השבת; ושנים אריות עמדים אצל הידות.
ושנים עשר אריים, עמדים שם על-שש המעלות--מזה ומזה; לא-נעשה כן לכל-ממלכות.
“Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with the finest gold.
There were six steps to the throne, and the top of the throne was round behind; and there were arms on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms.
And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps; there was not the like made in any kingdom” (1 Ki 9:18-20).
However, the Greek translator wrote here: “and the throne had heads of calves in relief behind it.” As the throne was overlaid with gold, it appears that this translator believed that part of the throne’s decorations were “golden calves.”
It seems that when the Chronicler read in the Book of Kings the description of King’s Solomon throne, he comprehended it in the same way, but as a pious man he could not contemplate retelling the reader about such abominable detail of Solomon’s throne. Therefore he changed the description of the throne from having a “golden calve” to one with aכבש בזהב - “a golden Sheep.”
Therefore the Chronicler’s description is as follows:
ויעש המלך כסא-שן גדול; ויצפהו זהב טהור.
ושש מעלות לכסא וכבש בזהב לכסא מאחזים וידות מזה ומזה, על-מקום השבת; ושנים אריות עמדים אצל הידות.
ושנים עשר אריות, עמדים שם על-שש המעלות--מזה ומזה; לא-נעשה כן לכל-ממלכה.
" Moreover the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold.
And there were six steps to the throne, with a footstool of gold which were fastened to the throne, and arms on either side by the place of the seat, and two lions standing beside the arms.
And twelve lions stood there on the one side and on the other upon the six steps; there was not the like made in any kingdom" (2 Ch 9:17-19).
The translation of וכבש בזהב to the English as: “with a footstool of gold” is no more than a speculation and it neither is supported by the Greek translation. It appears that the Greek translator of the Book of Chronicles also was not aware of the change herew and he wrote simply: “attached with gold.”
Next we read in the Mishnah:
מעשה ברבן גמליאל וזקנים שהיו באין בספינה, ועשה גוי כבש לירד בו, וירדו בו רבן גמליאל וזקנים
(משנה שבת טז ח).
And from there it was adopted to Modern Hebrew.
כבש של ספינה
כבש של מטוס