Mules? or hot springs?

[Gail]

What does your Bible say Anah, the descendant of Esau, found in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys? Does yours say he found hot springs or mules? This is one of those terms in Hebrew that are labeled uncertain.

[Gregory Matthews]

And the citation in the Bible is ..............

[rudywoofs (Pam)]

that's interesting!  The KJV says he found mules, but most of the other versions read, "hot springs" (which sounds more like what it's supposed to be)

(Genesis 36:24)

[CoAspen]

Ya, hot springs where they found donkeys, seems to be what most Bibles other than the KJV say. Commentaries also say the same even explaining the horses were not in this region and the knowledge of cross breeding was not existent at that time. SDA Bible Commentary suggest the same thing.

[Gail]

3 hours ago, Gregory Matthews said:

And the citation in the Bible is ..............

Sorry- it's Genesis 36:24

[Gail]

I have here the Intervarsity Press' Bible Background Commentary, which mentions that "hot springs" is based on the Vulgate, whereas Jewish tradition translates it as "mules" and credits Anah for learning to crossbreed horses and donkeys.

The Jubilee Bible renders it that Anah "invented mules" in the wilderness. Many of the translations I have say the he found hot springs. I don't know if I am any closer now than when I began in understanding this.

[Liz]

I found this rather interesting. That he might have found and fought giants.

 

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Mules; so most understand the word Jemim, which is no where else used, and give this sense of it, that he found out the way of the generation of mules by the copulation of a horse and a mare. Others render it waters, that he found out some springs of water, which in those hot countries were rare and precious; or hot waters, some hot and medicinal springs. But the Chaldee renders it giants, and the Samaritan version Emims, a sort of giants mentioned Deu 2:10,11; who also were neighbours to the Horites here spoken of, as appears from Genesis 14:5,6; and therefore might, according to the manner of those times, make inroads one upon another. So Jemim is put for Emim, either by an apocope of the first letter, or by the change of the Hebrew letter Jod into Aleph, both which are frequent among the Hebrews. And the sense is, that Anah the Horite found out the Emims; that is, he met with them, or came upon them suddenly, and smote them. In this sense the word finding is oft used, as Judges 1:5 1 Samuel 31:3 Psalm 21:8 Isaiah 10:10.

[Gregory Matthews]

Gail, good question and example of an issue that the "Biblical translators occasionally faced.

The exact meaning of the Hebrew word used in this text, which is only used once in the Bible, is not known.  So, one might say that the translators had to guess at its meaning.  Such might cause one to ask what  the translators would use as a foundation for their guess.

Those who translated it as "mules" did so based upon an ancient Jewish tradition.  That raises the question as to what the basis is for that tradition.  The answer to that question in not known, as I understand it.

Other translators felt that the context reasonably (although some might say this is weak)  related to a discovery of hot springs, which is what I think.  Yes, it is based upon Jerome and the Vulgate.

This is not the only   instance of such an issue faced by the translators.

I will suggest that our salvation does not depend upon whether the correct translation is "mules" or "hot springs."   It is an interesting question, but not important to our salvation.  We can depend upon the Bible to be an authority as to our salvation.  But, as the Bible does have a human element, we should not be concerned as to questions such as this which may be  raised.  Interesting, yes.  Fun to consider, perhaps.  

[phkrause]

Here's what the Tanakh says with Rabbi Rashi's Commentary on this verse:

24:And these are the sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah he is Anah who found the mules in the wilderness when he pastured the donkeys for his father Zibeon.

כדוְאֵלֶּה בְנֵי צִבְעוֹן וְאַיָּה וַעֲנָה הוּא עֲנָה אֲשֶׁר מָצָא אֶת הַיֵּמִם בַּמִּדְבָּר בִּרְעֹתוֹ אֶת הַחֲמֹרִים לְצִבְעוֹן אָבִיו:

Aiah and Anah: Heb. וִעִנָה וְאַיָה. The“vav” is superfluous. It is equivalent to וְאַיָה וִעִנָה. There are many [such instances] in the Scriptures, [e.g.]“permitting the Sanctuary (תֵּת וְקֹדֶשׁ) and the host to be trampled” (Dan. 8:13);“chariot and horse were stunned (נִרְדָּם וְרֶכֶב וָסוּס)” (Ps. 76:7).   ואיה וענה: וי"ו יתירה, והוא כמו איה וענה, והרבה יש במקרא (דניאל ח יג) תת וקדש וצבא מרמס, (תהלים עו ז) נרדם ורכב וסוס: he is Anah: Who is mentioned above (verse 20) to be the brother of Zibeon, but here [Scripture] calls him his son. This teaches us that Zibeon was intimate with his mother, and fathered Anah. — [from Pes. 54a]   הוא ענה: האמור למעלה (פסוק כ) שהוא אחיו של צבעון וכאן הוא קורא אותו בנו, מלמד שבא צבעון על אמו והוליד את ענה: who found the mules in the wilderness: Heb. הַיֵמִם, mules. He mated a donkey with a mare (female horse), and it gave birth to a mule. He (Anah) was illegitimate, and he brought illegitimate offspring into the world (Gen. Rabbah 82:15). Why were they called יֵמִם (signifying“dreaded beings”) ? Because their dread (אֵימָתָן) was cast upon people; Rabbi Hanina said, “In all my days no one has ever recovered from a wound from a white female mule.” (But we see that [those bitten by white female mules] do live. Do not read:“who has lived (וְהָיָה) ,” but“that was healed (וְחָיתָה) ,” because [such a] wound will never heal. — [from an old Rashi manuscript]) It was unnecessary to list the genealogy of the Horites except to mention Timna, and thereby inform us of the greatness of Abraham, as I explained above (verse 12). [from Chullin 7b]   את הימם: פרדים, הרביע חמור על סוס נקבה וילדה פרד, והוא היה ממזר והביא פסולין לעולם. ולמה נקרא שמם ימים, שאימתן מוטלת על הבריות, דאמר רבי חנינא מימי לא שאלני אדם על מכת פרדה לבנה וחיה (והלא קא חזינן דחיה, אל תקרי וחיה אלא וחיתה, כי המכה לא תרפא לעולם). ולא הוזקק לכתוב לנו משפחות החורי אלא מפני תמנע, ולהודיע גדולת זרע אברהם, כמו שפירשתי למעלה (פסוק יב):