Sinim
Sinim (from Sin ( Hebrew סִין), or Sinim (Hebrew:סִינִים, Residents of Sin)) is a Tanakh called foreign country. There are different interpretations for assigning the name to a people.
Bible passage
The book of the prophet Isaiah chapter 49 speaks of the return of the Messiah . And people come from everywhere, because the Lord has comforted his people. In Isaiah 49:12 this means (Luther translation): "Behold, these will come from afar, and behold, those from the north and these from the sea and those from the land of Sinim." NIV . From the land of Sinim, a distant land, people will therefore be brought back when God will bless Israel in future days.
Individual translations translate this passage as "Land of Sinim", others as "Land of the Sinites". The Elberfeld translation writes "from the land of Sewenim" . Two interpretations are already provided here, once Sewenim is a Jewish colony near Syene (Aswan) in southern Egypt and then, Sinim is a previously unknown country, perhaps China.
Interpretations for "Land of Sinim"
China
A common interpretation for "Sinim" is Chinese . This has to do with the fact that Sina is a name for China . China is already called Sina in ancient Greek , and the terms are synonymous today. In addition, many Jews are said to have moved east from Babylon during or as a result of their captivity. Many of them returned to Israel from India when that state was re-established. But they could have moved much further east.
Critics doubt that at the time this part of the Isaiah book was written ( Babylonian exile in the 6th century BC) the term China / Sina had already existed, the country was divided into many small regions. The name "Sina" only came up with the Qin dynasty (221–207 BC, Qin spoken roughly "Tschin").
Persia
The Septuagint reads "Land of the Persians" here.
Aswan
In this interpretation, “Sinim” is traced back to Syene (today's Aswan ) on the southern border of Egypt. This view is supported by the great Isaiah scroll 1QJes a of Qumran, which deviates from the Masoretic text (סִינִים sînîm ) at this pointסוניים swnjjm reads.
Australia
Here it is interpreted that Sinim is an old Semitic / Phoenician name for Australia that was known to the seafaring nations. The Latin Vulgate (4th century) translates this passage as "australi". However, that does not mean Australia, but "south".
Individual evidence
- ↑ Is 49.12 ELB
- ↑ Sinim on www.bibelkommentare.de
- ↑ Isa 49:12 LXX
- ↑ Angela Rohrmoser: Elephantine. In: Michaela Bauks, Klaus Koenen, Stefan Alkier (eds.): The scientific Bibellexikon on the Internet (WiBiLex), Stuttgart 2006 ff., Accessed on September 26, 2017.
- ↑ Is 49.12 VUL
literature
Meik Gerhards: Sinim . In: Michaela Bauks, Klaus Koenen, Stefan Alkier (eds.): The scientific Bibellexikon im Internet (WiBiLex), Stuttgart 2006 ff., Access date: July 4, 2019.