Friday 7 June 2013

Shof'tim, Shofeit and Shofetet

What does Shiftu mean here?

KJV
Isaiah 1
17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

JPS 1917
1:17 Learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

Does Shiftu mean "judge"? How does Judging the Fatherless help them?

I humbly suggest shiftu in this context might be better understood as "champion"

1:17 Learn to do well; seek justice, relieve the oppressed, "champion" the fatherless, plead for the widow.

If that works:
Then the word "Shoftim" in Sefer Shoftim might also mean "Champions" as in Champions of the People of Israel.

Then the role of Devorah as Shofetet would simply mean champion and would not mean judge in the sense of a justice in a courtroom.

ישעיהו פרק א
יז לִמְדוּ הֵיטֵב דִּרְשׁוּ מִשְׁפָּט, אַשְּׁרוּ חָמוֹץ;
שִׁפְטוּ יָתוֹם, רִיבוּ אַלְמָנָה

Best Regards,
RRW

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