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Re: Fiat Lux

From:Steg Belsky <draqonfayir@...>
Date:Friday, June 22, 2001, 0:42
On Thu, 21 Jun 2001 18:28:55 -0400 Matthew Kehrt <matrix14@...>
writes:
> Fiat lux = 'Let there be light' in Latin. > I am confused how this statement works. Lux is obviously light, but > what is fiat? It seems to be a command of some sort. Does Latin > then > have a verb for 'to allow to be'? Or is there some sort of > 'allowative' > mood or voice? Maybe fiat is an interjection, a la 'lo'. > Then again, it could be that the Vulgate translates this phrase > utterly wrong. > Note that Young's Literal Translation gives this as > "Let light be" > -M
- The Hebrew original has _yehi or_. _or_ is "light", and _yehi_ is a short form of _yihyeh_, meaning "he will be" (_or_ is a masculine noun). Future verbs in Hebrew (especially the short forms of "to be") are used as jussives, if i remember the term correctly. So it actually does mean "let there be light" or "let light be". -Stephen (Steg) "i'm sick of not living to stay alive" ~ the offspring, "all i want"

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Dan Jones <feuchard@...>