Biblica_1_Layout 1 20/01/12 11:44 Pagina 494 494 JOHN MAKUJINA times in Semitic literature (Hebrew, Phoenician, Ugaritic, Akka- dian) 54. M. Dahood, moreover, considers the pair to be a merism that encapsulates all types of domestic cattle 55. dwt[, “male goat”, and lya, “ram”, present a tantalizing possi- bility, since both have secondary meanings that denote human lead- ers or rulers dwt[, Isa 14,9; Zech 10,3; lya, Exod 15,15; Ezek 17,13; 31,11; 32,21. Could it be, then, that “chief” and “ox” belong to the same lemma, @wla, with “ox” serving as the archaic, primary sense and “chief” the derivative, metaphorical sense? 56 Finally, any analysis that is excessively speculative and reliant on conjectural emendations — e.g., Ziegler’s — can be accused of circularity. IV. Unity Preserved: Pastoral Orientation Another option, which also circumvents the difficulty cited by Allen, is to understand v. 14 as entirely pastoral, without, however, making reference to fecund cattle. M. Held translates v. 14 as, “Our cat- tle are well cared for; (there is none that breaks out [#rp-!ya], and none that stampedes [!ya tacwy], and there is no alarm on our ranges)” 57. Held’s version, or something like it, preserves the agricultural imagery, while removing some of the difficulties involved with the miscar- riage interpretation. Nevertheless, Ziegler’s criticism, that Held is guilty of imposing the massive ranching enterprises of the American west (“cowboys”) on an ancient society, is echoed by others, and the translation has failed to gain a following 58. 54 AVISHUR, Word-Pairs, 579-581, 599-600; DAHOOD, Psalms 101-150, 333; ZIEGLER, “Ps 144”, 194. For biblical examples see Deut 7,13; Ps 8,8. 55 DAHOOD, Psalms 101-150, 333; M. DAHOOD, Psalms I, 1-50 (AB 16; New York 1966) 51-52. 56 For this possibility, cfr., P.D. MILLER, JR., “Animal Names as Designa- tions in Ugaritic and Hebrew”, UF 2 (1970) 181; F.M. CROSS, JR. ‒ D.N. FREEDMAN, “The Song of Miriam”, JNES 14 (1955) 248. For the standard etymologies for these terms see NIDOTTE I, 406-410, 415-418. 57 HELD, “The Root Zbl/Sbl”, 92, n. 49. Bracketed material was added by the present author. 58 ZIEGLER, “Ps 144”, 192; ALLEN, Psalms 101-150, 360; DAHOOD, Psalms 101-150, 333. But consider Nabal’s 3,000 sheep and 1,000 goats (1 Sam 25,2), as well as Job’s abundant livestock (Job 1,3; 42,12). See also 2 Sam 12,2 and 2 Chr 32,29.