Zechariah 3:9 – “That Land”

Question

In most English translations of Zechariah 3:9, it says, “I will remove the iniquity of that land…”

My question is about the article “that.” Is there a clear distinction in scriptural Hebrew between articles such as “a,” “the,” “this,” and “that?” Would it be incorrect to translate the verse as “the land,” rather than “that land?”

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    If the verse would have just said “ha’aretz” then the correct translation would be “the land”. However, the words used are “ha’aretz hahee”. The extra word “hahee” turns the “ha’aretz” into the definitive and it becomes “that land”.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team