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<p>In Avodah Digest V25#24, RWR wrote:<br>
> When in Shemos (7:8-13) Moshe and Aharon appear before Paroah and Aharon<br>
throws down his staff and it turns into a "Sanin" not "Nochosh." Could the term<br>
sanin refer to a dragon rather than the traditional snake?<br>
The word sanin also appears in Bereshis (1:21), "taninim hagedolim.." usually<br>
translated as great sea giants. <<br>
As you note from 1-1:21 (which reports the creation of sea and air creatures in parallel to the plan as expressed in the previous verse), a "tannin" would seem to be a water-based creature (RSRH ad loc. relates it to the Chaldean word for "fish") -- see, inter alia, Y'sha'yahu 27:1, Y'chezkeil 29:3 and 32:2 (which describe Par'oh! and NB that as per the commentaries, "tannim"="tannin"), and T'hilim 74:13 (as per the commentaries, describing the Egyptians). Re Shmos 7's references, RSRH translates "tannin" as crocodile, a large, water-based creature found in the Nile (again, see Y'chezkeil 29:3). <br>
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All the best from<br>
--Michael Poppers via RIM pager<br>
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