[b-hebrew] What Is "Hebron"
Isaac Fried
if at math.bu.edu
Wed May 7 01:39:47 EDT 2008
Jim,
The etymology of place names is more certain than that of personal names so
let’s consider XEBRON. It is apparently from the root XBR plus the
appended –ON for ‘it is, he is’, similar to HEN, and the HINO of Numbers
23:17.
By the equivalence assumption on G, H, X, K, Q and B, W, P this root is a
close relative of the roots:
GBR, ‘rise, surmount, prevail’ as in Genesis 7:19
וְהַמַּיִם גָּבְרוּ מְאֹד מְאֹד עַל-הָאָרֶץ
HBR
XBR, ‘group, assemble’ possibly of houses or people as in Judges 20:11
וַיֵּאָסֵף כָּל-אִישׁ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶל-הָעִיר כְּאִישׁ אֶחָד חֲבֵרִים
KBR ‘large, huge’, as in Job 36:5
הֶן-אֵל כַּבִּיר וְלֹא יִמְאָס כַּבִּיר כֹּחַ לֵב
QBR, ‘bury, cover-up’.
GPR
XPR, ‘dig excavate’, as in Deuteronomy 23:14
וְיָתֵד תִּהְיֶה לְךָ עַל-אֲזֵנֶךָ וְהָיָה בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ חוּץ וְחָפַרְתָּה
בָהּ
KPR, ‘cover’, as in Genesis 6:14
וְכָפַרְתָּ אֹתָהּ מִבַּיִת וּמִחוּץ בַּכֹּפֶר
Derived from it is KOPER, KPAR, ‘open settlement’ as in 1 Samuel 6:18
מֵעִיר מִבְצָר וְעַד כֹּפֶר הַפְּרָזִי
and 1 Chronicles 27:25
בַּשָּׂדֶה בֶּעָרִים וּבַכְּפָרִים וּבַמִּגְדָּלוֹת
So XEBRON is a collection of dwellings upon a large hill with caves that may
be used as dignified burial places.
Isaac Fried, Boston University
----- Original Message -----
From: <JimStinehart at aol.com>
To: <b-hebrew at lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 9:27 AM
Subject: [b-hebrew] What Is "Hebron"
>
> What was “Hebron”?
>
> Was the Hebron of Jacob/“Israel” a city?
>
> Was the Hebron of Jacob/“Israel” the highest altitude place in all of
> Canaan
> where any substantial number of people lived?
>
> Was the Hebron of Jacob/“Israel” located at the same location, or at least
> at about the same location, as the Hebron that is referred to in the books
> of
> the Bible after Genesis?
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