Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Nineveh what it means in Hebrew?

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Yigal Levin <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>
  • To: b-hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Nineveh what it means in Hebrew?
  • Date: Fri, 01 Sep 2006 10:44:53 +0200

Dear Eva,

"Nineveh" does not mean anything in Hebrew. It is the English transliteration of the Hebrew pronounciation of an Assyrian name. I'm not sure anyone knows what the name means in Assyrian - it may actually be pre-Semitic, taken over by the early Assyrians.

As for Ninus, as Joel has already written, this is probably a Greek back-formation from the way they heard the name, something like "Ninueh".

In general, since Assyria had been totally destroyed by the Babylonians and the Medes before Greek travlers became familiar with the area, they knew very little about the Assyrians and their history, and made up a lot to fill in the gaps. Even the name "Assyria" - the Greeks had no idea that the ancient Assyrian homeland was in what we would call northern Iraq - they attached the name to the Assyrians' last, brief stand at Harran and Charchemish - in what the Greeks, and hence we, call (As)Syria to this day.


Yigal Levin


----- Original Message ----- From: <thebodyofjesusthenazoraion AT juno.com>
To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, August 31, 2006 3:59 PM
Subject: [b-hebrew] Nineveh what it means in Hebrew?


My question is
Nineveh is the abode of Ninus. Is Ninus the same as the Greek Ninuei = offspring of ease?
Eva Ritsema



________________________________________________________________________
Try Juno Platinum for Free! Then, only $9.95/month!
Unlimited Internet Access with 1GB of Email Storage.
Visit http://www.juno.com/value to sign up today!
_______________________________________________
b-hebrew mailing list
b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew






Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page