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  • From: Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>
  • To: Brak <Brak AT neo.rr.com>
  • Cc: b-hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Befuddled by NGD
  • Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 08:33:18 -0400

John,

What you are asking goes into the hart of the nature of the Hebrew language.
Every word in the Hebrew language issues, by the addition of personal pronouns, from a recognized root, which is of a concrete meaning. The Hebrew root is a describer of a fixed material state. The words generated from these roots are of an extended, borrowed, implied or metaphoric nature and therefore there need not be any "horizontal" relationship whatsoever between different words derived from one root. This is rule number one of Hebrew etymology. There need not be any relationship whatsoever, for example, between the Hebrew words (ALMAH 'young girl', and TA-(ALUMAH, 'mystery', derived both from the root (LM. Namely, an (ALMAH is not a mystery, TA-(ALUMAH, to the boys who are dying to reveal her hidden treasures.
There is surely no horizontal relationship whatsoever between KPAR, 'village', and KPIR' 'lion; between GOZAL, 'chick', and GEZEL, 'robery'; between DBA$, 'honey', and DABE$ET, 'hump'; between CALAXAT, 'dish', and HACLAXA, 'success'; between ARGAZ, 'box', and ROGEZ, 'anger'; between KESEP, 'silver', money', and KISUPIM, 'longing'; between XACER, 'yard', and XACIR, 'hay'; between NAXAL, 'brook', and NAXALAH, 'heritage'; between BEREK, 'knee', and 'BRAKAH, 'blessing'; between XOM, 'heat' and XOMAH, 'wall'; between ZAKAR, 'male', and ZIKARON, 'remembrence'.
The root NGD essentially means to be tall and massive. Indeed, the word NAGID derived from it [see Jeremiah 20:1] means an important person of elevated status or degree, a Me-KUBAD or NI-KBAD. NAGID, in my opinion, is not, as claimed by Gesenius, someone who sits in front or before [NEGED] his subjects [German Vorsitzender].
From its basic meaning of 'be tall and massive' the root NGD came to mean 'grow over, loom over, hang over, lean over, push against, press against, set against, cling to, resist, oppose, confront', and then in NEGED, 'face at a distance'. The Similar Hebrew word MUL is essentially ML), 'full'.
The root NGD is immediately related to the root NG$, 'approach, come close, bump into, come into frontal contact'. Also the roots NGS, 'opress', and NQ$, 'grasp'. Also to the roots GDD, GZZ, G$$.
THE word HIGID, 'said', is essentially HIGI$, HIQI$, 'gushed from the mouth and impinged upon the ear'. In Isaiah 41:22 we find this play of words, YAGI$U Ve-YAGIDU, 'let them bring forth and say'.
Some other Hebrew metaphors for the vocal act are:
1. )MR, 'cumulate, aggregate, gather'. Derived from it is the verb ) AMAR, 'said', )OMER and )IMRAH, 'statement, utterance'. From the same root Hebrew derives the word )AMIR, 'tree top, assembly of branches', and the name )EMORIY = )EMOR-HI. Related to it is the the root (MR, 'to pile up' from which we have the word (AMIR, 'crop, harvest'. By degrees )MR and (MR are related to GMR, HMR, KMR, ZMR, YMR, SMR, $MR, CMR, TMR.
2. DBR 'cumulate, aggregate, gather'. It applies to a string of sound pulses or to an accumulation of corpses, as in Psalm 18:48. DIBRAH is an aggregation of words, but DOBRAH, 'raft', is an aggregation [namely a COBRAH] of tree trunks. The root DBR is closely related to the roots $BR, CBR, TBR.
3. $IR is 'song', while $AR$ERRET is 'chain'.
3. ZEMER is 'tune', while ZMIRAH is 'pruning, trimming'.
4. CARAX is 'scream', while CARIAX is 'turret'.
5. QARA) is a variant of QARA(, 'tear'.
6.$AVA( is a variant of $ABA(, which is a variant of $APA(, 'gush abundance'.
7, ZA(AQ is a variant of CA(AQ and $A)AG, related to the root SG, 'high'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Jul 25, 2007, at 12:56 AM, Brak wrote:

I have a question.

Sometimes NGD is translated as "against" or "opposite" or "in front", to
which I can see the relationship between.
But other times it's translated as "tell" or "declare".

I don't see the common link between the idea of "opposite" and "telling".
Can someone please help me understand the relationship between these ideas.


--

B"H
John Steven

"If you don't behave as you believe, you will end by believing as you
behave."
-Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen.
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