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  • From: Peter Bekins <pbekins AT fuse.net>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] TX$YM - Exodus 25:5
  • Date: Tue, 26 May 2009 14:48:13 -0400



The question is, what exactly is תחשים? It's generally understood to
refer to the skin of something like a seal or other sea animal. I had
someone ask me about an Akkadian connection, something along the lines
of "dyed orange," kinda like M)DMYM means "dyed red." Does anyone know
of an Akkadian cognate that would lend to this interpretation? What is
that cognate in English transliteration? Is there anything that can
help us understand what תחשים is referring to?

Thanks,
Jason Hare
Rehovot, Israel

Stephanie Dalley has a 19 page article in JSS XLV/1 (Spring 200) entitled "Hebrew TAḤAŠ, Akkadian DUHŠU, Faience and Beadwork in which she gives a lengthy discussion. Interestingly, Luther interpreted taḥaš as German Dachs 'Badger', basically transliterating Hebrew into Latin, and translated as 'Badger-skin' which persisted into the Autherized Version. 'Dolphin' comes from the Arabic cognate tukhaš. There is an Egyptian cognate thś meaning 'well-tanned leather' which some have invoked. Dalley prefers Akkadian duhšu, which was probably a Hurrian loanword, explaining the variation d/t between Akkadian and Hebrew. The vowel change from /u/ to /a/ is also consistent with loans from either Hurrian or Akkadian.

duhšu can modify either stone, leather, wool, or linen products. For instance, the elippi duhši is a boat with a covering made of duhšu- leather. It can also be used in decorative contexts to describe inlay work. However, the colors associated with it are not consistent. Dalley concludes that duhšu is related to a type of beadwork or inlay which was originally blue, but later more generally to multi-color work. It can also relate to inlay work.

Pete Bekins


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