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  • From: Uri Hurwitz <uhurwitz AT yahoo.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Theophoric Names
  • Date: Tue, 29 Dec 2009 08:18:16 -0800 (PST)

   re 'Shmuel'

Look up in BDB  'Shin Mem He'. They suggest an Arabic
root meaning ';be high, loft', and suggest a similar
meaning in Assyrian [Akkadian].


  I am familiar with the Arabic SMW, where the last letter
appears as a consonant. This is used in expressions like
'your highness' etc.

  It is quite possible that the ancient meaning of a
name like Sh'muelwas 'the highness of El' exactly as
Yoram means the 'the highness of of YHWH', or 'YHWH
is high'.

As Petr Tomasek noted, there are problems with the
customary explanation 'his name'. Mine is that the
written W for the 3rd person suffix appears
anachronistic.

Uri Hurwitz Great Neck, NY








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