Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Reinhard G.Lehmann" <lehmann AT mail.Uni-Mainz.de>]

T.L. Phillips wrote:
> 
> Lampstand...stand for lamps!  What a concept! ---Jus' funnin'.  

To be sure: M-norah is a maqtal-at formation, consisting of ma+NWR+a(t), 
i.e. the formative prefix ma, the root NWR 'to shine' (compare arab., 
akkad.), and the feminin/abstract element a(t), "that what shines" or 
"that what gives light", comparable to noun formations like M-*onah (* 
means ajin)"dwelling place", M-gorah "what makes frightened", or, 
without the fem/abstr. ending, MaqoM (root QWM) etc etc.

regards
reinhard g.lehmann

       *****************************************
       Reinhard G. Lehmann
       Lect. for Classical Hebrew and Aramaic
       Johannes-Gutenberg Universitaet Mainz
       D - 55099 Mainz
       tel: +49 - 6131 - 39 3284
       mailto:lehmann AT mail.uni-mainz.de
       http://www.uni-mainz.de/~lehmann
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