Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Yigal Levin <Yigal-Levin AT utc.edu>]

As the Hebrew/Babylonian month of Nisan draws to a close, I have a question
- does anyone out there know when and how the word "Aviv" (or "Abib" for
transliteration purists), which originally meant "ripened wheat", came to
be the name of a month (e.g. Ex. 23:15), and even more, when, presumably in
post-biblical Hebrew, it became the name of the spring season, which is its
use in modern Hebrew?

Or, perhaps, does "Xode$ Ha'Aviv" not mean "the month of Aviv", but rather
a discriptive "the month during which the wheat ripens"?

Just for thought.


 
Dr. Yigal Levin
Dept. of Philosophy and Religion
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
615 McCallie Avenue
Chattanooga TN 37403-2598
U.S.A.
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Date: Mon, 28 Apr 2003 17:31:08 -0400
From: Jim West <jwest AT highland.net>
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Subject: [b-hebrew] proverbs 11:30
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Listers,

Proverbs 11:30 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; And he that is
wise winneth souls. (so says the ASV).

How can a fruit become a tree?  Even more interesting is the second part
which literally says "the wise person takes souls"!    Cf. Ps 31:14.  How is
it wise to "take" souls?  The similar line in the aforementioned psalm is
used in the sense of "destroy"- so does this mean the wise destroy souls?
But surely not!

thanks

Jim


+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jim West, ThD

Biblical Studies Resources
http://web.infoave.net/~jwest

Le Nozze Di Figaro, Act Two, Scene X,
SUSANNA e LA CONTESSA
(piano a Figaro)
Figaro, all'erta........