Biblical Hebrew Forum

["B. M. Rocine" <brocine AT twcny.rr.com>]

Hi Karl, you wrote:
>
> My dictionary lists HWH as being "rumor, gossip, idle words that destroy".

What dictionary is that?  Neither my BDB nor my HALOT says anything about
rumors.  I am aware of the contexts from which you are getting the rumor
idea.  As I said, it seems to me that the location of hwh inside contexts
about evil talk is anecdotal rather than conclusive proof of hwh's semantic
range.

Take Eze 7:26 as a for instance:  hovah needs not mean shmu`ah any more than
"wars" means "rumors of wars."  The collocation of hovah and shmu`ah means
nothing in and of itself.

>
> Where does "love" come in?

It is a hypothetical root with the Arabic cognate hawiya meaning love.  It
supposedly gives us the construct state noun havat in Mic 7:3, Pro 10:3, and
11:6 meaning capriciousness or desire.  So says HALOT.

Shalom,
Bryan

B. M. Rocine
Living Word Church
6101 Court St. Rd.
Syracuse, NY 13206

ph: 315.437.6744
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