Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Jack Kilmon" <jkilmon AT historian.net>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Trevor Peterson" <06peterson AT cua.edu>
To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Sunday, September 28, 2003 5:39 AM
Subject: RE: [b-hebrew] Variants of YHWH in the BHS Text


> Liz wrote:
> >
> > Exactly so. So based on the Greek transliteration we ought to
> > feel free to add an aspirated H at the beginning of a sylable
> > in the middle of the word (a HU or HO), which we never do. So
> > I'm not convinced that YAHUAH or YAHOAH is so off-based. Liz
>
> Maybe the problem is that you're using the wrong sound in your
> explanation. If the Greek transliteration is IAOUE, and both sides are
> saying that Greek would drop the /h/ from the writing, that gets us as
> far as supposing a form like IA(h)OUE. The way I would progress from
> there is to think of forms like OUAI and consider that OU seems to be
> the closest thing Greek has to a /w/. Since initial I+vowel is a rather
> standard transliteration in Hebrew names starting with yod, we end up
> with /yahw/E.

Isn't it possible that yhwh is just what it is, the hiph'il of hwh taken
from a TITLE phrase as a hypocoristicon of EL, ala Albright and Cross?  A
title like "El causes something to come into being".  I believe so because
it is a formula seen throughout the ANE, like kheper khepera kheperu from
Egypt.

Sometimes I see all this NAME of God stuff as a big joke played on us by
history or, indeed, history's God.  My sense of the collective Pentateuch is
that the SOUND  of God's voice gives existence to something when he CALLS it
much like a baby did not become a person until its NAME $m was called out by
the father.  In Genesis 1:5 wayqara elohym l'owr yom w'lachoshek qara
layileh and in Genesis 1:8 wayqara elohym laraqiya shemayim.....hence
everything that was called into existence with a NAME $m was SHEMAYIM.  Now
EL was not CALLED into existence, was he?  Was he created? If HE was not
created, why would he have a name?  He would just BE as he so told Moses in
the narrative.  The NAME is $m and all that is named is $mym and what we
HEAR is $m(  and $m also means what is existing because it is THERE $m and
unless God was created by being named..he has no name. l) $m.

My two cents...uh...shekels.

Jack

Jack