Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Dear Marko, While I would agree that the LXX thinks of megiddon as a noun
deriving from the root GDD meaning "to cut," the derived noun meaning
something like "a cutting down."  However, all suggestions as to the old
word's etymolgy are extremely tenuous.  I would think more likely is
relating the word to another root GDD, which means "band together" and gives
us the fairly common noun in the Bible gadud, meaning "a band of warriors."
The military significance of the Megiddo is better related to the idea of
banding together, to wit the prize Egypt, Sisera, or Solomon made of the
place as key point for controlling the roads of Palestine and thus the
region.  If so, megiddon might mean something like "thing that holds
together."  As further evidence for the "banding" idea we may cite the
Arabic name for the place, Tell el-Mutesellim, "the tell of the governor."

Shalom, Bryan


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

ph: 315.437.6744
fx: 315.437.6766

You wrote:
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Marko Jauhiainen
To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Friday, February 20, 2004 12:56 AM
Subject: [b-hebrew] M:GIDDON in Zech 12:11


Dear list,

It has been suggested that the LXX translator of Zechariah 12:11 read
the Hebrew MGD[W]N as a verb or verbal noun deriving from GDD or (less
commonly) GD(. Do you agree with this and if you do, how would you parse
the word and/or translate it literally? Among the proposals for the
latter I have seen "the place of the cut down", "his place of gathering
troops", and "attacking", for example.

Shalom,
Marko Jauhiainen

PS. My apologies if you receive two copies of this. The first did not
appear to get through to the list but may resurface later.
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