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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Re: Genesis 1:6-7, 8:1, Waters Above and Below

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: pinnerup AT privat.dk
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Re: Genesis 1:6-7, 8:1, Waters Above and Below
  • Date: Mon, 21 Jun 2004 04:32:43 -0700

On 19/06/2004 16:07, Rasmus Underbjerg Pinnerup wrote:

On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 02:36:44 -0700, Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org> wrote:

So it is possible that "sky" goes back to something like "there
water", but if so the naming must go back at least to proto-Semitic
times - perhaps even to Adam in the garden!


I thought the standard etymology for »shamayim« was »mayim« (waters)
plus the causative prefix »sha-« known from related Semitic languages.
Has this etymology been rejected?


No, only pushed back to proto-Semitic. This indeed seems more likely that sham + ma (the -yim is a Hebrew innovation). It is also possible that shamayim received its -yim suffix by analogy and false etymology with mayim.

I'm not sure where you get "standard etymology" from. It is not mentioned by Strong, BDB or TWOT.

It seems to me, that if the etymology was »sham« + »mayim«, there
would be a problem in explaining why »shamayim« only has one m.


Indeed.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/





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