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  • From: MarianneLuban AT aol.com
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Ex Pu'ah
  • Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 18:04:19 EDT

In a message dated 8/24/2004 2:41:51 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
patrina AT bestmail.us writes:


> Marianne, I'd be interested to know - what is the Egyptian meaning of
> Puah?
>

I can't provide the answer. My Hertz Pentateuch says that the names "Shifra
and Pu'ah" are probably Egyptian. Others think they are Semitic. Shifra, as
I mentioned previously, is among the name of foreigners given on the Brooklyn
papyrus. So I don't doubt that one is Semitic. "Swordsearcher" gives the
name "Pu'ah" as meaning "splendid". An old Bible dictionary I have here has
Shifra as meaning "handsome" and Pu'ah as "mouth". So there is not much
consensus. Unfortunately, the Biblical forms of Egyptian names are not
always easily
identifiable. For many years, people have been struggling to figure out the
Egyptian name that pharaoh called Joseph. Recently, I came up with one where
the Egyptian fits to all the Hebrew letters--and to the rabbinic legends, as
well. In fact, it was those very commentaries that gave me the clue as to
the
actual meaning of the epithet. And an epithet it must be--and no actual
name.
I'll tell that story in another email.




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