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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: pennerkm AT mcmaster.ca
  • Cc: 'b-hebrew' <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Bethesda
  • Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2004 15:54:16 +0000

On 15/11/2004 15:23, Ken Penner wrote:

"Bethesda", of
course, is not Hebrew per se, it's the Latin spelling of the Greek
pronunciation of the Aramaic name Beth-Hisda. In Hebrew it would have been
"Beth-Hessed" or "Beth Hahessed".


...

First, the Greek alpha ending on Semitic words ending in a consonant does
not always indicate the word is from Aramaic (reflecting the Aramaic
determined state). Consider Sabbata and Pascha, which are from Hebrew roots
$BT and PSX; these roots are not otherwise attested in Aramaic (which would
use NWX for rest). Blass-Debrunner-Funk's Greek grammar says the Alpha is
added to help pronunciation.


It is worth noting that even in the Masoretic Text the few words which end with a double consonant (only certain verb forms) are pointed with sheva under the final consonant as well as under the penultimate one. This final sheva could have been a silent one, but if so this is an exception to the rule that two silent shevas do not occur together. More probably, I would think, the final sheva indicates a short vowel sound at the end of the word, added because Hebrew speakers were not used to pronouncing word final consonant clusters. The result would have sounded like a short a or e, and could well have been transliterated into Greek as alpha.

...
Third, regarding the etymology, Randall Buth suggests five possibilities,
any of which could result in the Greek Bethesda: Hebrew beth-eshed (house of
a waterfall) or Hebrew/Aramaic bet-Hesed/Hesda (house of grace) or a Greek
loanword, bet-estyav (house of pillars) or bet-za'atha (house of the
movement) or bet-zayta (house of the olive). Note that the (Hebrew) Copper
Scroll does list a place possibly named BYT )$DTYN; this could be an
Aramaic name in a Hebrew text.


It is worth noting that the Greek New Testament text from which the name Bethesda is taken, John 5:2, there is a considerable variety of spellings. The Nestle-Aland text prefers BHQZAQA (Bethzatha), as in Sinaiticus. Several MSS have BHQSAIDA (Bethsaida). Many MSS read BHQESDA (Bethesda) but these do not include the oldest ones. I would surmise that John actually wrote BHQZAQA, perhaps based on a colloquial pronunciation of the name, but that this was later corrected to the more probable and perhaps more accurate BHQESDA.

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






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