Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>]

Peter:

I mentioned that I could see the connection between “weighty” and “honor”, 
but I had trouble seeing the connection with “liver”. Others have speculated 
that the liver was the most important (weighty) of the entrails studied in 
that ancient fortunetelling method, hence its name (a speculation that sounds 
plausable), but without more convincing evidence, I hesitate.

In trying to avoid the etymological fallacy, one can go too far the other way 
too. Particularly in ancient Hebrew, we deal with something within the 
language, not cross language barriers as your example below.

Karl W. Randolph.

----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Kirk" <peterkirk AT qaya.org>

> 
> On 07/06/2005 20:12, Karl Randolph wrote:
> 
> > Jack:
> >
> > As Yigal mentioned, the root meaning of the word is “weighty”.
> >
> >
> 
> I'm sorry, but this is the etymological fallacy. The words KABOD 
> and KABED may (or may not) be derived from some word in the remote 
> past which meant "weighty", but that does not imply that the 
> meanings in biblical Hebrew have any relationship to the this 
> ancient meaning of "weighty".
> 
> Karl, I can say that your argument is a nice one, but although the 
> etymology of "nice" is from Latin "nescius" meaning "ignorant", I 
> am not accusing you of being ignorant, because in modern English 
> "nice" does not mean "ignorant".
> 
> -- Peter Kirk
> peter AT qaya.org (personal)
> peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
> http://www.qaya.org/

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