Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Yigal Levin" <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>]

Hadad is the NW Semitic storm god, pronounced Adad in Assyria. He became the 
dynastic diety of Aram Damascus, and is part of the names of several Aramean 
kings, such as Ben-hadad, Bir-hadad, Hadadezer, and the Assyrian Shamshi-adad 
and Adad-nirari.
Shamash is the sun god (like the noun shemesh in Hebrew). He appears in 
Phoenician and Aramean inscriptions.
Sin is the Sumerian/Akkadian moon god, worshipped especially at Ur and at 
Harran. His name is inclided in those of Sargon the Great's grandson, 
Naram-sin, and the Samarian leader Sin-ubalit ("Sanbalat").

Yigal
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: YODAN 
  To: 'Yigal Levin' 
  Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2005 5:38 PM
  Subject: RE: [b-hebrew] YHWH - yahu


  Shalom Yigal,

   

  Thank you for the informative postings.  Just a question on area in which I 
don't have much background -- I heard of some of the deities you mentioned 
(some are mentioned in the Tanakh) but never heard of Hadad, Shamash, and Sin 
-- can you take a minute and tell me what they are?  

   

  BeTodah MeRosh.

   

  ********************************

  Rivka

  -----Original Message-----
  From: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org 
[mailto:b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Yigal Levin
  Sent: Sunday, July 24, 2005 9:14 AM
  To: b-hebrew
  Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] YHWH - yahu

   

  I'm surprised at your question. The Hebrew names that include various forms

  of Yah, Yehu, Yeho, Yahu and Yo are quite typical theophoric names, such as

  appear in all ANE cultures. They usually include the name of a deity with

  either a verb or an adjactive. We have plenty of such names with such

  deities as Kemosh, Baal, Nabu, Qaus, Isis, Hadad, Shamash, Sin, and many

  others.

   

  The Divine name that became, in Second Temple Jewish tradition, too holy to

  pronounce, was only the full Tetragrammaton. Its various componants and

  substitutes should not be "taken in vain" (meaning, in Jewish tradition, not

  only swearing but any saying of God's name not in prayer or Torah study),

  but they may certainly be used as part of personal names.

   

  Yigal

  ----- Original Message ----- 

  From: "Vadim Cherny" <VadimCherny AT mail.ru>

  To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>

  Sent: Saturday, July 23, 2005 10:07 PM

  Subject: [b-hebrew] YHWH - yahu

   

   

  > Isn't it a bit odd for common people to casually add a divine designator

  to their names? Extra-sacred Tetragrammaton, forbidden to pronounce - yet

  added to common names and more or less clearly pronounced. Indeed, there is

  little, if any, difference between Iao and Ia[h]u.

  > 

  > Is there a similar phenomenon in any other culture, of adding divine name

  (or its close approximation) to proper names? Using earthly names of divine

  incarnations (Jose, Krishna) is not exactly the same. Abdallah is also

  different, the name used specifically with abd in a meaningful phrase, not

  casually adding divine to proper name. In Egypt, divine name seems to be

  attached only to royal names.

  > I do not recall anything like -yahu in contemporary cultures. Could anyone

  offer examples?

  > 

  > Vadim Cherny

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