Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Steve Miller" <smille10 AT sbcglobal.net>]

There is also the Semite Ophir, spelled with the consonants Aleph Phei Resh,
transliterated to English as AFR. Add "ica" for a continent, and you have
Africa. Ophir in the Bible is always the place of much gold. South Africa
has 60% of the world's natural gold resources.

There is also the Semite Sheba. Jesus called the Queen of Sheba the Queen of
the South, and said that she came from the end of the earth to hear Solomon.

-Steve Miller
Detroit
> -----Original Message-----
> From: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:b-hebrew-
> bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Brian Roberts
> Sent: Saturday, January 07, 2006 1:00 PM
> To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] A linguistic chain?
> 
> 
> On Saturday, January 7, 2006, at 12:43  PM, Karl Randolph wrote:
> 
> > Brian:
> >
> > There was a NOVA program on TV that asked concerning the Lemda
> > tribe in South Africa, and traced them back to a migration caused by
> > the collapse of an irrigation dam in Yemen about 1000 AD, if my
> > memory serves me correctly. As such, it was interesting, but well
> > post Biblical times.
> >
> > Karl W. Randolph.
> 
> Well, as a dilettante, I am not in a position to make linguistic
> pronouncements regarding this or any other issue. Yet, it strikes me as
> very interesting that the Lemba call themselves Ba Senna (roughly
> "children of Senna" I believe?), and we have the name "Abysinnia"
> alternatively used for Ethiopia which is of uncertain origins.
> Conti-Rossini identified an Arabian tribe called "Habashat" in the
> inscriptions as the culture which immigrated to Ethiopia, bringing this
> name "Habashat" with them. As I understand what I've read, the earliest
> occurrence of the name "Habashat" in Ethiopia occurs in the 3rd century
> CE.
> 
> So, rather than beat the dead horse that has become identifying the
> "Habashat", we can take a look at this situation. We have Semitic
> Africans in Ethiopia (the Qemant) who say their traditional home is
> Sennar (a city not reflected in any known Ethiopian city). We also have
> Semitic Africans in South Africa and Zimbabwe (the Lemba) who claim
> genesis in an ancient Senna in SW Arabia. My question is can this be an
> accident? Or is this anomaly best explained as these tribal groups
> having a common root? What does the linguistics have to say about it?
> 
> Best Salaams,
> 
> R. Brian Roberts
> Amateur Researcher in Biblical Archaeology