Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Dr. Joel M. Hoffman" <joel AT exc.com>]

>Shtaim means not "two," but "pair." The word was originally used in
>constructus, such as "pair of smth," not stand-alone word. Constructus
>(smihuth) moves accent, and reduces the first word (davar - d'var-melech).
>Similarly, shataim was reduced in constructus to shtaim. Thus schwa in shin.

I don't think so, particularly because shtaim has a different
construct form:  shtei.  Unless you are talking about ancient
etymology (obviously long before the Masoretes, Origen, or the
consonental textus receptus).

Numbers frequently exhibit idiosyncratic grammatical behavior
(cf. Russian, where there are four classes of numbers:  ending in
-one, ending in -two, ending in -three through -four, and ending in
-five and up), but every word still has to obey the phonology of the
language.

By the way, I was in your home town of Odessa last week.  I've written
up my experience.  I'll be interesting in hearing (off-list) of what
you and others think:

    http://www.exc.com/Odessa


-Joel