Biblical Hebrew Forum

["JAMES CHRISTIAN READ" <JCR128 AT student.apu.ac.uk>]

Yitzhak wrote:
I think I confused you a bit.  Hebrew doesn't have generic
names like that either.  Why do you think Hebrew does?
If it was my paragraph above that led you to think so, that
was not the intent.  It was more to suggest to you how it
works out.  Compare for example the god Uranus, a god
of the sky, which means in Greek, literally, "Heavens."
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=uranus

If you're not confused, and this is simply your position,
then could you provide evidence for the existence of such
generic concepts that figure as proper names, but which
cannot be tied to a foreign deity?
END QUOTE

JCR: You appear to have misunderstood me in some way. 
I'm not sure what you think I am saying but all I am 
saying is that it is impossible to use 'Ocean', 'Sea', 
'Abyss' or 'Deep' as proper nouns in English because 
common English usage never uses them as such. The 
insertion of the word 'the' is therefore a necessary 
evil which makes the translation readable without
instantly sounding bad. The most that your observation
could prove is that hebrew had a concept with a proper
name where English does not. I hope I have explained
myself properly this time.


James C. Read
UK