Biblical Hebrew Forum

["K Randolph" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Jill:

The word SPR comes from a root meaning to (re)count, referring to both
counting of numbers and telling a story. As a noun, it refers to a
document that recounts a story.

As for the suffix on HBR), I don't see why not? It does not act the
same way as in English, and in this context more like an English
gerund than a verb, in which case the suffix fits.

Karl W. Randolph.

On 7/19/06, jvass AT indiana.edu <jvass AT indiana.edu> wrote:
> Dear Karl,
> Thank you for your response. It has lead me towards learning much more
> about bereshit and its structure, though I still have a long way to go.
>
> I was not aware of the toledoth debate and the vast scholarship
> surrounding it and now can see the difference between the Driver and
> Wiseman views about toledoth statements/sections. I was simply looking
> at how the Torah is divided into reading sections and so far, the
> toledoth statements (the first three) seem to fit best with the text as
> introductions rather than colophons, though I understand your point
> about the structure of writings more ancient than mid 2nd millenuim BCE.
>
> About the word תולדות
> I wasn't making any assumptions about it. It is a fem. plural noun
> derivative of   ילד(yud-lamed-hey), correct? So what you say makes
> sense to me.
> My focus, though, was on the word seifer and if it is significant.
>
> About the verb behibar'am. I still don't understand it. If it is an
> infinitive or imperative, the suffix doesn't make sense to me. If it is
> past tense, both the prefix and suffix don't make sense.
>
> Again, thanks for your time in answering my question and elucidating my
> attempt to take part in the interesting discussion on Bereshit.
> Jill