Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Vadim Cherny" <VadimCherny AT mail.ru>]

Torah is from tur, to instruct, admonish. Suffix hey is not feminine, but
the suffix of result, such as in cotev - ctivah. Thus Torah - instruction,
admonition.
You can see other examples at
http://vadimcherny.org/hebrew/affix_hey_direction.htm
Basically, there are several different suffixes hey, and they have nothing
to do with feminine.

Vadim Cherny

> This got me thinking about a few words that had no apparent reason for
being
> in the feminine.  One such word was the obvious -- Torah.  And so I wonder
> whether there would be agreement to the following 'idea' (based on
> Gesenius's reasoning) that while this concept was masterful, strong,
> dominant and hence a masculine ideal; it is rather by absolute contrast a
> productive, sustaining, nourishing concept! and hence feminine.  (All this
> assuming that Torah is understood along the lines that it means nore
> teaching and guiding and instruction rather than the negative concept of
> 'Law' as assumed in some circles)
>
> What are your thoughts on this?
>
> Chris Watts
>
>
>