Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Peter:

On 10/2/06, Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org> wrote:
> On 02/10/2006 06:28, K Randolph wrote:
>
> ...
> > When I look at a dictionary like BDB and find multiple meanings, I
> > look for the action that is behind all its definitions, then in my
> > dictionary list that action. Of course I look more at a concordance
> > than a dictionary, because that gives me a list of its occurrences so
> > I can see how the term is actually used, not relying on the
> > interpretation of the lexicographer.
> >
> >
> But do you look at the evidence from cognate languages, which often
> proves that there are multiple roots behind this?
Let me remind you of something to which you already agree.

It is rare that the semantic domain of a term in one language exactly
match the semantic domain of a term in another language. This is not
only true of widely separated languages, but also of cognate
languages. As a result, I treat evidence from cognate languages with
skepticism, useful at times, useless at times, but never as proof.

As examples, I mentioned the Akkadian term K)R used as a medical term
for diseases that twist or deform hands and feet as support for the
use of K)R as distort, deform in Psalm 22:17 and Amos 8:8, but I would
never use the Aramaic term $KX as evidence how to understand $KX in
Hebrew.

Further, how much of the apparent different roots attested to by
lexicographers are really misunderstandings of the term as I claim for
their misunderstanding of KRH? And how much is due to the fact that
languages change, so that while a term may have had one meaning in
Biblical Hebrew, by the time it is attested to in Arabic, it had a
different meaning(s)?

Finally, I have a different philosophy of lexicography than most
lexicographers. Most look at the form a term takes in a context, and
looking at different contexts the form may appear quite different; but
I look at the action behind the form and often find that the different
forms are merely different expressions of the same action, hence see
only one root and one meaning for the term.

And all of the above can be taken as a repudiation of the school of
lexicography founded by Gesenius and his disciples, among whom are
found BDB.

> > Take, for example, the word KRH, all its uses fit within the semantic
> > domain of providing for as in preparing, setting up, giving
> > provisions. Some of the times that providing is by digging, once in
> > giving provisions to troops so that they would have the energy to
> > return home (in ancient times, armies were expected to live off the
> > land, hence were seldom provided with rations like a modern army. This
> > story is the case where the captured army was given provisions, then
> > sent home.), a couple times the provision was through purchase.
> >
Notice the same action expressed in different contexts.

> --
> Peter Kirk
> E-mail:  peter AT qaya.org
> Blog:    http://speakertruth.blogspot.com/
> Website: http://www.qaya.org/
Karl W. Randolph.