Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Shoshanna Walker <rosewalk AT concentric.net>]

Ok, thank you - but does this mean that if someone is referring to 
the horns of several animals, 10, let's say = 20 horns, they would 
use the word kranot, or would it still be karnayim?  Sorry, I just 
want to understand.

Shoshanna



Shoshana,

You are right but not entirely. The dual of KEREN, horn, is KARNAIM, 
as nature willed it for the head of most animals. Yet, indeed, the 
plural of KEREN in the sense of 'ray of light' is KARNAIM, the same 
way that the 4 legs of a table are 4 RAGLAIM. You my have seen a 
statue of an Indian goddess with 6 YADAIM, and some modern art 
depicting a face with 3 EYNAIM. The plural of KEREN in the sense of 
'principal' is KRANOT, (KARNOT in construct state), and so is the 
plural of KEREN in the sense of 'corner'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Apr 14, 2007, at 9:42 PM, Shoshanna Walker wrote:

> I thought that Karnaim is plural for horns, and Kranot plural for 
> rays of light
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