Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>]

Travis,

The astounding triumph of the scientific thinking of modern times is  
premised on the understanding that a host of apparently disparate  
phenomena are interrelated by some very very simple underlying  
general unifying principles. It is true of geometry, of physics, of  
chemistry; and should be so of linguistics. All planetary motion, for  
instance, are governed by just the two simple laws of inertia and  
gravitation. Yet to accept this theory you need to subscribe to the  
"absurd" notion that any two clumps of dirt attract [why attract and  
not repulse?] each other.
Hebrew grammar too needs to be unlocked of its frozen medieval mold.
I will not go now into the semantic relationship between LBB and BBL,  
except to call your attention to Genesis 11:9 "Therefore is the name  
of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound [BALAL] the  
language of all the earth". The Hebrew bible in its infinite wisdom  
understands that the roots BBL and BLL "bear fraternal sentiments".  
But now come you and mock these insights as mere "lexical games".
One of the reasons that what I am saying is being so little debated  
is because it leaves the contributing members of this list literally  
speechless. On the one hand they are reluctant, I think, to  
acknowledge something as radical as this, coming from nowhere and  
never before uttered by the venerable Gesenius [the faithful follower  
of the medieval Jewish grammarians, who got the system from their  
Arab counterparts of Spain], but on the other hand they are unable, I  
think, to concretely refute or contradict it. I know that what I am  
saying is inherently correct, and that it actually, decisively,  
completely and elegantly, solve the entire enigma of the structure of  
the Hebrew language, and conclusively clarifies its grammar. I keep  
saying here what I think needs to be said under the premise that  
behind the vanguard of a few actively contributing list members there  
hides a big army of silent readers, and I know that eventually at  
least some of them will be won over to the side of reason.
What I essentially inter alia claim is that the Hebrew tri-literal  
root was not born so fully formed, but was rather built up over time  
of single-literal roots. One of these roots ["reversed cognates"] is  
AB or BA where A is a vowel entered just to facilitate the  
pronunciation. In Hebrew the A vowel may be carried by an Ayin or an  
Aleph indifferently. AB-BA [or AP-PA or AW-WA] essentially means  
'thick, of actual presence'. In this sense, 'father' is essentially  
'the thick one, the fat one [father = fat-er?]', and likewise cloud  
[a closed clod of vapor] is also essentially 'the thick one,'---they  
are both in their material essence one and the same. Yet to visually,  
and eventually semantically, distinguish between them )AB, 'father'  
is written with an Aleph and (AB, cloud' is written with an Ayin.  
Likewise, )AP, 'nose', is the fleshy part jutting up on the face  
[recall Song 7:5 "thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh  
toward Damascus"], and (AP, 'fly', means being up [no movement, just  
being up there].
Consider also 1 Samuel 1:20. "she bare a son, and called his name  
Samuel, saying, Because I have asked [root: $)L] him of the LORD." I  
suspect that the original spelling of the name was $MU()EL with an  
Ayin for Listened-God, of the root $M(, but that this Ayin was  
dropped in writing with the intention of achieving in our mind the  
segregation of this and the other ancient name YI$MA()EL. It is also  
clear from this verse that the pious and linguistically monumentally  
gifted Hannah saw the roots $M and $L as being related.
To see the equivalence of of AB-BA and the other existence markers AG- 
GA [AK-KA, AQ-QA], AL-LA, AN-NA, AS-SA [AD-DA, AC-CA, AT-TA, AZ-ZA]  
consider the Hebrew words: MA-(AB-EH, 'thicket', MA-)AP-EH, ' baked  
[faked?, backed?, bigged?] pastries', MA-(AQ-EH, 'parapet,  
battlement', MA-(AL-EH, 'ascent', MA-(AS-EH, 'act, deed carried out',  
MA-)AT-EH, 'covering', MA-(AN-EH, 'reply'. Clearly, MA-(AQ-EH,  
'parapet, battlement' [see Deuteronomy 22:8] is a rising [MA-(AL-EH]  
thick [MA-(AB-EH] protrusion like a MA-)AP-EH covering [MA-)AT-EH]  
the roof edge, produced or carried out [MA-(AS-EH, related to the  
root YC), 'out'] to protect the roof loungers. the relationship of MA- 
(AN-EH, 'reply' to the other words is subtler because of its greater  
lexical or metaphoric content.
Meanwhile we can pleasantly and profitably contemplate the curious  
similarity of )ADON, 'master', of BI )ADONI, and )EDEN 'base', both  
from the root )DN.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Jul 5, 2007, at 11:49 PM, trepp AT telus.net wrote:

> Isaac, according to your method of interpretting each syllable, bi  
> adoni could
> mean any number of things. Especially since you make out ba) and ) 
> ab to be
> reversed cognates.
>
> Based on that, lebab and babel should bear fraternal sentiments.
>
> While it is interesting, and even amusing to read such novel (if  
> not absurd)
> lexical games, I have by now seen so much of it without comment that I
> recognize your style of philology even before seeing your name, and am
> seriously wondering why so many such things are said without any  
> spark of
> discussion. I must have counted a very long list of such fresh  
> ideas before I
> even noticed a single person say they noticed you posted differently.
>
> There may be something to what seems madness here, but I had to  
> point out that
> while I like the odds and ends, it disappoints me that it isn't either
> challenged or at least reasoned with. I see people arguing blue  
> over things
> that make for ludicrous debates in the first place, but either such
> experimentation is out of place here, or oddly unengaging.
>
> Regardless, keep posting Isaac. I'm still trying to figure out what  
> you are
> doing, and if anyone pays attention here. At least you are always  
> cordial.
>
> Travis Jackson
> >
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