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  • From: Harold Holmyard <hholmyard3 AT earthlink.net>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] etymological fallacy and the meaning of almah
  • Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 21:46:16 -0500

Dear Kenneth,
Recently, someone on b-hebrew said that almah meant virgin because its root comes from a verb that means to be hidden , and virgins were hidden. What about the word olam ? Does it also come from "hidden"?

They are three different roots that have the same consonants. The derivation of the root related to "olam" is unclear. So it conceivably could be related to the root meaning to hide. The word rendered "almah" is related to a root pertaining to youth. It is a separate root, as far as we know, from the root meaning to hide. Actually, HALOT says that somebody thinks the root referring to youth is related to the root producing "olam." The common denominator, in his thinking, was the idea of “unknowing, uninitiated." The article was found at: Gerleman ZAW 91 (1979):338–49. So by that connection, there could be a link among all three theoretically. But they are treated as three distinct roots by the lexicons.

Yours,
Harold Holmyard
Also, I read on an internet site that there is something called an etymological fallacy http://www.fallacyfiles.org/etymolog.html

How do you know if the idea that almah means virgin because its root means "hidden" is an etymological fallacy? I never even heard of etymological fallacy until a few hours ago, so I really don't know much about it.

Kenneth Greifer

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