Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Harold Holmyard <hholmyard3 AT earthlink.net>]

La Fanga wrote:
> I've heard that the word mechalal in Isaiah 53:5 can means pierced based on 
> the Arabic cognate khalal which can mean to pierce/perforate/skewer.  How 
> correct is it to carry over the Arabic meaning of a homonymic word into 
> Hebrew?  I know that Arabic often helps us to understand archaic Hebrew words 
> however I also know that not all words that sound alike are the same. Do the 
> two words derive from the same semitic root so that it can be said they are 
> the same in meaning? I checked an Arabic concordance and while the Arabic 
> khalal can have a myraid of different meanings, the word seems to be used 
> commonly in the sense of spoiling, corrupting, or other degeneration similar 
> to the primary meaning of the Hebrew. So is it linguistically possible for 
> mechalal to mean pierced as some claim? Thanks.
>   

HH: The word in Isa 53:5 means "pierced" in the sense of "wounded." The 
lexicon lists an Arabic cognate that means "pierce."

Yours,
Harold Holmyard