Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

La Fanga,

The root XLL is a member of the root family GLL, HLL, XLL, KLL, QLL,  
all meaning in essence 'pile up up'. The letter G of, the typical,  
GLL is the single-literal root appearing in full as the three-literal  
root G)H, 'rise', see Exodus15:1, Ezekiel 47:5 and Job 8:11. The  
letter L is the single-literal root appearing in full as the three- 
literal root (LH, 'elevate', see Exodus 19:3, Joshua 2:8 and Proverbs  
30:4. Thus GLL = G)H-(LH-(LH.
1. The act KALAL specifically means 'to include, to complete'. Thus  
KLILAT YOPI of Lamentations 2:15, is 'beautiful to perfection'. The  
useful newly introduced Hebrew word KLALI means 'general'. The  
related act KALAH means 'to finish off, to terminate'.
2. The act GALAL specifically means 'to roll up, to roll over, to  
pile up, to enfold', see Genesis 29:3. The word GAL means 'a pile of  
stones, a mound, a wave', and GALGAL = GAL-GAL is 'a wheel', which is  
indeed equally high all around. The GALIL of Songs 5:14 is 'a  
cylinder', and that of Joshua 13:2 is 'a region'. The GALAL of  
Ezekiel 4:15 is 'solid waste'. The useful newly introduced Hebrew  
word GLULAH means 'pill'.
3. The act HALAL specifically means 'to heap up praise'.
4. The act KALAL means foremost 'to rise, to be convex' as it does in  
Genesis 8:11. Its secondary meaning is 'to curse, to raise and heap  
up deprecation, to pour out and roll over ill-wishes', see 1 Kings  
2:8. The KALAL of Ezekiel 1:7 means 'solid' or 'alloyed'. I can not  
see how it can mean 'burnished'.
5. The basic meaning of XALAL is also 'to include, to enclose, to  
encompass, to comprise, to surround, to generate', except that the  
enclosed may be here but empty space, as just pointed out by Shoshana  
Walker. Thus XALON, 'window' is the cavity or the open space defined  
by the surrounding wall, and such is the XALIL, 'flute', the  
cylindrical [GALIL] hollow wind-pipe, and also the MXILAH [actually  
MKILAH], 'tunnel', burrowed and included [GLULAH, KLULAH] in the  
depth of the earth. XLL in the sense of 'profane' may mean 'devoid or  
empty of merit'. Indeed, its opposite QD$, which is but a variant of  
GD$, means 'packed solid with supreme value'. XALAL in the sense of  
'cadaver', may mean 'rolled or bent over' or 'drained of life'.  
Similarly 'MAXALAH', 'illness', may mean a lacuna or an ill inclusion.
In conclusion: MXOLAL of Isaiah 53:5 is certainly not 'pierced'.
For a more detailed discussion of these roots look up  
www.hebrewetymology.com.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Sep 5, 2007, at 10:14 AM, 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.
>
> ---------------------------------
> Building a website is a piece of cake.
> Yahoo! Small Business gives you all the tools to get online.
> _______________________________________________
> b-hebrew mailing list
> b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew