Biblical Hebrew Forum

[<michaelabernat9001 AT sbcglobal.net>]

         I am somewhat confused by the discussion of chalal. It appears 
that some argue there are two roots with similar but not identical spelling. 
One meaning to profane and the other having a meaning which includes wound, 
pain, pierce, etc. My resources are limited so I  looked this up in a couple 
of modern Hebrew/English dictionaries and some of the more classical 
lexicons.

         The modern dictionaries treated this word as one entry, presumably 
they only saw one root which included both the ideas of profane and wounding 
or killing.

         The classical lexicons also treat the word as being one root with 
diverse meanings including: pierce through, wound, to break, and to lay open 
or give access to. One lexicon goes on to explain that this is one reason 
the word came to mean profane because some things which were holy were not 
open to public access.

         I sometimes get the impression from this group that some members 
assume a theological bias on the part of scholars invalidates their work. 
(Some of these are also so outdated I hate to use them but at least I can 
afford them.) I can understand the sentiment but that does make it difficult 
to maintain communication on theologically charged passages. So, here is my 
question. Which lexicons and other resources are mutually acceptable to both 
our Jewish and Christian scholars who participate on this forum? While I'm 
asking, remember my resources are limited. I don't exactly live in the 
middle of nowhere. Nowhere is about fifteen miles down the road. I would 
appreciate it if our Jewish friends could identify any online resources they 
find acceptable.



Sincerely,

Michael Abernathy