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  • From: Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>
  • To: JimStinehart AT aol.com
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Genesis 20: 1
  • Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2007 00:43:13 -0400

Jim,

Indeed, biblical geography is uncertain because of the generic nature of the biblical place names. Every significant place of worship could be QADE$ [AL-QUDS]. It appears to me that Beersheba is BEER-$EBA(, with $EBA( meaning 'plentiful, abundant', as $EPA( of Deuteronomy 33:19 is. Possibly other plentiful wells supplying generously were so called.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Oct 8, 2007, at 2:58 PM, JimStinehart AT aol.com wrote:

Abraham's Beersheba receives a different pun, punning on the Hebrew word for
"seven", rather than the Hebrew word for "oath". Only in the next generation, when
Isaac is at a Beersheba (which may or may not be the same place as Abraham's
Beersheba, but certainly is not Hagar's Beersheba), does the author set
forth the ordinary pun on the Hebrew word "oath".
Because "Beersheba" is used as a generic Hebrew nickname in the Patriarchal
narratives, there can be no assurance that either Hagar's Beersheba or
Abraham's Beersheba is in the Negev Desert. (By contrast, we can tell from the
context that Jacob's Beersheba is in the Negev Desert, because Jacob stops there
en route to Egypt from Hebron.)





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