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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Genesis 20: 1

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  • From: Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>
  • To: Yigal Levin <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>
  • Cc: b-hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Genesis 20: 1
  • Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2007 14:20:07 -0400

Yigal,

I feel uneasy with the interpretation of the -YAMIN part of the name BINYAMIN as the right hand side [namely the YEMENITE]. I tend to think that YAMIN = YAH-)AMIN, with YA =YAH being a reference to the God of the Hebrews. After all both his father YA-(AKOB and his grandfather YI-CXAQ had such a reference in their names, methinks.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Oct 11, 2007, at 1:15 AM, Yigal Levin wrote:

In fact, and I'm sure that you know this, in 18th century BCE Mari there
were two tribes that lived near the city: those who lived to its north were
called "Bene Samaal", and those you lived to its south were "Bene Yamin". If
you assume that the eponymous ancestors of the tribes were not "real"
people, but rather representative figures, then "Son of the South" would be
an apt name for the ancestor of the southernmost tribe of "Israel" (not
including Judah, and without getting into the question of when these
traditions developed).

On the other hand, Gen. 35:18 gives another explaination for the name
"Benjamin": as Rachel was dying in childbirth, she called her child "Ben
Oni". This can mean either "Son of my sorrow" or "Son of my strength".
"Yamin", meaning the right hand, also means "strength", so Jacob, by calling
him "Binyamin", preserved the more positive meaning of his dead wife's
request.

Yigal Levin


----- Original Message -----
From: "Isaac Fried" <if AT math.bu.edu>
To: "Yaakov Stein" <yaakov_s AT rad.com>
Cc: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Thursday, October 11, 2007 6:58 AM
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Genesis 20: 1


Yaakob,

You are saying:
"Benjamin is definitely the "son of the south", with south referring
to he fact
that he is the only son born in Canaan, to the south of Aram Naharaim."
Do you know of any other instance of a person having such a
geographically-relativistic name?

Isaac Fried, Boston University
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