Biblical Hebrew Forum

["K Randolph" <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Isaac:

To concentrate on the one word,

On 11/5/07, Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu> wrote:
> Karl,
>
> I am still greatly interested in knowing if the etymology: "XR$, to
> work on or over (hence) to keep silent (can't talk while working), to
> be deaf" is your idea or if it is actually proposed in some
> dictionaries, where I can look it up.
> One has to be careful with "synonyms" since they may not be such.
>
> Isaac Fried, Boston University

If you look in most dictionaries, XR$ to work and XR$ to be deaf are
listed as homonyms. But I, as my wont, asked myself if by looking at
actions is there a possible connection? And there is, namely that
those who work hard (in those days, physical labor) would not be
loquacious. It turns out that in most work, there is an inverse
relationship on how much a person listens and speaks, and the output
of his work.

Now I give precedence to the work aspect of the meaning. Do you have a
good argument for the silence, such as the deaf, aspect of the word as
being primary?

Karl W. Randolph.