Biblical Hebrew Forum

[JimStinehart AT aol.com]

Isaac Fried:
 
You wrote:  “SARAY as a Hebrew WORD means 'my princes'….”
 
That simply is not true.
 
Here are the 25 uses of sin-resh or sin-resh-yod in the Patriarchal 
narratives, when such word is used as a common noun (as opposed to 
sin-resh-yod as Sarah
’s birth name).  In 25 out of 25 cases, sin-resh or sin-resh-yod means “top 
officials”, and in 0 out of 25 cases, sin-resh or sin-resh-yod means “prince” 
or “princes” or “my princes”, where the word “prince” in English, when 
applied to a human being, means a son of the king.
 
1.  Genesis 12: 15
 
Pharaoh’s top ministers (“top officials”), not Pharaoh’s sons, recommend to 
Pharaoh that Abraham’s wife be brought into Pharaoh’s household.  Certainly 
Pharaoh’s sons, the “princes” of Egypt, would not be involved in that matter!
 
2.  Genesis 21: 22, 32;  26: 26
 
Princeling Abimelek’s lead foreign mercenary, Phicol, is a “top official” 
who is in charge of military matters.  Phicol, a foreigner who is about the 
same 
age as west Semitic-speaking Abimelek, is certainly not Abimelek’s son, and 
hence is not a “prince”.
 
3.  Genesis 37: 36;  39: 1
 
Joseph’s original Egyptian master, Pa-di Pr, is a “top official” who is in 
charge of Pharaoh’s personal bodyguards.  Pa-di Pr is not related to Pharaoh 
by 
blood and is not a “prince”.
 
4.  Genesis 39: 21-23;  40: 3-4;  41: 10, 12
 
Pharaoh’s top jailer, who handles the most important jail in Egypt, is a “
top official”, not a son of Pharaoh who is a “prince”.
 
5.  Genesis 40: 2(a,b), 9, 16, 20(a,b), 21-23;  41: 9, 10
 
Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer and Pharaoh’s chief baker are Pharaoh’s “top 
officials”, who are not sons of Pharaoh and hence are not “princes”.
 
6.  Genesis 47: 6
 
The position of being head shepherds of Pharaoh’s flocks in Egypt would be 
held by “top officials”, not by sons of Pharaoh who were “princes”.
 
Conclusion
 
The word sin-resh and sin-resh-yod is used 25 times as a common noun in the 
Patriarchal narratives.  All 25 times it means “top official”, and it never 
means “prince” or “princes” or “my princes”.
 
Since sin-resh and sin-resh-yod never mean “prince” in the Patriarchal 
narratives, sin-resh-yod as the birth name of Abraham’s wife does not mean “
princess”.  Rather, sin-resh-yod as the birth name of Abraham’s wife means 
that 
this woman is strong-willed and assertive like “top officials”.  It’s a 
delightful play on words that is most appropriate.
 
Sarah was never a princess.  Sarah’s father was not a king.  Neither of Sarah’
s two names means “princess”.
 
Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois




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