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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] $ARAI
  • Date: Mon, 31 Mar 2008 10:26:54 -0400

Jim,

Your interest in the Patriarchal narratives is surely laudable, yet it contains what I believe to be a fundamental linguistic flaw. The question is this Can we read into a Hebrew name a sure meaning or not. More specifically, does the name SARAY harbor any clear meaning derived from the root SR and the word SAR. I think not. Your claim that she was so named, or nicknamed, since she was "strong-willed and assertive like “top officials”" may be but a fantastical invention.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Mar 31, 2008, at 9:54 AM, JimStinehart AT aol.com wrote:


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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  • [b-hebrew] $ARAI, JimStinehart, 03/31/2008
    • Re: [b-hebrew] $ARAI, Isaac Fried, 03/31/2008

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