Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Yaakov Stein" <yaakov_s AT rad.com>]

In Psalms 80:6 we have the expression DM(OT $LY$
usually translated as "many tears" or "tears in great measure".
 
The word $LY$ is obviously related to the root $L$ for three.
 
There are primitive languages where the number system is
limited to ONE, TWO, THREE=MANY.
Could this $LY$ be an ancient form of "many" ?
 
Isaiah 40:12 also has the same word, but this time
it seems to mean a way of counting the number of grains of sand.
Once again, this seems to be a throwback to THREE=MANY,
only here the MANY is very large.
 
We also have the term H$LY$ used as a high-ranking army officer
(somehow downgraded in modern Hebrew to a "human resources" officer).
Could this be a captain over MANY soldiers ?
 
Yaakov (J) Stein