Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

David:
Just because a word has a similar form, or even an identical form, as
another word, that does not mean that they have similar meanings. There are
many reasons for this, so I won't go into it.

Looking at the contexts where the word חרם XRM actually is used in Tanakh, I
get:


חרם to identify a person or object such that he is designated for special
attention, e.g. consecrated to the Lord such that one can no longer make use
of it for himself, sentenced to destruction or condemned to death
-(hence)- (physically)
to (indicate by a) mark, as in to blemish, make imperfect -(derivatives)-
חרם marked -(hence)- designated object or person to be consecrated or
condemned to destruction, חרם marked such that blemished, disfigured, has
imperfection

It looks as if you have done the etymological fallacy.

Karl W. Randolph.

On Tue, Sep 9, 2008 at 3:11 PM, David Kolinsky <yishalom AT sbcglobal.net>wrote:

>
> Perhaps I shouldn't get into the fray, but I would like to add from my
> research that
>
> XRM ~ ChRM in all probability means "lifted, mounted up"
>
> related words:
>
> RM = high
> RMH = to arch or throw
> RMCh = javelin (something thrown in an arch)
> /ARM (/A = Aleph) = high plateau such as Aram of the two rivers, Aramia
> \ARM (\A = Ayin) = to gather upwards, heap up
>
> related to this is
>
> L'HaReeM, the Hiphil of RWM, which means to lift away or remove
> T'RooMaH = an offering that is "lifted up, presented and removed"
>
> XRM = lift up > as in mount XeRMon
>         = lift up and remove > to destroy
>         = lift up and remove > to consecrate
>
> In Sabaic = put s.o under restraint, be in a sacred state, prohibit
>
> In Syriac = devote to G-d, destroy utterly, curse, put under a ban
> In Akkadian = to cut off, separate
>
> In Arabic:
>              ChRM = take away, deny, exclude, prohibit, declare sacred
>               XRM = to carry away / off, destroy, annihilate, come to an
> end, peter out
>
> David Kolinsky