Biblical Hebrew Forum

[K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Al:

My comments were about the spelling in context of how the spelling indicates
meaning, so actually included both.

Genesis 11:10–13 indicates that Arpachshad was an ancestor of Abraham,
though the last three letters of the name could indicate that he was an
ancestor of the Chaleans as well.

As to the word (RBH to which you thought there may have been a connection in
your first posting, its use seems to indicate a geographical feature, namely
a plain, rather than as a place name.

Karl W. Randolph.

On Wed, Apr 29, 2009 at 9:05 AM, Al Craig <crequi AT ntlworld.com> wrote:

> Thanks Ron. I think Karl's comment was only about spelling not meaning. The
> prevailing view is that Arpachshad should be associated with the Chaldaeans
> by simple analysis of the name. Indeed the idea is already present in
> Genesis with the name Ur Kasdim. But I suspect for historical reasons that
> the intended meaning was something more pertinent to Israelite origins in
> the vicinity of the Holy Land.
>
> Al Craig
>
>