Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Jason Hare <jaihare AT gmail.com>]

$LWM XBRYM,

In Exodus 25:5 we find the following regarding the materials donated
for the creation of the mishkan:

וְעֹרֹת אֵילִם מְאָדָּמִים וְעֹרֹת תְּחָשִׁים וַעֲצֵי שִׁטִּים
W(RT )YLM M)DMYM W(RT **TX$YM** W(CY $+YM

The question is, what exactly is תחשים? It's generally understood to
refer to the skin of something like a seal or other sea animal. I had
someone ask me about an Akkadian connection, something along the lines
of "dyed orange," kinda like M)DMYM means "dyed red." Does anyone know
of an Akkadian cognate that would lend to this interpretation? What is
that cognate in English transliteration? Is there anything that can
help us understand what תחשים is referring to?

Thanks,
Jason Hare
Rehovot, Israel