Biblical Hebrew Forum

[David Kolinsky <yishalom AT sbcglobal.net>]

With regard to the softened Gimmel - My wife is from Mexico city and has the 
most difficult time pronouncing a final G - dog and fog (and other words) are 
invariably dogh and fogh and not doj or foj.  It seems to me that this is 
also consistent with the other letters that become softened in Hebrew at the 
end of a syllable after a vowel - Beth > Bhet (not Vet), Dalet > Dhalet, Kaph 
> Khaph (being different from the pronunciation of either Chet), Peh > Pheh, 
and Tabh to Thabh.  The plossive nature of the letter is simply turned into a 
fricative and slightly lenthened and not wholly shifted in the mouth as a 
different point of articulation.  This of course could be entirely wrong - 
shifts obviously do occur (for whatever reason).  But it seems rather logical 
to me that the reason here has to do with accents and emphasis - meaning that 
the way that Hebrew was spoken, not unlike Mexican Spanish, made it 
difficult, uncomfortable or unnatural to make
 these letters plossive in this position.  Perhaps the emphasis is shifted 
backward?
 
With regard to the Ayin / Gayin -  I believe (personal opinion as above) that 
these are two different letters (even though the Gayin developed from the 
Ayin) using the same marker.  Because as I understand it, at the time that 
the Hebrew alphabet was developing, the sister language from which it 
borrowed its alphabet was limited to the 22 letters (of our current Hebrew) 
and rather than adding 7 more letters for a full semitic compliment, they 
simply used what was available (Hebrew probably didn't need 7 anyway - 
probably just 2 additional for a soft Chet and hard Chet and Ayin - Gayin).  
As for the pronunciation - Ayin is a fricative gag that doesn't hurt - Gayin 
a gag that for us hurts because it is plossive in nature.
 
Curious to know what you think,
 
David Kolinsky
>From JimStinehart AT aol.com  Tue May 26 10:42:49 2009
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Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] theories and standards: Hazor:  GRR vs. GLL
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Karl:

In response to my reference to “the rolling/GRR/GLL hills between QD$ and
Ssur”, you wrote:

“Even after being informed repeatedly that ancient Hebrew was not the same
as
 ancient Egyptian, you have again treated it as if it were. Your whole
argument falls apart upon proper recognition of how ancient Hebrew actually
worked.”

You have previously noted on several occasions your view that GRR and
either GLL or GLYL are not related in Biblical Hebrew, because although the
Egyptians did not distinguish between west Semitic lamed/L and west Semitic
resh/R, the Hebrews always made such distinction.

But many Hebrew scholars, such as Gesenius, see GRR and GLL as common words
as being closely related in Biblical Hebrew.  Gesenius states:

“Sometimes this root [GRR] loses part of its proper force, and also
expresses the softer sound of rolling, elsewhere proper to the kindred root 
GLL.  So
…in the Old Test. GRGR for GLGL (as is found in the Talmud), a berry….so
called from its round and rolling form.”

(1)  Gesenius sees GLL as a common word as being a “kindred root” to GRR
as a common word.  Both can mean “rolling”.

(2)  Gesenius also notes that where the Bible spells berry GRGR, the Talmud
spells berry GLGL.

Based on the foregoing two observations made by Gesenius, we see that GRR
and GLL as common words can be virtually interchangeable in Biblical Hebrew.
One meaning (though not the main meaning) of GRR as a common word is “to
roll”, and the main meaning of GLL as a common word is “to roll”.

So each of GRR and GLL can mean “rolling”, and thus be an apt description
of the rolling hills of Galilee.  GLYL/“Galilee” is often viewed as being 
a
play on the underlying common word/root GLL, meaning “rolling”.

Likewise, each of GRGR and GLGL can mean “berry”, as an item that has a
round and rolling form.

If we look at Aramaic, we see much the same thing.  In Aramaic, GLGL means “
to roll” as a verb, and “wheel” as a noun.  As a verb, GLL means “to 
roll”
.

In Aramaic, either GRR or GRGR means “to drag” as a verb, while GRGR as a
noun can mean “berry” (of an olive).

In Assyrian, gararu means “to go, run”.  That seems closer to “to 
roll”
than “to drag”.  Girru in Assyrian is “road, way, expedition”, having
similar overtones.

In Biblical Hebrew, GWR means “to sojourn”, and GR means “sojourner”.
Those words might be related to GRR, where GRR means “to roll”, rather 
than
GRR meaning “to drag”.

I agree with Gesenius’ view that one possible meaning of GRR is “to 
roll”.
 As such, GRR and GLL seem closely related, sometimes having a closely
related meaning, or even the same meaning.  Accordingly, it makes sense that 
the
rolling/GRR/GLL hills between QD$ of eastern Upper Galilee and Ssur/Tyre on
the coast might be alternatively described as GRR [Gerar] in the
Patriarchal narratives, or GLYL [Galilee] in the rest of the Bible.

The Egyptian letters KRR at item #80 on the Thutmosis III list of places in
mid-15th century BCE Canaan are a nice fit, linguistically, to either GRR
and/or GLL (and hence to GLYL).  KRR on the T III list means GRR/Gerar and/or
GLL/GLYL/Galilee.  In context, the reference at that early point was
probably to merely the northern edge of Upper Galilee.  But the underlying 
concept
always seems to be part or all of the region of rolling/GRR/GLL hills of
the land between the Jezreel Valley on the south, and the Beqa Valley in
southern Lebanon on the north.

In Akkadian, karku means “rolled”, and kerku means “a roll”.  Note the
presence of the initial K, as in the Egyptian KRR, instead of the gimel/G in
west Semitic languages.  Note that the second letter in Akkadian for the word
“roll” is R, comparable to GRR, which as a common word can mean “to 
roll”
in Biblical Hebrew, per Gesenius.

Perhaps many of the above words are not closely related, per linguists. 
Yet when one sees either G + R, or G + L, in the ancient languages, often a
meaning of “roll” is there.  The Patriarchal narratives purport to be 
older
than the rest of the Bible, and I for one think that is accurate.  GRR may be
an old, archaic way of expressing the rolling/GRR/GLL hills of northern
Canaan.

If a “round” berry that “rolls” can alternatively be GLGL or GRGR in
Hebrew (Bible vs. Talmud), with each of GRR and GLL as common words having 
“to
roll” as one of their meanings (per Gesenius), then in my opinion it stands
to reason that a “rolling” hills region could alternatively be GRR or
GLL/GLYL in Biblical Hebrew.

I view GRR/Gerar in the Patriarchal narratives as referring to the
rolling/GRR/GLL hills between Ssur/Tyre and QD$ of Upper Galilee.

Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois

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