Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Pere Porta <pporta7 AT gmail.com>]

Thank you, Yigal, for your time spent for all of us. You're very kind!
(By the way, I think you're, together with George Athas, a good Moderator of
the b-hebrew list...)
Let us have a better (if possible) year 2010.

Pere Porta
(Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain)




On Sat, Jan 2, 2010 at 7:27 PM, Yigal Levin <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il> wrote:

> Hi Robert,
>
>
>
> The Hebrew names for the traditional 7 planets (those visible to the naked
> eye) are listed in the Babylonian Talmud tractate Shabbat p. 156a, in a
> discussion of whether Israel is affected by "mazal" (here meaning
> astrology)
> like the gentiles are. Slightly different names appear in other Byzantine
> and Early Medieval period Jewish writings, including liturgical poetry and
> synagogue mosaic floors. The names are Kokhav-Hammah ("sun-star", Murcury),
> Nogah ("bright-light", Venus), Levanah ("white", the Earth's Moon, which in
> a earth-centered astronomy is the closest of the "planets"), Ma'adim
> ("red",
> Mars), Tsedeq ("justice", Jupiter) and Shabbetai (Saturn, apparently even
> then somehow connected with the Sabbath). Some of these names are biblical,
> others were apparently borrowed from Mesopotamian astronomy. The Bible and
> later Jewish sources also have names for some of the constellations and
> other heavenly bodies as well.
>
>
>
> Karl, while "Mazalot" in 2 Kings 23:5 may very well mean "planets", in
> later
> Hebrew literature the term came to refer to the constellations of the
> Zodiac, and is used in this way today as well. So obviously a different
> term
> is needed for "planets".
>
>
>
> Jason, did Greek or Latin have a special name for the planets? The Greek
> word that we use today simply means "wanderer", referring to the fact that
> these "stars" follow what seem to be eccentric "paths" - course as observed
> from Earth. If you have a good suggestion, I'd be happy to hear it and we
> could forward it to the Hebrew Language Academy for consideration.
>
>
>
> Pere, "Rahav" (or "Rahab") was a Canaanite sea/river god, sort of a synonym
> for Yamm. He was trounced by Baal. This is translated in the Bible as YHWH
> defeating the Sea/River, as in Job 26:12. "Rahav" also became a poetic word
> for "river", and thus became a "term" for Egypt, as in Is. 30:7 and in Ps.
> 87:4.
>
>
>
> I still feel sorry for Pluto: recently "demoted" from planet to "dwarf
> planet" and now not given a Hebrew name. I think I'll start a campaign.
> Does
> anyone have a good idea for a name, maybe something to do with "Sheol"?
>
>
>
>
>
> Yigal Levin
>
>
>
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-- 
Pere Porta
"Ei nekrói ouk eguéirontai, fágomen kai píomen áurion gar apothnéskomen"
(1Cor 15:32)