Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>]

The assertion that the two-consonant Hebrew root gz meant 'cut' is an  
obvious fallacy. The Hebrew word GEZA(

גזע

'tree trunk', has clearly nothing to do with cutting or truncating.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Mar 20, 2010, at 10:10 PM, Ishinan wrote:

> [VADIM CHERNY]-  Thank you. It seems to me that whatever few  
> phonaesthetical
> clusters exist in English are imported from Hebrew (or W. Semitic,  
> at any
> rate) which is almost entirely phonaesthetical language: almost all  
> Hebrew
> three-letter roots share the meaning based on their two-letter root  
> base.
> -----------------------------
> [ISHINAN]- A clarification: what seems to be a two-letter root base in
> Semitic languages, technically is still considered a three-letter  
> root base;
> on account of the last letter's germination.
>
> For example, applied to Hebrew, consider the following  
> phonaesthetical [bt]
> and [gz] clusters examples:
>
> A- Strong's :1327 btt-h to break in pieces
> B- Strong's : 1333 btq  to cut in pieces.
> C- Strong's : 1334 btr to chop up:--divide.
>
> a- Strong's: 1494 gzz to cut off; to shear a flock or shave the  
> hair; cut
> off, shave,
> b- Strong's: 1497 gzl  to pluck off; specifically to flay, strip tear.
> c- Strong's: 1501 gzm to devour.
> d- Strong's: 1503 gz'  to cut down (trees).
> e- Strong's: 1504 gzr to cut down or off.
>
> Note in above examples (A) and (a) btt  and gzz respectively; both  
> have
> their last letter /t/ and /z/ geminated.
>
> The same is noticed in the Classical Arabic cluster of "qT"   
> yielding: qTT ,
> qT`, qTm, qTl and qTf .
>
> Note here in the case of the Arabic  qTT,  instead of writing the  
> emphatic
> letter T twice, as in English, Arabic places a w-shaped sign called  
> saddah,
> above it; an equivalent in Hebrew would be dages hazaq.
>
> I hope this helps.
>
> Yours truly
>
> Ishinan Ishibashi
>
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