Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Yitzhak Sapir <yitzhaksapir AT gmail.com>]

On Wed, Mar 31, 2010 at 7:38 PM, K Randolph wrote:

> Anger is shown in the face via a frown. Try this experiment—look in a mirror
> and frown, really frown as in strong anger. Do your nostrils dilate or
> flare? (If they do, your face is different from mine.)

I can't say the nostrils dilated or flared.

However, my eyes became red, and there was foam coming out of my
mouth, and smoke out of my ears.

Nothing happened to the nose, however.

I figured I better stop before the mirror breaks.  Besides, there is no
reason to get all steamed up just because you think in English
metaphors and not Biblical Hebrew ones.

> I think that using etymologies to analyze the meaning of words has fallen
> into disrespect among most modern lexicographers is at least partially
> related to the misuse of etymologies as in the two examples above.

Which modern lexicographers, for example?

Yitzhak Sapir