Biblical Hebrew Forum

[JimStinehart AT aol.com]

George Athas:
 
You wrote:  “Jim, the mysterious -R suffix is so mysterious because it's no 
more a suffix than the 'm' at the end of 'Jim'. In other words, it's not a 
suffix at all.”
 
1.  What, then, is your theory of the name (NR at Genesis 14: 13, 24?  The 
conventional explanation of (NR is that it is a west Semitic name that means 
N(R, or “boy”.  To me, that conventional explanation makes no sense on any 
level.  Why would the letters N(R be mixed up to produce (NR?  And why 
would one call a brave princeling who helps Abraham rescue Lot and Lot’s 
family “
boy”?
 
2.  Do you think that Abraham is portrayed at the end of chapter 14 of 
Genesis as handing over Lot and Lot’s family to a princeling who graciously 
welcomes Lot’s return, whose name is west Semitic and means “In Evil”?  If 
not, 
what is your explanation of the name BR(?
 
I am suggesting that if we don’t look at the non-Semitic elements of these 
names in chapter 14 of Genesis, we will not understand the Hebrew text of 
the “four kings against five”.  I myself see BR( as being a non-Semitic 
princeling, who has a non-Semitic name.  I see (NR as being an Amorite 
princeling, but who has close contacts with non-Semitic princelings, and 
whose name 
has a non-Semitic suffix.  But if you know that I am wrong about all of that, 
and that neither (NR nor BR( has any non-Semitic element [even though I 
presume you may agree with the mainstream scholarly view that truly ancient 
chapter 14 of Genesis was composed at a time when there was a considerable 
non-Semitic presence in Canaan (or at least the remembrance of such)], then 
please set forth your own explanations for these two names.  Based on my 
reading 
of the scholarly literature, scholars have had a very difficult time trying 
to explain these two names.  But if you know the answers, then please set 
them forth, and we’ll all learn from you.
 
If the R at the end of the name (NR is not a suffix, then what does the 
name (NR mean?  From what is the name (NR derived?
 
Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois