Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Arnaud Fournet" <fournet.arnaud AT wanadoo.fr>]

Jim:
> Though a west Semitic analysis of (NR is hopeless, a Hurrian analysis of 
> (NR is child’s play.  If you look at p. 90 of Arnaud Fournet’s Hurrian 
> language website, you will see these two entries:
>
> (1) *[Øíni] [P x-] ‘god, deity’
> EL eni <e-ni-> UG [Õ n]
> UR <in> Subarean e-ne ‘god’
>
> (2)  *[Øinarγa] (Essive) ‘looking or acting like a god’
> CA <e-na-ar-xa>.
>
> With the Hurrian consonantal root of “god” or “deity” apparently 
> correlating to the Hebrew letters (N [where the initial Hurrian vowel must 
> be represented], then adding the standard Hurrian comitative suffix -R, 
> the resulting (N-R makes perfect sense as a Hurrian princeling name, 
> meaning “with a god” in Hurrian.
>
> Note also that on this view, (N in Hurrian is not the name of a specific 
> pagan god, so it would not be particularly offensive to the Hebrew author.

***
This Hurrian word is a borrowing from Akkadian Anu and Sumerian AN "sky" > 
hence "god".

I've reanalyzed and updated my previous work with Allan Bomhard on Hurrian 
and Hurrian's connections with PIE. New status here:

http://www.scribd.com/doc/36129283/Hurrian-Etymological-Dictionary

In all cases, you cannot cut Hurrian words into single "letters" or affix 
them in the way the language does not attest.

A.
***



> At Genesis 14: 1, we see )MR-PL as an Amorite princeling being paired with 
> the Hurrian princeling Arawa-ka/)RYW-K.  So the Amorite M-MR)/Mamre could 
> similarly be paired with a Hurrian “brother”/princeling:  (N-R.
>
> If we’re willing to consider that -R may possibly be a non-Semitic suffix, 
> then (N-R makes good sense in a portion of text that not only references 
> the Hurrian princeling Arawa-ka, but also references the Hurrians/H-XR-Y 
> at Genesis 14: 6 as well.  For that matter, I see XCC-N at Genesis 14: 7 
> as being the Hurrian word for Xasi/Hasi, and I myself see all four names 
> of the rebellious princelings at Genesis 14: 2 as being Hurrian common 
> words, each of which effectively means “Hurrian princeling” in Hurrian, 
> which are deftly used as nicknames for the historical league of Hurrian 
> princelings.
***
We have seen before that this kind of analysis runs into severe and multiple 
difficulties.

A.
***


> If one is willing to consider the Hurrian aspects of chapter 14 of 
> Genesis, the name (N-R makes perfect sense as a Hurrian name, while making 
> no sense in west Semitic.
***
No
it does not.

Stay well.

Arnaud Fournet
***