Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Yigal Levin <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>]

Jim,

It is certainly possible that Nahor is a non-Semitic name. So what? Borrowing 
of names across languages has occurred in every culture.

On the other hand, why shouldn't Abraham's brother be named "nosey" or the 
like? Maybe he was born with a long nose. We do not always know what a name 
means or why a particular person has a particular name. 

Yigal Levin

-----Original Message-----
From: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org 
[mailto:b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of jimstinehart AT aol.com
Sent: Thursday, October 21, 2010 5:24 AM
To: George.Athas AT moore.edu.au; b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] NXWR


George Athas:

Could you give us a west Semitic explanation for the name of Abraham's middle 
brother, NXWR?  Do you think NXWR means "Snorter"?  Why would Abraham's 
middle brother have a name with such a meaning?

When the thread is closed so very quickly, people do not have a chance to 
give a west Semitic explanation.  I was also hoping to get ideas about my 
proposed west Semitic explanation of the word TMR in my last thread, but that 
thread was immediately closed.  And what about the interior vav in XBR-W-N?  
In your view, are there obvious answers to these questions I am raising?  If 
so, what are those answers?  Why can't I find them in the scholalry 
literature?  If NXWR means "Snorter", and if the original meaning of TMR was 
"date palm tree", and if the original spelling of XBR-W-N was XBRN [per the 
LMLK seals] before a later editor for some inexplicable reason put an 
interior vav into that old name, then the historicity of the Patriarchal 
narratives is lost, as far as I can see.  Why isn't the university scholarly 
community discussing these issues in the scholarly literature?  Why are these 
names and words in Tanakh not even fit for discussion on the b-hebrew list?  
If we're not permitted to ask what NXWR means, what are we permitted to ask 
on the b-hebrew list?  Why are certain words and names in the Torah forbidden 
from being discussed?  Why can't we ask if NXWR is a foreign loanword meaning 
"dowry"?  Isn't that an interesting question that is the type of question 
that the b-hebrew list is designed to address?  If you would set forth a 
sensible west Semitic explanation of the name NXWR, then we would all learn 
from you.  If not, then why forbid, in advance, any proposed non-west Semitic 
explanation?  Why isn't every word in the Hebrew Bible a fit subject for 
discussion on the b-hebrew list, including words that may be foreign 
loanwords?  In your opinion, what does the name NXWR mean?

Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois






-----Original Message-----
From: George Athas <George.Athas AT moore.edu.au>
To: JimStinehart AT aol.com <JimStinehart AT aol.com>; B-Hebrew 
<b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Wed, Oct 20, 2010 6:39 pm
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] NXWR


Jim,

Let’s not get into Hurrian on B-Hebrew. This thread ends today.


GEORGE ATHAS
Co-Moderator, B-Hebrew
(Sydney, Australia)


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