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Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

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  • From: JimStinehart AT aol.com
  • To: fournet.arnaud AT wanadoo.fr, George.Athas AT moore.edu.au, b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Eve and the Hivites
  • Date: Tue, 2 Nov 2010 09:38:16 EDT


Dr. Fournet:

The purpose of this thread on the b-hebrew list is to try to figure out the
meaning of the Biblical Hebrew word XWY at chapter 34 of Genesis. Although
your comments are interesting from a Hurrian language point of view, they
have almost nothing to do with the point of this thread. The question here
is whether XWY in chapter 34 of Genesis does, or does not, mean “the Heba
people”. We know that historically, people who worshipped the pagan goddess
Heba are documented as being at Shechem in the Late Bronze Age, and in my
controversial view that is the historical time period of the Patriarchal Age.

With the historical facts of the mid-14th century BCE being settled as to
these particular issues, the remaining outstanding issue is a b-hebrew list
type of issue: the historical linguistic issue of the etymology of the
Hebrew
word XWY. I have quoted three mainstream scholars who tie the notorious
pagan goddess Heba to the name “Eve”/XWH. Your post, which said nothing
explicitly whatsoever as to that particular issue, might possibly be read, by
its silence, as implying acceptance of that viewpoint. If the Biblical
Hebrew
name XWH is tied to Heba, then why wouldn’t the Biblical Hebrew name XWY as
well be tied to Heba? That’s my contention on this thread. We must keep
the focus here on trying to interpret the historical meaning of the Hebrew
word XWY [since no one on the b-hebrew list except you and I have any
interest
in exploring Hurrian language issues for the sake of Hurrian language
issues]. But the b-hebrew list is designed to, among other things, explore
the
meaning of mysterious, controversial Biblical Hebrew words like XWY.

I view the XWY at chapter 34 of Genesis as being “the Heba people”, that
is, people in mid-14th century BCE Shechem who historically worshipped the
notorious pagan goddess Heba. The narrow question being explored on this
thread is whether that historical linguistic assertion of mine is valid or
invalid. Have I or have I not succeeded in uncovering, for the first time in
over 2,000 years, the historical meaning of the heretofore mysterious
Biblical
Hebrew word XWY at chapter 34 of Genesis? One of the main purposes of the
b-hebrew list is to explore the meaning of Biblical Hebrew words [such as XWH
and XWY], and I am trying very hard to keep this thread within those
parameters [or else this thread will be immediately closed by the moderators,
and
then I will never find out if people agree or disagree with my assertion as
to the historical meaning of the Biblical Hebrew word XWY at chapter 34 of
Genesis]. The narrow question on this thread is whether the Biblical Hebrew
word XWY in chapter 34 of Genesis is or is not referring to the historical “
Heba people” at Shechem in the Patriarchal Age.

Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois





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