Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Simple Pronunciation Question...

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Will Parsons <wbparsons AT alum.mit.edu>
  • To: jbutzu AT gmail.com
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Simple Pronunciation Question...
  • Date: Mon, 15 Nov 2010 14:38:06 -0500 (EST)

Hello John,

On Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:34:15 -0500, John Butzu <jbutzu AT gmail.com> wrote:
> Hello all,
> Although I rarely comment on this list, I enjoy my subscription very much as
> the subject of Biblical Hebrew fascinates me. I have a quick question
> concerning the word Solomon in the Bible as found in Proverbs 1:1 [example].
> Can anyone please explain to me why the name is nor pronounced like we say
> it today? There is no "n" sound in the text... only what sounds like an
> "oh" sound (in the pointed text) following the root word Shalom (which =
> peace). Hence I see the correct pronunciation as "Shalomah,"
> or something close to that.
>
> Is there any reason why the "Sh" sound became an "S" sound in our English
> Bibles? And why no we close the word Shalomah with an N if there is no N in
> the original text?

"Solomon" is a traditional rendering of the name, ultimately deriving from
how שלמה was rendered in Greek, i.e., Σολωμων/Solomon, or Σαλωμων/Salomon.
Greek (and Latin) had no separate "sh" sound, so the Hebrew shin was rendered
simply as sigma. A rendering *Σολωμω/Solomo would have sounded like a
feminine name in Greek, since names ending in omega/o are normally feminine.
(Names like "Plato" are misleading - they actually end in an ν/n, "Platon".)
So the final n was added to make it conform better to Greek naming patterns.
The name passed down into Latin as Salomon/Solomon, and subsequently passed
down to English.

If we rendered the name in English according the usual conventions in English
Bibles, we would have "Shelomoh", but as in other cases of very well-known
names, the traditional forms have been kept. (Other examples of traditional
renderings would be "Isaac" rather than "Izhak", "Jacob" rather than "Jaakob",
"Eve" rather than "Havah", "Isaiah" rather than "Jeshaiah", "Jerusalem" rather
"Jerushalaim", and numerous others.)

> I am sure there is an easy explanation... hence I thought I would ask
> here...
> Thanks in advance for helping my feeble, faltering brain...

--
Will Parsons



Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page