Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Addition of Heh to names

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: jimstinehart AT aol.com
  • To: leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il, b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Addition of Heh to names
  • Date: Sun, 24 Apr 2011 14:24:07 -0400


1. Professor Yigal Levin wrote:

“Av-ram (and Aviram as well) falls into a well-documented type of Western
Semitic "theophoric" names (that is, names that include a divine name or
title, usually with a verb or adjective), in which the divine is expressed in
terms of kinship: "My father (the god) is high/exalted". Abi-melekh: "My
father is king".”

Although it may at first glance seem like a minor point, in my opinion the
word “my” should be deleted in those meanings. Ab-ram means “(the divine)
Father is exalted”. Ab-i-melek either means “(the divine) father (is) king”,
or alternatively, “(the divine) father (is) Moloch”. I agree with those
scholars who see the interior yod/Y in these names as simply indicating a
break between two words; that interior yod/Y is optional and has no meaning
-- other than to indicate a break between two words and that this is a proper
name.

“An alternate form of this name [Abram/)BRM] is )BYRM, which has a yod
joining the two elements. Martin Noth has shown convincingly that in
sentence names like )BYRM this letter has no significance whatever. We find
such names )X)B alongside of )XY)B [Eleph.], but even more important are
those examples where the same individual is given both forms: )B$LWM and
)BY$LWM [I Kings 15: 2, 10 {yod present} and II Chronicles 11: 20-21 {no
yod}], )LPL+ and )LYPL+ [II Samuel 5: 16 {yod present} and I Chronicles 14: 5
{no yod}]. …[T]he name )BRM can be translated ‘Father is exalted’.” Thomas
L. Thompson, “The Historicity of the Patriarchal Narratives” (2002), at pp.
22-23.

Thus: )B-RM = )B-Y-RM. )B-MLK = )B-Y-MLK. )X-)B = )X-Y-)B. )B-$LM =
)B-Y-$LM. The meaning of each pair of names is identical. The optional
presence of the interior yod/Y has no substantive meaning. Rather, the
interior yod/Y is functioning as a “divider”, if you will. It only clarifies
the form: this is a personal name, which consists of two words, which here
are divided by this interior yod/Y.

2. Surprisingly, recognizing that a Hebrew letter in a name can function as
a mere divider may be the key to unlocking the millennia-old secret of the
name “Abraham”. Professor Levin wrote:

“Av-ra-ham is more complicated. As such, it is not known outside of the
Bible. Scholars are divided over whether it is a by-form of Avram, perhaps
reflecting a dialect or a spelling convention, or whether the element "raham"
actually means something. We do not know of "raham" meaning "multitude" in
Hebrew or any related language.”

As implied by what Prof. Levin wrote, scholars have been unable to correlate
the name “Abraham”, that is, )BRHM, with the Biblical explanation of what
that name means [since raham does not mean ‘multitude’ or ‘many nations’]:

“Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be
Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.” Genesis 17: 5

The “secret” to understanding the name )BRHM is to see the he/H as being a
mere divider. That name is composed not of two words [like “Abram”], but
rather of three (3) separate words: (i) )B; (ii) R-; (iii) -M. The -H-
functions as a divider, and also tells us where a letter needs to be implied:
at the end of the second word, R-, and at the beginning of the third word,
-M. If we look at )BRHM as being )B plus R- plus -M [three separate words,
where the interior he/H is functioning as a divider], then the name
beautifully matches what Genesis 17: 5 says it means.

Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois







Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page