Biblical Hebrew Forum

[jimstinehart AT aol.com]

George Athas:
 
You wrote:  “How many times are you going to post on this great mystery, Jim?”
 
George, I would much prefer to get your expert input on the Hebrew grammar 
issue here.  In the phrase WY$B B-)LN-Y MMR) at Genesis 13: 18, I have 
suggested that )LNY means both (i) “oak trees of” and (ii) “Aijalons of”.  
There were two places in the southerly eastern Aijalon Valley whose names had 
similar or identical spellings.  At Joshua 19: 42-43, the spellings of these 
two places are identical in unpointed text, and using plene spelling, the 
spelling is:  )YLWN.  In defective spelling, certainly the interior vav/W 
would not be there.  But the questions are (a) whether the interior yod was 
always there, especially for the small town in the south-central Aijalon 
Valley, and (b) whether the interior yod might in any event be dropped in 
masculine construct plural form.  As to an interior yod in these types of 
names often dropping out, I have noted that the Hebrew judge’s name )YLWN at 
Judges 12: 11 drops the yod in the next verse, being )LWN at Judges 12: 12 
[even though that same verse says that he was buried at )YLWN, with an 
interior yod].  As to the first point, I have noted that we might expect the 
Patriarchs’ favorite place to sojourn in southern Canaan to be remembered in 
the name of one of Jacob’s many grandsons,  and at Genesis 46: 14, a son of 
Zebulun is )LWN, with no interior yod.  If that is plene spelling, then the 
original, defective spelling in the Patriarchal narratives may well have been 
)LN.  In my opinion, the Patriarchs may have sojourned near )LN and )YLN, 
being the two “Aijalons” in the Aijalon Valley.     
 
George, in your expert opinion, could )LNY at Genesis 13: 18 mean “Aijalons 
of”?  I would love to get the opinions of people like yourself on the 
b-hebrew list as to this question.  I myself see the secondary meaning of 
)LNY in masculine construct plural as being “oaks of”, and the primary 
meaning as being “Aijalons of”.
 
George, any critique of the foregoing grammatical analysis of )LNY at Genesis 
13: 18, by you or others, would be greatly appreciated.  I am here to learn, 
like everyone else.
 
Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois






-----Original Message-----
From: George Athas <George.Athas AT moore.edu.au>
To: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Tue, May 3, 2011 12:13 am
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Aleph-Yod-Lamed-Vav Names


How many times are you going to post on this great mystery, Jim?

EORGE ATHAS
oore Theological College (Sydney, Australia)
ww.moore.edu.au
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