Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - [b-hebrew] The word CBIY and the root CB

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>
  • To: Pere Porta <pporta7 AT gmail.com>
  • Cc: Hebrew Forum <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] The word CBIY and the root CB
  • Date: Tue, 10 May 2011 08:30:32 -0400

I think we mentioned this before. I understand the root CB to mean 'large, inflated, copious, swollen, tumescent'. We have from it the verb CABAH צבה, 'to swell', of Nu. 5:27, the noun CABA) צבא, 'army, multitude', the verb CAB( צבע, (at least in the present-day sense) 'to paint, to cover by paint', and ECBA( אצבע 'finger', all related to the root YCB יצב, 'erect, set up', and TOB טוב 'good, solid, stable' (in present-day Hebrew TOBIYN, 'goods' is טובין).
Hence the name CB-IY (the addendum -IY is, in my opinion, the personal pronoun 'he' for the thing itself) for the buxom (boxsome) animal with the tall and spreading antlers.
I suspect that the letter ayin in (OPER עפר of Cant. 2:9 is but a muted tsade, so that OPER = COPER = CPIYR, essentially a CBIYR.
The root CB is a variant of DB, ZB, TB, SB, $B, and we have from these the other animal names: CAB צב 'turtle, lizard?', DOB דוב 'bear', ZEEB זאב 'wolf', CABOA( צבוע 'hyena?'.
The neophyte CIBYON צביון is, in my opinion, but $IWYON שוויון 'form', (see Is. 40:25) and has nothing to do with desire.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On May 9, 2011, at 11:54 PM, Pere Porta wrote:

My dictionary has three entries for CBY:

1. a noun meaning gazelle (Dt 12:15)
2. a noun meaning beauty, honor (Is 28:5)
3. a noun meaning north (Dn 8:9)

and has noun CiBYWN, desire. This is not found in the Bible.
Hebrew has also noun PiRYWN, fertility, of PRY, fruit.
Remark that CBY and PRY belong to the same vowel pattern.

Kind regards from

Pere Porta





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page