Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Nir cohen - Prof. Mat." <nir AT ccet.ufrn.br>]

jim stinehart wrote:

>>> On the b-hebrew list, the best way to check out claims of the prominence
of oak trees in Biblical times is to examine Biblical toponyms.
 >>> The Aijalon Valley has three villages whose names refer to “oak trees”: 
I Samuel 10: 3, Joshua 19: 43, and I Kings 4: 9.  [It is less clear whether
the name of the famous Aijalon refers to oak trees.....

jim,

toponyms have the interesting quality that mostly their 
etymology is in debate. often it had been coined in a different
language or dialect. i am not sure that "oak" is the 
only interpretation for ayalon, elah etc. besides, a single 
hugh oak tree on a crossroad might have lent its name to the whole valley.
sometimes a foreign name gets misinterpreted. 

i could build a 
whole theory of a valley full of gazelles, for example (AYALAH).
in this case, maybe i would locate it in ... ein gedi. there, abraham
could entertain his guests, then watch from the window to 
see sdom and amorah, see the boiling water and steam on the lake, hear 
the earth shaking and then hurry to save lot in the same day!!! rather 
than (100 yeasrs old!) ride a donkey for miles from a distant valley
where (even assuming good visibility and perfect eyesight) he could 
not have really seen anything but a distant spot on the horizon.

i do not say your theory is incorrect. but you should look for
corroborating evidence outside the text, instead of simply ignoring it
and repeating the same old arguments.

nir cohen