Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>]

I consider it as a fundamental tenet of Hebrew Etymology that there  
need be no "horizontal" relationships between different Hebrew words  
derived from the same root, let alone from different roots. As I see  
it, there is no associative relationship between $BIYL, 'path', and  
$ABLUL, 'snail'; the snail does not leave a trail, or some such  
thing.  Similarly, I don't see an associative, or horizontal,  
relationship among $UAL, 'fox', of Song of Songs 2:15, MI$OL, 'path',  
of Nu. 22:24, and $OAL, 'hollow of the hand', of Is. 40:12. Nor  
between KPIYR, 'lion', (which I consider a variant of KBIYR, 'huge')  
of Jud. 14:5, and KPOR, 'hoarfrost', (which I consider a variant of  
QBOR, 'cover, bury') of Ex. 16:14.
It is true that the coiners of new Hebrew words disregard this  
limitation, for instance, from ZXL, 'slide, creep', they recently  
produced ZAXLIYL, 'tractor-tank', (DAXLIYL, 'scarecrow', is I  
believe, from Aramaic). But not so in the Hebrew bible: SAGRIYR of  
Prov. 27:15 has apparently nothing to do with SGR, 'close'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Jun 5, 2011, at 4:17 PM, Nir cohen - Prof. Mat. wrote:
> i was not getting into etymology at all, i was just trying to  
> understand the point in isaac' question, which still escapes me.  
> some of the associations he makes with BH are clearly much more far- 
> fetched than the one i was making (independent of its veracity).  
> yet he was alarmed by this one.