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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] The Names "Abram" and "Abraham"

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  • From: Garth Grenache <garthgrenache AT hotmail.com>
  • To: b-hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] The Names "Abram" and "Abraham"
  • Date: Sun, 18 Sep 2011 21:53:02 +1000


Interesting thoughts!

I don't find in any of them yet a good explanation for the R in Abraham.

'Ra' the Egyptian sun God doesn't convince me, because the 'a' in 'Ra' is not
a vowel (as in the ra of Abraham), but is a consonant(pharyngeal fricative)
sound like `ayin.

This is confirmed by the Hebrew spelling Ra`meses.

Indeed it is uncertain whether even the vowel between the r and ` in Egyptian
Ra was originally 'a'. Some spell it Re`.

So one who suggests that the 'ra' in Abraham is from Egyptian 'Ra', must also
at least suggest why the `ayin sound is missing from Abraham.

Gesenius (
http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H85&t=KJV )
cites Arabic ruhaam- to mean 'a large number'.
Perhaps as is often so, Arabic has preserved a root that Hebrew has lost from
general usage?

Kind regards,
Garth Grenache,
Australia.




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