Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Steve Miller" <smille10 AT sbcglobal.net>]

Leonard,
This is a worthy research subject.

I think the shoham stone (KJV onyx) is diamond from its 1st mention in Gen
2:11-12.
The land of the Havilah (sand) is the place where the gold is, and the place
where the bedolach (bdellium) and shoham stone are. 

Of the 3 materials, (gold, bedolach, shoham stone) we know only 1, gold.  We
also know shoham is a stone.

The place where the gold is must be South Africa (60% of world's gold). It
is also the place of the biggest sand dunes in the world. (2nd biggest is
Arabian Peninsula.)

If the Havilah is South Africa, then shoham stone must be diamond, since
South Africa is also the place where the diamonds are.

There are 2 Havilah' s. Havilah, son of Cush (Gen 10:7; 1Chr 1:9) inhabited
the Arabian Peninsula, which was named Havilah without the definite article
(Gen 25:18; 1Sam 15:7).

Havilah, descendant of Shem and Eber, is put together with Ophir and Sheba,
all 3 of which are associated with lots of gold, and thus I deduce dwelled
in the land of the Havilah (with definite article), where the gold is. (Gen
10:25-30; 1Chr 1:19-23).  If you add "ica" to Ophir, you get Africa.

Sincerely,
-Steve Miller
Detroit
www.voiceInWilderness.info
Hearken daughter, consider.
Also incline your ear.
And forget your own people
and father's house so dear.
So shall the King desire
your beauty so greatly,
for He alone is Your Lord.
Worship Him truthfully. (Ps 45:10-11)

> -----Original Message-----
> From: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:b-hebrew-
> bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of leonard book
> Sent: Sunday, December 18, 2011 2:50 AM
> To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
> Subject: [b-hebrew] Origin Unknown
> 
> As a new subscriber to b-hebrew I should like to inform other members a
little bit
> about myself. I was born in the UK over half a century ago - no more
information
> available, and at present reside in Jerusalem. I am at present a
post-graduate,
> researching for a PhD at Manchester University UK.
> My subject is one that has been both discussed and avoided without
reaching
> satisfactory conclusion. I am researching the twelve gemstones of the High
Priest's
> Breastplate or Breast-piece. Objects that were seen for centuries, yet
their identity
> cannot be 100% verified as to their names, in my case, the English
language. I have
> over 116 possibilities yet no certainties.
> 
> 
> 
> One of the problems is the fact that many dictionaries/concordances either
state
> 'origin unknown' or, 'refer to the Septuagint'. The word 'etymology'
> or rather 'emet' ology, i.e. to revel the truth of the origin of a word,
does not clarify
> the situation. I have turned to mono-genesis, as I cannot accept that when
the
> Torah was written the meaning of these twelve words was not revealed. So
far, by
> following the majority, I have been able to confirm less than 50% of the
most
> probable names of the gemstones.
> 
> 
> 
> It should be noted that some of the stones, such as Sapphire, were known
by
> different names, Lapis Lazuli, when one delves into the mists of antiquity
via
> archeogemmology. I would be interested to learn b-hebrew subscribers
views,
> especially any known bi-literal or tri-literal roots of the stones as
listed in Exodus,
> Chapter 28:17-20.
> 
> 
> 
> Leonard E. Book M. Phil MRHS
> 
> Jerusalem