Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

On a recent trip to Israel, traveling on route 1 from Jerusalem to  
Tel Aviv my eye caught a large road sign pointing to the city of Ashdod.

What is this for a name: Ashdod?

It readily crossed my mind that it is possibly the combination of the  
the two deity names A$ (AS, I$) and DOD.

A$, AS or I$ abound in biblical names: ICXAQ (ISXAQ, I$XAQ), I$MAEL,  
ESAW, ISRAEL, A$ER, ISSAKAR, $IMON, AKIY$, ESTER, $MUEL, $AUL, $IYM 
$ON, KMO$, $EME$ and A$TORET.

The combination A$-AD appears also in (EL) $ADAY of Gen. 17:1,  
leaving the letter Shin embossed, to this very day, on every mezuzah  
and every tfilin shel rosh.

It appears to me that DOD is AD-HU-AD, and that AD = AZ as in AZAZEL  
= AZ-AZ-EL.

In this connection we should also raise our hats in recognition of  
the slyness of the pious public readers, and eventually the  
NAQDANIYM, who deftly turned DOD into DAVID (and yet left his  
father's name as YI$AY.)

Isaac Fried, Boston University