Biblical Hebrew Forum

[jimstinehart AT aol.com]

Isaac Fried:

You wrote:  “The words אורח ORAX, 'road, path' (Gen. 49:17), 'habit, manner', 
(Gen.18:11);  אורחה ORXAH, 'company, caravan' (Gen. 37:25); ארוחה  ARUXAH, 
'dinner, meal, feast' (Proverbs 15:17),  are all from the root ARX, which is 
a variant, methinks, of the root ARK, 'long, extended'.  I rather think that 
ירח YAREAX is a variant if ZAREAX, 'shining'.”

Thank you for pointing out that (i) at Genesis 49: 17, )RX means “road, 
path”;  and that (ii) at Genesis 37: 25, )RXT means “caravan of”.  That 
confirms that the Hebrew author of the Patriarchal narratives was well aware 
of the Hebrew verb )RX, meaning “to go, journey, wander, take a long caravan 
trip”.  TRX makes a long “journey” or “caravan trip” that has momentous 
consequences in the Patriarchal narratives.  So it makes sense that his name, 
TRX, in Hebrew is a shortened form of T)RX, and in Hebrew means “you journey” 
or “you take a long caravan trip”.

You seem to agree with me that TRX has no relationship to YRX/moon.  Neither 
Terah, nor any of his descendants in Naharim, ever says word one about the 
“moon”.  The conventional view that TRX is a variant of YRX/moon is 
erroneous, in my humble opinion.

I am trying to show that each native west Semitic speaking person in the 
Patriarchal narratives, such as Terah and his three sons, has a name that has 
a sensible meaning in Hebrew.  The moon plays no role in the Patriarchal 
narratives, and the name TRX has nothing to do with YRX/moon.  Rather, TRX 
makes a momentous “journey” or “long caravan trip” that is integral to the 
plotline of the Patriarchal narratives.  The name TRX in Hebrew is a 
shortened form of T)RX, which in Hebrew means “you journey” or “you take a 
long caravan trip”.

Jim Stinehart
Evanston, Illinois