Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Uri Hurwitz <uhurwitz AT yahoo.com>]

   Yigal,

   
   Obviously there are quite a few hapax legomena
 in the HB.

   Precisely because the root is not found
elsewhere in the HB, one reaches by way of
 elimination at the suggested 'heal' from Aramaic. 

   

   Looking at it further, it could be an abbreviation
 from a longer  name such as *ASAEL ( with a Samekh,
 not Sin ). It would the precise equivalent of the
 attested RefaeL in meaning.

   And yes, the root could be ASA or ASY in Aram.

    Nothing I say here is written in stone, but
 rather in ephemeral marks, almost like the biblical
 'ruchut refaim'.

   Uri Hurwitz





Uri,

What is the evidence that the name Asa is derived from the same root as the
Aramaic ASA? (BTW, are you sure that in Aramaic the root is ASA and not
ASY?)

Why would it be? The root ASA "health" is not attested in Hebrew from any
period.

Yigal Levin



  In the HB the root may be recognized in the name  ASA ( Aleph Samekh
Aleph).






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