Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Ishnian" <ishinan AT comcast.net>]

 Nir Cohen wrote:

david, ishinan,  BZH is also used in hebrew as "loot, spoils (n)" which seems to agree  with david's arabic "to set aside (v)". 

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Ishinan: Again, in this case, there seems to be a problem with David's suggestion.

 

Since the Arabic verb is from the trilateral root "bzz", it never means: "to set aside".

 

Rather it means: he took it away or seized it or carried away by force, he took it away unjustly and forcibly. Hence, it is said in a well known proverb: He who overcomes, takes the spoils (Arabic: man `azza bazza). This is in agreement with the Hebrew 'bazaz' (962); plunder:--booty, prey, spoil(-ed).  

 

Even then, I fail to see how David's proposed Arabic definitions of "set aside" (which BTW are wrong) could lead to the sense of  "spoil"  (see the definitions of "set aside" * below and judge for yourself )

 

 

 

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*set aside
1 reserve something: to keep something, especially time or money, for a specific purpose
2 put something to one side: to put something to one side
3 reject previous decision: to discard, reject, or annul a previous decision or judgment

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Note we are discussing in this exchange *TWO* different Hebrew roots.

 

1) bzz : to spoil, plunder  (see Brown Driver Briggs # 962 p. 102)

 

2) bza: raise the head loftily and disdainfully, hence despise, regard with contempt   (see Brown Driver Briggs # 959 p. 102)

 

 

 

Best regards,

 

Ishinan Ishibashi