Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Nir cohen - Prof. Mat." <nir AT ccet.ufrn.br>]

jim,

On Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:56:50 -0500 (EST), JimStinehart wrote
> Yes, but the whole problem, you see, is that based on Hebrew linguistics, it’s very difficult to see SLM as meaning “ladder”.  Linguistically, SLM might be matched to either “baskets” or “ziggurat-style ramps”, but those alternatives don’t fit historically and geographically.

most nouns in most ancient languages do not have a proven source within the dialect, nor can be established as loan words. in hebrew i will mention  $ULXAN (table), KOBA (hat), TEBA (arc), E$ (fire), NKD (grandson), NYN (great grandson), ZRT (pinky), BHN (toe), R($ (head), YD (hand),  )BN (stone) 
etc. only by cross-reference with other dialects can this be validated.

i do not see why SULAM (ladder) should be treated any differently. our failure to recognize its semitic origin does not turn it
automatically into a loan word.

> That’s why I suggest cutting the Gordian knot and viewing SLM as being a Hurrian loanword.

a. there is no gordian knot to cut.

b. the linguistic evidence you give for hurrian sulam is very weak. we do not even know that this word
existed in hurrian at all. so, at best you replace one enygma by another.

> Your Latin suggestion is  n-o-t  “the same logic”, because there were no Latin speakers in Canaan in the Patriarchal Age. 

yes, they are based on the same "logic": seeking false cognates. as for the dating, this can be debated. few researchers would claim
that genesis was actually written by the patriarchs in the bronze age. and what if a scribe in the roman period changed an archaic word into
COLUMNA-->SULAM? clearly i do not claim COLUMNA to be the origin, i am just making a point about linguistic validitation.

> By contrast, the ruling class of Canaan at that time was, in my opinion, dominated by Hurrian princelings.

the fact that england was dominated by french priencelings did not change most (mostly saxon) agricultural terms in english such as
cow, pork, goose, hound, horse, field, house, rain, thunder, tree, plough, feather etc. 

> By linguistic analysis such as this, I am trying to establish the true antiquity and pinpoint historical accuracy of the Patriarchal narratives.  I myself see the Patriarchal narratives as dating all the long way back to the Late Bronze Age.

i have no problem with this; but please base it on more solid grounds.

nir cohen

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