Biblical Hebrew Forum

[jimstinehart AT aol.com]

Noam Eitan:

 

You wrote:  “Johannes Cornelis de Moor wrote about this extensively in "The Rise of Yahwism: The Roots of Israelite Monotheism". It was discussed on this list in 2004.”

 

But did anyone ever attempt an explanation of the name of King David’s scribe?  In books of the Bible after II Samuel, $RYH is usually a Hebrew name, being $R-YH.  But the father of King David’s scribe didn’t believe in YHWH, and would not have given his son a west Semitic name that honors YHWH.  Unless you’re reading this thread in 2012, you’re never going to see the name of King David’s scribe explained as being $R -Y   [-H], being a Semiticized non-Hebrew name that has nothing whatsoever to do with YHWH.  Just like the name “Uriah”, though ending with -YH, has nothing whatsoever to do with YHWH.  Sarah’s birth name is $R -Y, being the attested woman’s non-Semitic name $aru-ya, and the basic name of King David’s scribe is likewise $R -Y, but as a man’s name, it’s the attested man’s non-Semitic name $ar-ri -ya, which has then been Semiticized by adding a final -H at the end.  You see, King David inherited that scribe when he took Jerusalem from Araunah the Jebusite, with both “Araunah” and “Jebusite” being non-Semitic names, and with “Araunah”, like “Uriah” and “Seraiah”, having a Semiticizing final -H.

 

Not everyone in Canaan was born a Hebrew with a good Hebrew name.  Not.

 

Jim Stinehart

Evanston, Illinois