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  • From: Uri Hurwitz <uhurwitz AT yahoo.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Cc: Yigal Levin <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] More on biblical theophric names
  • Date: Tue, 1 Jan 2013 19:25:52 -0800 (PST)

  Yigal,

  As Sancho Panza said, in Bialik's peerless version of Don Quixote, 'I would
sign what you said with two hands.'

  Just a couple of remarks.
  On Yahwistic prefixes - these are much more common than the suffixes.    As
for the name Yokheved  (Alt's suggestion, if memory serves). This would mean
honor to Yahweh. That the root KBD was used in PNs is evident of the
deragotary ")iy KBWD" , as a name, 1 Sam 4:21, 14:3.

  Your statement that from inscriptions we know that "YHW was more common in
pre-exilic Judah, and YH in post-exilic Judah", is a very important element
in the continuing debate about  diachronic development in the language of the
HB. Just to amplify this a bit: all pre-exilic inscriptional YHWH suffixes
end in -YHW (Ahituv). All post-exilic such names found in the inscriptions
end in -YH (Tal Ilan).

  As for the names of the early kings of Judah and Israel -- have you seen
any discussion or attempted explanation on the absence of YHWH theophoric
elements?

  Uri Hurwitz
   
 




1. Theophoric names that include the name of YHWH may also have Yahwistic
prefixes. As such, the first to have such a name was YEHOshua (Joshua), who
appropriately received his name from Moses (having previously been called
Hoshea). One might argue that Yochebed, mother of Moses, Yehudit, daughter of
Ishmael and Yehudah, son of Jacob also have such names, but that can be
debated. After Yehoshua, there is of course also Yehonatan (Jonathan) son of
Saul.



2. YHWH can also be abbreviated as YW, YHW and YAH. From inscriptions, we
know that YW was more common in northern Israel, YHW was more common in
pre-exilic Judah, and YH in post-exilic Judah. The Bible, being a Judahite
book which was at least heavily edited in the post-exilic period, uses them
almost interchangeably, as in Yehonatan/Yonatan or Eliyahu/Eliyah (Elijah).



3. While David may have had a son with a Yawhistic name, most early kings in
both Kingdoms did not, The first king in Judah to have a Yahwistic name was
Yehoshaphat, and the king who really popularized such names was none other
than Ahab, who called his sons Ahazyahu (Ahaziah) and Yehoram/Yoram (Joram).
From that time on, almost all of the kings in both kingdoms had Yahwistic
names.



Now please, what's your point?





Yigal Levin















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