Biblical Hebrew Forum

[JimStinehart AT aol.com]

Karl:

 

You wrote:  “There was the claim made that Uriah was the first person listed in Tanakh who had a name ending in the theophoric -YH or -YHW. But I just read through 1 Chronicles 23–27, which lists many people connected with the administration of the Davidic kingship, and I noticed name after name after name ending in the theophoric -YH or -YHW, many of them the sons or grandsons of those with such names. That shows a pattern that such theophoric endings for names was at least not unusual in the generations preceding David, if not common.”

 

1.  No name in the Patriarchal narratives ends with -YH.  That is one indication that the Patriarchal narratives are much older than the rest of the Bible.

 

2.  Uriah is of non-Semitic ancestry, as he is said to be a XT-Y/Xuti-ia/The Praise Teshup People.  [XT-Y is at Genesis 15: 20.]  Yet Uriah’s ancestors had lived in Jerusalem for many generations.  The final -H in the name “Uriah” is a Semiticization of a non-Semitic name, with such Semiticization deftly making those very two points:  (i) Uriah was of non-Semitic ancestry, but (ii) his ancestors had lived in Jerusalem for many generations.  The identical analysis applies to Araunah the Jebusite.  The basic form of the name “Uriah” ends with -Y/-ia, and then for each of the names “Uriah” and “Aruanah” a final -H has been added as a Semiticization.

 

“Uriah” is:  ’WR-Y -H : Ev-ri-ia -H : Teshup Is Lord [+ Semiticization]

 

“Araunah” is:  ’RWN -H : Er-wi-in -H : [Teshup] Is The Lord [+ Semiticization]

 

3.  Prior to King David, Jerusalem had, both historically and Biblically, been controlled by families of non-Semitic ancestry, as deftly and accurately recalled at Joshua 15: 63:  “As for the Jebusites [H-YBWS-Y/the A-bu-u-se-ia/the Saved by Teshup People] the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out:  but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this day.” 

 

The reason why scholars have been unable to make linguistic sense out of the name YBWS-Y [“Jebusites”] is because scholars don’t realize that in rendering non-Semitic names in the Bible [including in the Patriarchal narratives at Genesis 15: 21 here], Hebrew yod/Y is used to represent the non-Semitic true vowel A, which in this name occurs in both initial and final position:  A-bu-u-se-ia.  Historically, the single most common beginning of a non-Semitic proper name is the true vowel A as its own separate syllable, a phenomenon unknown within Biblical Hebrew itself, and [also so unlike Biblical Hebrew] non-Semitic yod/Y  n-e-v-e-r  appears at the beginning of any such non-Semitic proper name!  So it was sensible for Hebrew and Jewish scribes to decide to use Hebrew yod/Y to render the non-Semitic true vowel A.  At least 17 names in the Patriarchal narratives and Exodus are non-Semitic names that feature Hebrew yod/Y rendering non-Semitic true vowel A.

 

The Patriarchal narratives are much older, and much more historically accurate, than university scholars realize.  The linguistic key to unlocking the antiquity and spectacular historical accuracy of the Patriarchal narratives is to realize that in rendering non-Semitic proper names, Hebrew yod/Y is used to represent non-Semitic true vowel A. 

 

Jim Stinehart

Evanston, Illinois