Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] The Name Abraham

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Will Parsons <wbparsons AT alum.mit.edu>
  • To: uhurwitz AT yahoo.com
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] The Name Abraham
  • Date: Sun, 10 Mar 2013 20:47:12 -0400 (EDT)

Hi Uri,

On Sun, 10 Mar 2013 16:19:22 -0700 (PDT), Uri Hurwitz <uhurwitz AT yahoo.com>
wrote:
>   Hi Yigal,
>
>   A good question. The late Theodor Gaster once
> mentioned in conversation that the inserted He
> is a result of a switch in writing from the
> Sumero-Akkadian syllabic to the the proto-Canaanite
> alphabetic script. This, if memopry serves, was also
> his opinion about the change from Sarai to Sarah.
> I don't know if he has written on the subject.

Since I don't know the details, it's somewhat difficult to comment on
this, but it's not clear to me how such a putative switch in writing
could have resulted in an "insertion" of the He.

> On the other hand, that the full biblical name with the He is
> derived directly from ABRM is clear from the text. At least that's
> what the author/editor thought.

I beg to disagree. While I have no theory of my own on the
construction of the name אברהם, my reading of the Biblical text
suggests a complete renaming.

> I don't think there is a need to search for a meaning for a
> speculative 'rhm'.
>
> Uri Hurwitz

I think there does.

--
Will Parsons
μη φαινεσθαι, αλλ' ειναι.



Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page