Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>]

The interchangeability of letters is the יסוד מוסד the foundation, of the Indo-European etymology. Every Hebrew schoolboy knows that תור TOR, 'ox' in aramaic is $OR in Hebrew, following the correspondence S <-> T, and that דהב DHAB, 'gold', in Aramaic is ZAHAB in Hebrew, following the correspondence D <-> Z. But unlike the Indo-European languages, Hebrew is a root (not a word!) based language, and for it the interchangeability of letters is an internal affair. 

But we need to be careful to distinguish between a verb and a noun on the one hand (OK language is figurative), and a root on the other hand. The root describes a state (is static) of a general concrete meaning, while the derived verbs and nouns are imaginative similes. 

The root צבר CBR means 'accumulate, aggregate, be together of many parts". The verb, or act CABAR meant 'to bring into the state CBR'. From this root we have the noun ציבור CIBUR, 'mound, pile', of 2Kings 10:8. Today we use ציבור CIBUR for 'congregation'. Equivalent to the concrete CIBUR is the abstract דיבור DIBUR, accumulation of words', and also סיפור, 'story'. From the root DBR we have also דוברה DOBRAH, 'raft', דבורה DBORAH, 'bee', and דביר DBIYR, 'a raised part'. 

From the variant root תבר (in Aramaic corresponding to שבר $BR, 'break', as in תבירי ליבא TBIYREI LIBA, 'of a broken heart') we have the mountain name תבור TABOR, which looks exactly like a טבור TABUR, 'naval, belly button' (see Judges 9:37.)

From the root CPR  we have ציפור CIPOR, 'bird, congregation, flock, of the flying', which I think is but a variant of דבורה DBORAH, 'bee'.

I think that the post-biblical זבר ZBR, from which we have אדמה זיבורית 'worthless land, wasteland', is related to piles, the same way that מדבר MIDBAR, 'desert', is.  

Certainly, $ABAR, 'broke', is essentially CABAR the separate pieces.

the act שפר $APAR, 'improve', is to pile up additions, and תפר TAPAR, 'sew', is essentially to accumulate pieces into a fabric. 

The body part צואר CAWAR, 'neck', is essentially a צבר CABAR צרור CARUR of flesh on which the head may dance. 

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Apr 2, 2013, at 5:09 PM, Nir cohen - Prof. Mat. wrote:

isaac,

what is your definition for interchangeable-quote-unquote?
does it mean that CPR, CWR and CBR have anything in common?
$PR, $WR, $BR? etc etc

nit cohen

On Thu, 28 Mar 2013 18:53:22 -0400, Isaac Fried wrote
> 1. Correct. The letters ו ב פ are "interchangeable". Consider the triplet
> שבע שוע שפע