Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Yigal Levin <Yigal.Levin AT biu.ac.il>]

Dear Uri, Uzi and all:

 

The –ayim suffix in Biblical Hebrew place names does NOT indicate a dual, but is rather something like a locative. Adoraim does not have two Adoras, Yerushalaim does not have two Yerushals, Ramataim does not have two Ramahs and so on. In fact, sometimes the same place is referred to by both forms (Gath/Gittaim, Ramah/Ramataim, Ophrah/(Ephraim – with an Ayin). For references you can see may recent BASOR article refuting the identification of Khirbet Qeyafa with Shaaraim (if anyone wants a PDF please contact me offlist). Although sometimes the biblical authors used such names in their stories as if they were duel forms. Look at Gen. 32 – first Jacob meets angels of God and names the spot Mahanaim, meaning "a camp of God", and then he also divides his group into two camps.

 

So despite the fact that the Egyptians referred to their country as "the two lands" (upper and lower), the SEMITIC name, Misr, meaning something like "strait", has nothing duel about it, and neither does the Hebrew version Misraim.

 

Syria is a Greek abbreviation of Assyria – although ancient Assyria was really in what is now Iraq, the Greeks knew the Persian province of Athura, which was in what became Syria.

 

Yigal Levin

 

From: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org [mailto:b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Uzi Silber
Sent: Tuesday, April 30, 2013 8:48 PM
To: Uri Hurwitz
Cc: b-hebrew
Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Micrayim vs Misr

 

Uri:

 

I will be writing an article on the hillarious state of affairs regarding the names of the Arab countries surrounding Israel: at least three of four have Hebrew names!  Mitzrayim, Yarden (Ever HaYarden or TransJordan), and Levanon -- all Hebrew....Obvious, since they were named by the Colonial powers.   

What this implies about the supposed nationhood of the respective Arab states surrounding Israel is a very interesting discussion, though not for this group.  Suffice it to say the Arab 'Spring' and its aftermath says enough about the topic.

 

On Syria though, I have a question -- is this a name with a Tanakh origin (Sirion?) or Greek or Latin?

 

Uzi Silber

 

 

On Tue, Apr 30, 2013 at 12:26 PM, Uri Hurwitz <uhurwitz AT yahoo.com> wrote:

 During the brief discussion here of the etymology
 of the name Misr ( Egypt in Arab.), nobody seemed
 to remember that in the Hebrew bible this name
  occurs only in the dual -Micrayim (or Mitzrayim).

 Any theory about that? Is that a diachronic marker,
 namely that the name was first used by Hebrew scribes,
 when there was a division between upper and lower Egypt?
 George, any opinion?

   Uri Hurwitz


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