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  • From: Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>
  • To: Chavoux Luyt <chavoux AT gmail.com>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] The Name El Shaddai
  • Date: Thu, 2 May 2013 08:17:58 -0400

It appears to me that $ADAY is a combination of איש-עד-היא- היא I$-AD-HI-HI, (or AZ-AD-HI-HI. Compare with AZAZEL) with an ancient ending marking the plural. In this, it is equivalent to $ED, which acquired of late the popular connotation of "devil". The name has certainly nothing to do with robberies, breasts, or fields.

The צב CAB of CBAOT is 'large', and is the root of the animal names CAB, CBIY, CABOA.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On May 2, 2013, at 5:58 AM, Chavoux Luyt wrote:

Shalom all

While much has been made of the Name YHWH as revealed to Moses and its possible meaning, the Name "El Shaddai" by which God revealed Himself to the patriarchs seems to be of less interest.

Most translations translate it as "God Almighty" (perhaps following the LXX?). The term "Shaddai" has been related to 3 possible origins (that I know of):
1. Shadad, (שדד) means "to overpower" or "to destroy" (possibly from an original meaning of "strong")
2. Shadaiym (שָׁדַיִם) meaning "breasts" and pointing to His provision
3. Sadeh (שדה) meaning "veld" or mountain (from Akkadian?) (also connected to His provision for pastoralists from the veld)

(There is also the Mishnaic interpretation that it means "Who is enough" 'She-dai' or "Mi she'Amar Dai L'olamo")

I am wondering if another possibility might not be connected to the word "shed" or "sheddim" (שדים) (Deut.32:17), assuming that this word did not originally have the negative connotation of "devil", but rather (like Greek daimon originally?) a more neutral meaning. In that case it could be functionally equivalent to the later "YHWH Tzevaot" (יהוה צבאות) meaning the God of the heavenly armies?

Regards
Chavoux Luyt
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