Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

1. "Proto-Semitic" belongs to the realm of the legends.

2. The root עשש for עש is an invention by extension. 

3. "Akkadian" is the language of beguiling, made-up, dictionaries. We should stick, methinks, to what we know, and what we can verify, first hand. 

3. Appears to me that עש A$ is one of the family of words:

עד ED, Gen. 31:48

עז EZ, Lev. 17:3

עץ EC, Gen. 1:11

עש A$, Is. 51:8

עיט AYIT, Gen. 15:11

עיש AYI$, Iob 38:32

סס SAS, Is. 51:8

סוס SUS, Gen. 49:17

סיס SIYS, Jer. 8:7

זיז ZIYZ, Ps. 80:14(13)

ציץ CIYC, Is. 40:6

איש IY$, Gen. 2:24

צי CIY, Is. 13:21

שה SEH, Gen. 30:32

תאו TO, Deut. 14:5

תיש TAYI$, Gen. 32:15

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Jun 21, 2013, at 8:51 PM, J. Leake wrote:

David, to help your search, be aware that the second/third root letter of עש 'aš - 'moth' - is from the proto-Semitic θ /th/ which becomes t in Aramaic, s in Ethiopic (and doubtless Amharic from there) and š in Canaanite and Akkadian. What a pleasing conceit that the moth should fall into the fire...

 

Akkadian has ašašu according to CAD which appears in a lexical list with the common word for moth, sassu/sāsu, as a gloss. And Hebrew sasסס is a synonym for עש, isn't it? The case is looking strong for moth, isn't it!