Biblical Hebrew Forum

[JimStinehart AT aol.com]

Isaac Fried:

 

1.  You wrote:  “Rebekah's family spoke some sort of Hebrew-Aramaic.”

 

If Rebekah’s mother’s native language was “some sort of Hebrew-Aramaic”, then Rebekah would not have given her firstborn son a name, ($W, that makes no sense on any level in west Semitic.

 

Likewise, if Sarah’s mother’s native language was “some sort of Hebrew-Aramaic”, then (i) Sarah’s birth name would not be unattested outside of the Bible as a west Semitic name, while being fully-attested in Late Bronze Age eastern Syria in a language that is not related to Hebrew or Aramaic, and (ii) Sarah would not have given her only son a name whose only meaning is the west Semitic meaning “He Laughs”.

 

Finally, if Abraham’s mother’s native language was “some sort of Hebrew-Aramaic”, then Abraham’s middle brother would not have a name [NXWR] whose only meaning is the west Semitic meaning “Snorer”.  Not.

 

2.  You wrote:  “Their gods were the gods of the east, and they named their children after them. All names from that period are theophoric….”

 

That may be true historically, but it’s not true Biblically.  The most obvious meaning of the name “Reuben” is “Behold! A son”, with no theophoric element whatsoever.  Yes, Leah cleverly ad-libs a creative alternate etymology that contains a theophoric, “[the Lord] hath looked upon my affliction”, but though brilliant, that is terribly fanciful.

 

Historically, however, the name “Reuben” doesn’t exist in the ancient world outside of the Bible.  The early Hebrew author of the Patriarchal narratives in fact created that name, precisely so that it would have the obvious meaning of “Behold! A son”, while being able to be alternatively viewed as having the fanciful etymology “[the Lord] hath looked upon my affliction”, which brilliantly and eternally encapsulates Leah’s great sadness at continuing not to be Jacob’s favorite wife.

 

The name “Esau” was likewise created by the early Hebrew author of the Patriarchal narratives.  It is carefully designed so that it will fit perfectly the following narrow parameters:  (i) its meaning is “red” and dark [like a “hairy” mantle], and (ii) it makes perfect sense in the native language of a woman like Rebekah from Late Bronze Age eastern Syria.

 

3.  You wrote:  “All names from that period are theophoric, including יצחק IYCXAQ, which I think is a deliberate corruption of איש-חק  I$-XAQ or איש-שחק I$-$AXAQ.”

 

(a)  The name “Isaac” is not corrupt at all.  All the Hebrew letters in the received text are perfect as is.

 

(b)  There’s no )Y$ in the name “Isaac”.

 

(c)  You seem to agree with me that there’s no way that Sarah would give her only son a name whose only meaning is the west Semitic meaning “He Laughs”.  At least we agree about that.

 

(d)  If one is willing to note that Sarah’s birth name, $RY, is attested in Late Bronze Age eastern Syria in a language not related to Hebrew or Aramaic, while no name of that kind is ever attested in the ancient world as the west Semitic name of a human woman, then one will properly deduce that the primary meaning of the name “Isaac” similarly is coming from that same Late Bronze Age east Syrian language, and has a wondrously positive, theophoric meaning, without the need to change a single Hebrew letter in the received text.

 

3.  You wrote:  “I will listen to your ideas under the condition that you refrain from mentioning any other language but Hebrew and Aramaic.”

 

But the name “Esau” makes no sense on any level in west Semitic.  Nor was Esau’s mother a native west Semitic speaker.  Nor was Isaac’s mother.  Nor was Abraham’s mother.

 

Isaac Fried, all of these wonderful women, who indeed are truly admirable,  m-a-r-r-i-e-d  into the Hebrews!  They weren’t Hebrews at birth, and their native language was neither Hebrew nor Aramaic nor any other west Semitic language.  Just look at the names they give to their precious sons, which sometimes make little or no sense in west Semitic, but which invariably have a profound meaning in the non-west Semitic language that was dominant in eastern Syria in the Late Bronze Age.

 

Isaac Fried, the Patriarchal narratives as a written text are much older, and much more historically accurate, than you and university scholars are willing to contemplate.  But the only way to prove that is to be willing to  a-s-k  how Rebekah, a woman from Late Bronze Age eastern Syria, would have viewed the name she gives to her firstborn son:  ($W.

 

The received text is perfect, as is.  All that’s needed is to view the received text of the Patriarchal narratives from an historical perspective, and then we’ll see how truly ancient it is as a written text, and also its absolutely stunning historical accuracy.

 

Jim Stinehart                                                                                                                                Evanston, Illinois