Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Nir cohen - Prof. Mat." <nir AT ccet.ufrn.br>]

jim,

i do not wish to comment on your analysis of the name rachel. as usual, it
is based on suppositions. i do not know of parents who would give their
daughter the name pulverize-god or millstone-god. in fact, theoforic female
names are not that common.

though i recognize that her name might somehow have to do with the story 
of laban's teraphim which she stole (arabic RX = gone  ??? compare with
TERAX's name). but i tend to assume that the name was there in the first
place, and the "explaining story" came later. same is, perhaps,
לבן ("owner of a heart") and the story about גנב את לבו.

in general i am skeptic about the hidden assumption you are making, that
biblical names are necessarily "supposed" to reflect a property of their
bearers. they are supposed to reflect their parents (mostly, mother's)
attitude on, or before, birth. suffice it to bring examples: izchak, or moses,
or the 12 tribes, etc etc. 

nor do i see how isaac ties the name leah to a cow, other than the fact that
in israeli children books in the 1950s this would be a fit name for a cow.
maybe he read some of those. but even these books are gone now, and cows are
only discussed as food items.

nir cohen


>>> De: jimstinehart AT aol.com
Cópia: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Para: if AT math.bu.edu, nir AT ccet.ufrn.br
Data: Sun, 1 Sep 2013 21:54:04 -0400 (EDT)
Assunto: Re: [b-hebrew]
    The Names עשו ESAW and לוי LEWIY;  The Name "Rachel"
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The Name “Rachel”
 
>>> I agree with Isaac Fried that Rachel’s father Laban, ...