...
It only implies that etymological analysis "may" be flawed. In fact, Hebrew
etymology, due to the root system, is much more stable that in Germanic
languages. ...
No doubt, the contemporaries, speaking the living language, knew the correct
meaning contextually. We don't possess this knowledge. Our best bet is
etymological. Or do you think four (?) entries of lamo make a context? ...
... I was learning English largely contextually, with little of formalIn some cases, something very bad is better than nothing at all. A crust of dry bread is better than starvation. But that doesn't stop it being very bad.
grammar,
and from some point without vocabulary. I can tell you empirically that
meaning even of nouns is not clear from few instances. Service words, like
lamo, need dozens of instances to clarify the meaning. Etymology is the best
we have for Hebrew, though not without shortcomings.
If you are not convinced, follow George's excellent advice and read
James Barr.
Why do you assume I didn't? ...
... Barr's most cherished concern is protection of
the sacred pasture of theology from outsiders. He is perfectly willing to
infuse his theological views in the semantics instead of reading the plain
text.
Vadim Cherny
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