From: "Tyler Williams" <lists AT biblical-studies.ca>
To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [b-hebrew] Kap or kop?
Date: Sat, 10 Sep 2005 00:13:39 -0600
Hi everyone, I have rejoined this list after many years absence (and under
one of its previous incarnations); it’s good to be back.
I have what may be a simple question. I have used Bonnie Kittel’s Biblical
Hebrew: Text and Workbook in introductory Hebrew classes for many years. In
the first edition the name for the eleventh letter of the Hebrew alphabet
was given as “khof.” I always thought that was a typo and told my students
to change the “o” to an “a”, i.e., “khaf” (= kap or כַּף).
I am now using the “fully revised” version by Victoria Hoffer and I was
surprised that there was no change; it is still represented as “khof” (and I
know it is not a mistake since it is pronounced with an “o” sound in the
cutesy alep-bet song on the CD).
Am I missing something? I have checked all of my Biblical Hebrew grammars
(GKC, Jouon, Waltke & O’Conner, Lambdin, van der Merwe, Bergman, Seow, etc.)
as well as a modern Hebrew grammar and none of them have the letter as
“khof” or “koph” or “kof” (and nor do any of them even suggest this is a
variation or alternative name for the letter). And if the name of the letter
is connected with the Hebrew word for hand, then the “o” vowel doesn’t make
sense.