Karl,
I don't think that there is in the biblical sphere of thinking such a
thing as 'unknown' in the general sense.
.... The concept is a modern
epistemological invention.
.... English does not even have a word for it
apart from the naive compound 'un-known'.
Job 6:16: (ALEYMO YIT(ALEM $ELEG, עָלֵימוֹ
יִתְעַלֶּם-שָׁלֶג, ...
I am sorry, but your explanation of (ELEM, עלם, and (ALMAH,
עלמה, as being yet "unknown" to the opposite sex appears to me
unnatural and not becoming of the graceful and sensible ancient
Hebrews. In my opinion (ELEM and (ALMAH mean just 'grown up' as
indicated by the presence of AL, 'up, on' in both names. This basic
sense of (LM is also inherent in the roots:
There is an ex-biblical )ALAM, אלם, (said to be "borrowed" fromGetting to the bottom of Biblical Hebrew is already a huge job,
"Aramaic") in the sense of 'bully, brute, big-bodied, hulk', from
which the now commonly used word ALIMUT = AL-HI-M-HU-AT, 'violence,
strong-arm tactics', is derived.
Isaac Fried, Boston University
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