On a recent trip to Israel, traveling on route 1 from Jerusalem to
Tel Aviv my eye caught a large road sign pointing to the city of Ashdod.
What is this for a name: Ashdod?
It readily crossed my mind that it is possibly the combination of the
the two deity names A$ (AS, I$) and DOD.
A$, AS or I$ abound in biblical names: ICXAQ (ISXAQ, I$XAQ), I$MAEL,
ESAW, ISRAEL, A$ER, ISSAKAR, $IMON, AKIY$, ESTER, $MUEL, $AUL, $IYM
$ON, KMO$, $EME$ and A$TORET.
The combination A$-AD appears also in (EL) $ADAY of Gen. 17:1,
leaving the letter Shin embossed, to this very day, on every mezuzah
and every tfilin shel rosh.
It appears to me that DOD is AD-HU-AD, and that AD = AZ as in AZAZEL
= AZ-AZ-EL.
In this connection we should also raise our hats in recognition of
the slyness of the pious public readers, and eventually the
NAQDANIYM, who deftly turned DOD into DAVID (and yet left his
father's name as YI$AY.)