On Sun, 10 Mar 2013 16:19:22 -0700 (PDT), Uri Hurwitz <uhurwitz AT yahoo.com>
wrote:
> Hi Yigal,
>
> A good question. The late Theodor Gaster once
> mentioned in conversation that the inserted He
> is a result of a switch in writing from the
> Sumero-Akkadian syllabic to the the proto-Canaanite
> alphabetic script. This, if memopry serves, was also
> his opinion about the change from Sarai to Sarah.
> I don't know if he has written on the subject.
Since I don't know the details, it's somewhat difficult to comment on
this, but it's not clear to me how such a putative switch in writing
could have resulted in an "insertion" of the He.
> On the other hand, that the full biblical name with the He is
> derived directly from ABRM is clear from the text. At least that's
> what the author/editor thought.
I beg to disagree. While I have no theory of my own on the
construction of the name אברהם, my reading of the Biblical text
suggests a complete renaming.
> I don't think there is a need to search for a meaning for a
> speculative 'rhm'.
>
> Uri Hurwitz