קלל Gen. 12:2-3

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Isaac Fried
Posts: 1783
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:32 pm

קלל Gen. 12:2-3

Post by Isaac Fried »

We read there
וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל וַאֲבָרֶכְךָ וַאֲגַדְּלָה שְׁמֶךָ וֶהְיֵה בְּרָכָה וַאֲבָרְכָה מְבָרְכֶיךָ וּמְקַלֶּלְךָ אָאֹר וְנִבְרְכוּ בְךָ כֹּל מִשְׁפְּחֹת הָאֲדָמָה
KJV: "And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed"
קלל is a member of the Hebrew root family
גלל, הלל, חלל, כלל, קלל
further related to
בלל, דלל, זלל, טלל, ילל, מלל, סלל, עלל, פלל, צלל, שלל, תלל
all of the basic meaning of 'heap'. We understand the kin הלל as meaning 'heap praise', as in Proverbs 27:2
יְהַלֶּלְךָ זָר וְלֹא פִיךָ נָכְרִי וְאַל שְׂפָתֶיךָ
KJV: "Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth; a stranger, and not thine own lips"
and we surmise that so is קלל, just a mouthful of imprecations or maledictions.
On the other hand, ברכה, 'blessing', may refer also to actual material gain.

Isaac Fried, Boston University
Isaac Fried
Posts: 1783
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:32 pm

Re: קלל Gen. 12:2-3

Post by Isaac Fried »

חלל is a כלל, included כָּלוּל, within its envelope. The חָלִיל, 'flute', is a גָלִיל, a tube, surrounding and enclosing the channel of the passing, sound making, air.

Isaac Fried, Boston University
Isaac Fried
Posts: 1783
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:32 pm

Re: קלל Gen. 12:2-3

Post by Isaac Fried »

While קלל is raise up up, גאה-עלה-עלה or קאה-עלה-עלה, the curt קל is but, 'lift', as in 1Sam. 6:5
אוּלַי יָקֵל אֶת יָדוֹ מֵעֲלֵיכֶם
KJV: "peradventure he will lighten his hand from off you"
NIV: "Perhaps he will lift his hand from you"
demonstrating how קל shifts in meaning from 'lift' to 'light', then further to 'swift, unencumbered, unburdened, unimpeded', as in 2Sam. 1:23
מִנְּשָׁרִים קַלּוּ
KJV: "they were swifter than eagles"

Isaac Fried, Boston University
Isaac Fried
Posts: 1783
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:32 pm

Re: קלל Gen. 12:2-3

Post by Isaac Fried »

And not to forget the kin root קלה, 'roast, raise and keep over a fire', related to
גלה, דלה, פלה, צלה, שלה, תלה
as in Lev. 2:14
אָבִיב קָלוּי בָּאֵשׁ
NIV: "crushed heads of new grain roasted in the fire"
where קָלוּי = קל-הוּא-היא is צָלוּי by being גָּלוּי, 'exposed to the heat of the fire'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University
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