The Hebrew letter סמך SAMEK

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

The Hebrew letter סמך SAMEK

Post by Isaac Fried »

A friend of mine showed me tonight a chart of the ancient Hebrew letters as they developed, on the one hand into the present day Hebrew script, and on the other hand into the Latin script. Most letters are recognized as resembling an object from which they drew their sound, for instance, דלת or Greek delta Δ, representing the hanging, namely, the תלוי or דלוי entrance flap of a tent.
The letter samek had in ancient Hebrew the shape of a vertical stem with three horizontal short strokes at the top of the stem, from which the present day Greek letter sigma Σ got its three rightward pointing prongs.

We were curious as to the nature of the object depicted, but it occurs to me now that סמך SAMEK may be but a variant of צמח CAMEX, a plant; a stalk with leaves or branches sprouting out to the right and to the left of the stem.

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

Re: The Hebrew letter סמך SAMEK

Post by Isaac Fried »

I think further that the Hebrew name for the letter ק qop, is a variant of גוף GOP, GUP (otherwise גו GEW or גב GAB), 'body', which it resembled in ancient writing. Similarly, the letter name he for ה is a mitigated חי 'alive', again with resemblance to the human body.

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

Re: The Hebrew letter סמך SAMEK

Post by Isaac Fried »

My attention was called to the table, by Jeff A. Benner
http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/28_chart.html
in which the shape of the ancient Hebrew letter samek is likened to a thorn.

Isaac Fried, Boston University
kwrandolph
Posts: 1531
Joined: Sun Sep 29, 2013 12:51 am

Re: The Hebrew letter סמך SAMEK

Post by kwrandolph »

Isaac Fried wrote:A friend of mine showed me tonight a chart of the ancient Hebrew letters as they developed, on the one hand into the present day Hebrew script, and on the other hand into the Latin script. Most letters are recognized as resembling an object from which they drew their sound, for instance, דלת or Greek delta Δ, representing the hanging, namely, the תלוי or דלוי entrance flap of a tent.
The letter samek had in ancient Hebrew the shape of a vertical stem with three horizontal short strokes at the top of the stem, from which the present day Greek letter sigma Σ got its three rightward pointing prongs.
Nope, the Sigma Σ is the Hebrew Sin turned on its side.

The Samek lost its vertical staff to become the Xi Ξ in Greek, It lost two of its crossbars and tilted over to become the X in Latin.
Isaac Fried wrote:We were curious as to the nature of the object depicted, but it occurs to me now that סמך SAMEK may be but a variant of צמח CAMEX, a plant; a stalk with leaves or branches sprouting out to the right and to the left of the stem.

Isaac Fried, Boston University
Nope, see above.

Karl W. Randolph.
Isaac Fried
Posts: 1783
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:32 pm

Re: The Hebrew letter סמך SAMEK

Post by Isaac Fried »

I further think that the picture (http://www.ancient-hebrew.org/28_chart.html) of the ancient Hebrew letter צ Tsade is that of a SAD, 'branch, trunk', see Job 13:27
ותשם בסד רגלי
NIV: "You fasten my feet in shackles"

It is a variant of:
DAD דד 'breast', as in proverbs 5:19.
ZAD זד 'deviate', as in Deut. 1:43.
YAD ידhand.
CAD צד 'side', as in Deut. 31:26.
$AD שד 'breast', as in Gen. 49:25.49.

Isaac Fried, Boston University
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