מַסְמֵר MASMER, Isaiah 41:7

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

מַסְמֵר MASMER, Isaiah 41:7

Post by Isaac Fried »

We read there
וַיְחַזֵּק חָרָשׁ אֶת צֹרֵף מַחֲלִיק פַּטִּישׁ אֶת הוֹלֶם פָּעַם אֹמֵר לַדֶּבֶק טוֹב הוּא וַיְחַזְּקֵהוּ בְמַסְמְרִים לֹא יִמּוֹט
KJV: "So the carpenter encouraged the goldsmith, and he that smootheth with the hammer him that smote the anvil, saying, It is ready for the sodering: and he fastened it with nails, that it should not be moved."
In 1Ch. 22:3 we read
וּבַרְזֶל לָרֹב לַמִּסְמְרִים לְדַלְתוֹת הַשְּׁעָרִים וְלַמְחַבְּרוֹת
KJV: "iron in abundance for the nails for the doors of the gates, and for the joining"

מַסְמֵר = מַה-סמר MA-SMER, 'nail', in which the initial מַה MAH is 'that which is', and in which the root סמר SMR, is a member of the family of roots
זמר, טמר, ימר, סמר, צמר, שמר, תמר
and the מַסְמֵר is (similarly to the קֶרֶס KERES) a זמורת ברזל, a small iron twig or peg. See Nu. 13:23.

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

Re: מַסְמֵר MASMER, Isaiah 41:7

Post by Isaac Fried »

We recall also the tool for cutting the זמוֹרוֹת ZMOROT, the מַזְמֵרָה = מה-זמר-היא, 'pruning shear' of Isaiah 18:5
וְכָרַת הַזַּלְזַלִּים בַּמַּזְמֵרוֹת וְאֶת הַנְּטִישׁוֹת הֵסִיר הֵתַז
KJV: "he shall both cut off the sprigs with pruning hooks, and take away and cut down the branches."

But there is no מַצְמֵרָה for shearing צמר CEMER, 'wool'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University
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