קְרָסִים QRASIYM and קְרָשִים QRA$IYM, Ex. 35:11

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

קְרָסִים QRASIYM and קְרָשִים QRA$IYM, Ex. 35:11

Post by Isaac Fried »

We read there
אֶת הַמִּשְׁכָּן אֶת אָהֳלוֹ וְאֶת מִכְסֵהוּ אֶת קְרָסָיו וְאֶת קְרָשָׁיו אֶת בְּרִיחָו אֶת עַמֻּדָיו וְאֶת אֲדָנָיו
KJV: "The tabernacle, his tent, and his covering, his taches, and his boards, his bars, his pillars, and his sockets"
NIV: "the tabernacle with its tent and its covering, clasps, frames, crossbars, posts and bases"

The roots קרס QRS and קרש QR$ are kindred within the root family
גרד, גרז, גרט, גרס, גרש
הרס
חרד, חרז, חרט, חרס, חרץ, חרש
כרס, כרת
קרד, קרט, קרס, קרץ, קרש

'sever, chop, hew, scrape, scratch, cut-off', and hence a קֶרֶשׁ QERE$, is a 'cut and planed board', whereas a קֶרֶס QERES is a metal flake, chip or fragment, shaped to hook.
קרס QRS is further related to כרע 'fold down'. See Isaiah 46:2
קָרְסוּ כָרְעוּ יַחְדָּו לֹא יָכְלוּ מַלֵּט מַשָּׁא
KJV: "They stoop, they bow down together; they could not deliver the burden"
כרע is thus further related to קרע, 'tear', namely, כָרְעוּ is קָרְעוּ, 'tore their legs at their knees'.

See also Isaiah 46:1
כָּרַע בֵּל קֹרֵס נְבוֹ
KJV: "Bel boweth down, Nebo stoopeth"
I would translate קֹרֵס as 'crushed, crumpled, collapsed'.

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

Re: קְרָסִים QRASIYM and קְרָשִים QRA$IYM, Ex. 35:11

Post by Isaac Fried »

I hear the opinion that קֶרֶס QERES is so called also because it is collapsed (as in Isaiah 46:1) and bent to create a crooked hook.

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

Re: קְרָסִים QRASIYM and קְרָשִים QRA$IYM, Ex. 35:11

Post by Isaac Fried »

To קרס and קרש we add קרץ, 'slit, curve", as in proverbs 6:13
קֹרֵץ בְּעֵינָו מֹלֵל בְּרַגְלָו מֹרֶה בְּאֶצְבְּעֹתָיו
NIV: "who winks maliciously with his eye, signals with his feet and motions with his fingers"
and in Job 33:6
מֵחֹמֶר קֹרַצְתִּי גַם אָנִי
NIV: "I too am a piece of clay."

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

Re: קְרָסִים QRASIYM and קְרָשִים QRA$IYM, Ex. 35:11

Post by Isaac Fried »

From the kindred root גרט GRT we have the derived post-biblical word גְּרוּטָאָה, 'shard, wreck, scrap-iron, debris, detritus, junk', namely, כרוּתאה or גרוּדאה, 'worthless scrape off', often said today about a decrepit car.

Isaac Fried, Boston University
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