B-Hebrew: The Biblical Hebrew Forum

This is connected with my last question, which is a general question as to what meanings are connected with different prefixes and suffixes that make up nouns, but a specific case.

Normally, תרומה which in the plural תרומות refers to “offering” brought up to the priests. Its “root” is רום “to rise ⇒ to lift up (motion upwards)”. But in this particular case, is that the “root”, or does it come from the “root” ‎רמה “to dupe, con, lead people to do something that they normally would not do”? If the latter, this is a singular feminine noun, not plural as in offerings.

This is a possible construction.

What do you all think?

Karl W. Randolph.

Hi, Karl.

kwrandolph wrote: What do you all think?

I think it is best to create a firewall between Hebrew lexigraphy and Hebrew etymology, as the one is rarely aided by the other. (Though the reverse, perhaps, is not as true.)

Indeed, the root of תרומות TRUMOT, gifts, lifts', is רם RM, the rest are personal pronouns, in particular, the initial T is a briefed את AT, or even אתה ATAH, referring to the thing itself.

The bi-literal root רם RM consists, by itself, of the two uni-literal roots ער R of plurality, and עם M of massivity. Thus, RM refers to a massive aggregate.

It is kindred to the root רב RB.

The root RM is extended to the act רמה RAMAH, 'disperse, scatter, strew' of Ex. 15:1 סוס ורכבו רמה בים and also to the act ערם ARAM, 'pile up', of in Ex. 15:8 וברוח אפיך נערמו מים

From the root ערם we have the ערמה AREMAH, 'pile, heap', of Ruth 3:7, and also the ערמה ARMAH, 'cunning, sophistication, alertness, skill, resourcefulness, subtility, ingenuity, gifts of mind', of Prov. 1:4.

The same relationship holds, methinks, between the רמה RAMAH, 'scatter, pelt', of Ex. 15:1, and the RIMAH, 'deceived, beguiled, tricked' of Gen. 29:25.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

Isaac Fried wrote:The bi-literal root רם RM consists, by itself, of the two uni-literal roots ער R of plurality, and עם M of massivity. Thus, RM refers to a massive aggregate.

Possibly related is מר, which uses the same two roots to express the fundamental experience of tasting something fundamentally other and therefore bitter.

Indeed. I suspect that the initial TA- in the tree name תמר TAMAR is not radical (as in the tree names תאנה, תאשור, תורן, תרזה), and that the tree is so called because it is MAR, 'tall'.

The Aramaic מר MAR, 'sir' and the corresponding feminine מרת MAR-AT (hence Martha?), are in common use now.

Recall also the מרא MARA, 'fly up', of Job 39:18, and the מריא MRIY, 'ox', of Isaiah 11:6.

Possibly related to it is the tree name מור MOR, 'myrrha'.

The מר MAR, 'bitter', possibly means 'rattle, shiver, fluster, tremble'. Compare Gen. 27:34 צעקה גדלה ומרה

The opposite of MAR, מתוק MA-TOQ, 'sweet', is possibly , מצוק MA-COQ, 'solid'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

Mark Lightman wrote:Hi, Karl.

kwrandolph wrote: What do you all think?

I think it is best to create a firewall between Hebrew lexigraphy and Hebrew etymology, as the one is rarely aided by the other. (Though the reverse, perhaps, is not as true.)

I quite strongly disagree.

But you need to tread a fine line, for it’s very easy to fall off on one side to make the etymological error, where etymology defines what the word should mean, or fall off the other side and ignore legitimate etymologies that help make a word understandable (especially helpful for words used only once or a few times). I try to stay on that fine line.

In this particular case, there are two possible etymologies, one of which fits the context apparently well. That’s why I raised the question.

Karl W. Randolph.

The problem is that it is totally unclear what is meant by the "etymology" of a Hebrew word.

Isaac Fried, Boston University