David Sevilla: The traditional analysis of the meaning of "Asher", based on the explicit pun set forth at Genesis 30: 13, is correct. The early Hebrew author of the Patriarchal narratives had no interest whatsoever in the pagan goddess Ashera, and had no reason to name one of Jacob's sons after a pagan goddess, nor was Ashera important in Naharim, where Asher is portrayed as being born.
Since Asher is born in the heart of Hurrianland, there may be a secondary pun in Hurrian. )$-xu means "high, upward" in Hurrian, and in Hurrian,instead of the suffix -xu, which literally means "coming from", one could substitute the comitative suffix -ra, which means "together with". The Hurrian meaning of )$-ra is somewhat similar to the meaning of the Hebrew common word )$R. Many of the names of Jacob's sons born in Naharim in the heart of Hurrianland can be viewed as having certain secondary elements that are redolent of the Hurrian locale of their birth. Although Nahor's descendants are not ethnic Hurrians, Leah and Rachel likely had native proficiency speaking Hurrian, since most of their neighbors spoke Hurrian. Jim Stinehart Evanston, Illinois Shalom, hats the meaning of the name Asher? Does it mean "happy" as I have read? Thank you very much avid Sevilla pain. -----Original Message----- From: Sevillano Hispalis <[email protected]> To: b-hebrew <[email protected]> Sent: Fri, Mar 16, 2012 6:09 am Subject: [b-hebrew] Purim Shalom, hats the meaning of the name Asher? Does it mean "happy" as I have read? Thank you very much avid Sevilla pain. saac, During a brief speech at my son's brit mila on Taanit Esther 2003 at the ldridge Street Synagogue on the Lower East Side, I raised that very issue: he distinct possibility (and I suspect probability) that Asher was the asculine counterpart of Canaanite Ashera (Ashtoret/Ishtar/Esther). It's ertainly interesting that the traditional symbol of the Tribe of Asher is tree. What made it especially fun is that members of my very frum family in the ews stared at me aghast as if I'd just landed from Mars. Uzi Silber ______________________________________________ -hebrew mailing list [email protected] ttp://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew _______________________________________________ b-hebrew mailing list [email protected] http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
