For once I am in total agreement with Jim! :-) > From: [email protected] <snip> > > George Athas wrote: “[T]he etymology of Jerusalem is usually based on a form > of the verb ירה, which has within its semantic domain the concept of 'putting > up' or 'founding' (cf. Gen 31.51; Job 38.6). On this basis, it is concluded > that ירושׁלםmeans 'founded by/for Shalem'. The proper noun Shalem is the name > of a deity known from cognate cultures (eg. Ugaritic).” > <snip> > > With the name “Jerusalem” first appearing in the Amarna Letters, at about the > time that the Hebrews emerge as a distinct people, one suspects that the > Canaanite name of the Amarna Age city of Jerusalem had been “Peace”, spelled > $LM. $LM [Hebrew shalom] appears in various forms in many west Semitic > languages, and is thought to derive from proto-Semitic $alam and to pre-date > the Amarna Age as a west Semitic common word in Canaan. “The root $lm is > attested since the earliest times in all branches of Semitic….” Helmer > Ringgren, Heinz-Josef Fabry, “Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament, > vol. 15” (2006), p. 15. Whereas there is no evidence whatsoever that the > Ugaritic god $lm [one of a pair of minor Ugaritic deities] was known in Late > Bronze Age Canaan, we know that some form of $lm, meaning “peace”, was known > by all the various west Semitic-speaking Canaanites throughout Canaan at the > time. Moreover, many Israelites have a name spelled $LM in unpointed text, > so we’re sure that the common word $LM was very suitable to be used as a > proper name. > > > > Although it may be dismissed by some as allegedly being a “folk etymology”, > the most straightforward etymology of “Jerusalem” is that it means “City of > Peace”. YRW in Hebrew originally was úru, meaning “city” in > Sumerian/Akkadian in the Amarna Letters. $LM is the west Semitic word for > “peace”. I myself do not see Canaanite warawa as ever having been part of > this city name [with Jerusalem not being in the Execration Texts], nor do I > see any evidence that anyone at Jerusalem ever knew of the pagan god Shalem. > Rather than meaning “Founded by/for [the pagan god] Shalem”, I see the city > name “Jerusalem” as meaning, from day #1: “City of Peace”. >
Shalom Chavoux Luyt _______________________________________________ b-hebrew mailing list [email protected] http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
