Proper Names

name, chron, religion, women, times, god, cf, kings, words and shortened

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3. Lastly, many proper names have assumed the derivative syllable 4, or ai (which appears to be only dialectically different from 4, and is chiefly frequent in the later periods) ; and we must cer tainly consider that, in some cases, this syllable may possibly form mere adjectives, and therewith simple names, as trueman,' from nnt.z, truth,' and Barzillai, ' Iron,' or 'Ironman,' the name of a celebrated Gileadite family, Ezra ii. 61 ; 2 Sam. xvii. 27 ; or that it is derived from a place, as Hos. i. 1 ; I Chron. vii. 36, he of the he of a place known as the well. But it undoubtedly very often also expresses a genealogi cal relation, like the Greek ending -tarts, and pre supposes a previous proper name from which it is derived ; thus the name "nil, I Chron. v. 14, as surely presupposes the above-mentioned Chair, as the Greek Philippides does Philippos, and as Kett2bai, I Chron. ii. 9, one of the descendants of Judah, is connected with the Ketilb in iv. I1.* Among the names of women, the oldest as well as the simplest which are found, are actually only suited for women, as Rachel, Deborah, Bee ;' ' Palm-tree ;' Hannah, Favour,' the mother of gamuel. Those which express such a delicate and endearing sense as Qeren Happ/k, box of eye-ointment,' Job xlii. 14, and my delight is in her,' 2 Kings xxi. 1, betray that they were formed in much later times ; for, although the first occurs in the book of Job, which sedulously retains all archaisms, it nevertheless belongs to the same date as the latter. It appears indeed to have been customary, at an early period, to form names for women from those of men, by means of the feminine termination ; as rinfl, 2 Sam. iii. 4, beside Num. xxvi. 15 ; e., Pia, 2 Kings xxi. 19, beside 6tjn, rugs, I Chron. v.

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13, viii. 17, and ro6tJ, FriWierihe, Lev. xxiv. II, beside Friederich. But we must not over look the fact that all these are instances of simple names no single example occurs from a com pound man's name. As the same compound names, however, are sometimes used both for men and women, and as even those very names are applied to women, which could not originally have been applicable to any but men—as Abigail, Aehinoam —accordingly we must assume that the plastic power of the language had already exhausted itself in this remote province, and that, for that reason, the distinction of the feminine was omitted ; almost in the same way as Sanscrit and Greek adjectives of the form ebbalitcov, druvjr, are not able to distinguish the feminine in form.

II. This is the whole principle which regulates the formation of Hebrew names, both as it mani fests itself in the earliest times, and as it extends into the succeeding periods, in which it receives new impulses, and undergoes modifications of colour but not of substance.

For if we inquire what new element the Mosaic period introduced into names, we find that, on the whole, it is only the influence of the new religion which manifests itself in the strongest characters, and causes extraordinary innovations. It is not in the Psalms only and other books that we discover how deeply this religion affected men ; we may also infer it from the names which became current in that period. Nay, it is only these words of common life which render it evident to our senses with what a power this religion penetrated all the •depths of the national mind, and how zealously •every man in Israel endeavoured to glory in the name of Jahve,' according to the words of the prophet : Is. xliv. 5 ; cf. Ps. cv. 3.

As the whole national life was renovated by so influential a new religion, the mode of giving names returned to its primitive state, since not only were new names created, but entire sentences, of the shortest compass, expressing the mighty thoughts which agitated the times, were also applied as names.* Thus, especially in the times in which the Mosaic religion exercised a more vivid influence, names were formed of entire sentences, in which some of its most affecting truths are expressed, as ion :?r, is recompensed,' i Chron.

20 ; to-Jahve-are-mine-eyes' (as if it were derived from hymns like Ps. cxxiii.), 1 Chron. iv. 36, vii. 8, viii. 20 ;t Ezra x. 22, 27; Neh. xii. 41 ; praise-ye-Jah' (from well-known passages of the Psalms), 1 Chron. iii. 24 ; Ezra ii. 40 ;:t. as a name of a woman, Give-shadow-thou that-seest-me (God), r Chron. iv. 3. But we seem to have the words of a great prophet distributed in names of several relations, when we find the words 1117 Tinntn nit'vtnn i. e., ' I have given great and exalted aid, Have spoken oracles in abundance' -(which evidently contain a verse such as an ancient prophecy might begin with), applied to the five musical sons of Heman—Gicidalti (ezer), Romam Hexer, d7alloti, Hothir, ilfachazioth ; 1 Chron. xxv. 4, cf. ver. 26, 28-31. This is really a remarkable example. We also once find, in Is. vii., a particu lar representation of the mode in which such names as ShetirjashIlb and Immanuel arose in real life.

But it was chiefly only the name of God in this religion, Jahve, which was employed in the forma tion of names (in the same way as the earlier divine names were) ; and it is shortened, when it consti tutes the last member of the name, to -jean, or, still more, to jah, and, when it is the first member, to Y•ni-, or yo-. In this usage it occurs with infinite frequency (the older name Shaddai becom ing obsolete, and El alone continuing in use), while the Other member of the name often retains the same form as in the primitive times, e. g., roll, like I], and 1)'1:4. The mother of Moses, yokebed, Exod. vi. 20, is, according to all traces, the first whose name bears evidence of the worship of this God (which is an exceedingly important testimony to the truth of the whole history, but we cannot pursue the subject farther here) ; and it is a beauti ful incident that Moses, with his own mouth, changed the name of his most valiant warrior, Iloshe‘a, i. e., 'Help!' into yehoshda, i. e., ' God help ;' as Mohammed, in like manner, gave some of his followers names conformable to his new religion.* The frequency of such compositions with the name of Jahve may be estimated by the abbrevia tions which sometimes become customary in such names. Thus arrvn, or Irovn (as it is occasion • ;,* • ally pointed), is not only shortened to triVn, but to riFy, Judg. xvii. 5, .9-13, cf. ver. I, 4 ; 2 Chron. xviii. 14, cf. ver. 7-13 ; in which manner we are also to explain the name of the well-known minor prophet. Thus also the common name for men and women, Abifii/m or Abija, is once shortened to Abi, 2 Kings xviii. 2.t There are, however, two cases which are not to be confounded with these casual and gradual abbreviations. First, namely, we find the rare instance that a name which has been preserved unchanged, is neverthe less occasionally formed by dropping the syllable •7o- or -jai : as it is evident that 1113 has been shortened from rinro or as likewise inn, 2 Kings xi. 18, front ; and 171', 1 Chron.

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