<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">------------------------------------------------------------------------</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Arabic-L: Wed 14 Feb 2007</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Moderator: Dilworth Parkinson <<A href="mailto:dilworth_parkinson@byu.edu">dilworth_parkinson@byu.edu</A>></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">[To post messages to the list, send them to <A href="mailto:arabic-l@byu.edu">arabic-l@byu.edu</A>]</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">[To unsubscribe, send message from same address you subscribed from to</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><A href="mailto:listserv@byu.edu">listserv@byu.edu</A> with first line reading:</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "> unsubscribe arabic-l ]</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">-------------------------Directory------------------------------------</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">1) Subject:Towards and Etymology of Iraq</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">-------------------------Messages-----------------------------------</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">1)</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Date: 14 Feb 2007</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">From:<B> </B>"Dr. M. Deeb" <<A href="mailto:muhammaddeeb@gmail.com">muhammaddeeb@gmail.com</A>></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Subject:Towards and Etymology of Iraq</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV>Towards an Etymology of Iraq:</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>I. Forward:</DIV><DIV> I’ve known this Server List for over twelve years and it has been all along noted for its dispassionate quest of linguistic knowledge in a climate of mutual courtesy and respect. I’m afraid no so recently, for I’ve noticed a measure of abrasiveness, stemming most likely from hasty reading, unrestrained personal zeal or both.</DIV><DIV>When I posted my earlier short note on Iraq, I primarily sought to point out two things: (1) one lexo-philological, showing how Arab classical authorities provide conflicting and uncertain etymology of Iraq (being only one instance of many); (2) and the other, a purposeful aside, underlining the tragic state of present-day Iraq, thanks to Imperial aggression and violation of human rights. Further, the raw material in the post, including the Persian phrases, is quoted verbatim and fully documented from the respective sources of Ibn ManZuur, al-Fayruuzabaady and as-SuyuuTiyy (who himself quotes al-ASma’iyy). It is thus clear in my post that I haven’t tempered with or glossed the Arabic or Persian content, and most particularly, I haven’t approached or authenticated the etymology of Iraq per se.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>II. Historical Background:</DIV><DIV>(1) Turning to etymology, one finds that, from the second century BCE, Greek writers used Mesopotamia, (fem. of mesopotamos < mesos = middle + potamos = river>). It denotes the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Mesopotamia occurs eight times in the New Revised Standard Version. In the first two cases, the Hebrew / ‘aram nahaarayim / (= Aram of the two rivers); the Hebrew transliterated as /Aram-naharaim/ in the NRSV three times. The Septuagint has /Mesopotamia/ at Genesis 24.10, and Deuteronomy 23.4, but Judges 3.8, and “Syria of Mesopotamia” at 1 Chronicles 19.6.</DIV><DIV>(2) British soldiers called Iraq Mespot in 1917. On the subject, Arabs refer endearingly to Iraq as (بلاد ما بين الرافدين) and to Egypt as (بلاد وادي النيل), i.e., “he land of the Nile Valley.”</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>(3) The biblical narrative of the mighty hunter Nimrod, who established a kingdom in Shinar (Babylonia), ties together three or four of the most famous cites: Babel, Erech, Accad (Akkad) ( and Calneh) of early Babylonian history:</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>¨ The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, and Accad, all of them in the land of Shinar (The Oxford Annotated Bible, Genesis, 10.10).</DIV><DIV>¨ And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar (The Scofield Reference Bible, Genesis, 10.10).</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>(4) The Oxford maps of the Near East in the times of the Assyrian and Persian empires use the biblical name Erech (and Uruk parenthetically). Similarly, the Babylonian epic of Gilgamesh has /Uruk/ as its setting. </DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>II. My personal argument:</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>Rather than thinking of “Iraq” as derived from the triliteral verb / noun (ر- ق - ع), with all its denotational imports of “root” or “vein,” and connotational suggestions of “deep-rooted” and “noble decent,” I’d strongly argue that the Arabic name ( عراق) is, in all likelihood, an Arabic version of the Assyrian-com-biblical /Erech/ or the Sumerian /Uruk/. The Arabic naturalization of the Assyrian, then Hebrew name /Erech/ or the Sumerian /Uruk/ entails the regular process: vowel and consonantal change; i.e., insertion of the initial / ‘ayn = ع /, and turning the terminal letter /ch/ or /k/ into a /qaaf = ق / and the adjustment of vowels. (Cf. Eden and /عدن /). </DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>The problem, or one of the problems of Arabic lexicography, is that seemingly cognate, but unrelated words are lumped under one entry, as is evident in / عراق ، عرق /</DIV><DIV>and / /جمل ، جمال ، حساب الجمًل (for camel, beauty and using the numerical values of the letters of the alphabet). In my view, this renders the derivation of Iraq from (ر- ق - ع) untenable. Far from philology and reckless imperial madness, Iraq is and will always remain a country of noble descent, deeply rooted in our hearts.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>--------------------------------------------------------------------------</DIV><DIV>*MD</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>I’ve used the references below:</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>¨ Kraeling, Emile G. Rand McNally Bible Atlas. 1946; rpt. 1952.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>¨ May, Herbert G. and Bruce M. Metzger, eds. The Oxford Annotated Bible. 1962.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>¨ Metzger, Bruce M. and Michael D. Coogan, eds. The Oxford Companion to the Bible. 1993.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV>¨ Scofield, C. I., ed. The New Scofield Reference Bible. 1967.</DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV> </DIV><DIV> [here is the original formatted version:]</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"><B>Towards an Etymology of Iraq:</B></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"><B> </B></SPAN></FONT></DIV><P align="justify" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"><B>I. Forward:</B></SPAN></FONT></P><P align="justify" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> I’ve known this Server List for over twelve years and it has been all along noted for its dispassionate quest of linguistic knowledge in a climate of mutual courtesy and respect. I’m afraid no so recently, for I’ve noticed a measure of abrasiveness, stemming most likely from hasty reading, unrestrained personal zeal or both.</SPAN></FONT></P><P align="justify" style="text-indent: 48px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">When I posted my earlier short note on Iraq, I primarily sought to point out two things: (1) one lexo-philological, showing how Arab classical authorities provide conflicting and uncertain etymology of Iraq (being only one instance of many); (2) and the other, a purposeful aside, underlining the tragic state of present-day Iraq, thanks to Imperial aggression and violation of human rights. Further, the raw material in the post, including the Persian phrases, is quoted verbatim and fully documented from the respective sources of Ibn ManZuur, al-Fayruuzabaady and as-SuyuuTiyy (who himself quotes al-ASma’iyy). It is thus clear in my post that I haven’t tempered with or glossed the Arabic or Persian content, and most particularly, I haven’t approached or authenticated the etymology of Iraq </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><I>per se.</I></SPAN></FONT></P><P align="justify" style="text-indent: 48px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"><B> </B></SPAN></FONT></P><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"> </P><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"><B>II. Historical Background:</B></SPAN></FONT></DIV><P align="justify" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"><B>(1)</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><B> </B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">Turning to etymology, one finds that, from</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><B> </B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">the second century BCE, Greek writers used </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"><B><I>Mesopotamia</I></B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"><B>, </B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">(</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">fem. of </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><B><I>mesopotamos</I></B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> < </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><B><I>mesos</I></B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> = middle +</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><B><I> potamos</I></B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><B> = </B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">river>). It denotes the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"><B><I>Mesopotamia</I></B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> occurs eight times in the </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px; text-decoration: underline;">New Revised</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px; text-decoration: underline;">Standard Version</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">. In the first two cases, the Hebrew / ‘aram nahaarayim / (= Aram of the two rivers); the Hebrew transliterated as /Aram-naharaim/ in the </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px; text-decoration: underline;">NRSV</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> three times. The </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><B>Septuagint</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> has /</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><B><I>Mesopotamia</I></B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">/ at </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><B>Genesis</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> 24.10, and </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><B>Deuteronomy 23.4, </B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">but </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><B>Judges</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> 3.8, and “</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><B><I>Syria of Mesopotamia</I></B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">” at </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><B>1 Chronicles</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> 19.6.</SPAN></FONT></P><P align="justify" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">(2) British soldiers called Iraq </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><B><I>Mespot</I></B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> in 1917. On the subject, Arabs refer endearingly to Iraq as (</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><B>بلاد</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"><B> ما بين الرافدين</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">) and to Egypt as (</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"><B>بلاد وادي النيل</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">), i.e., “he land of the Nile Valley.”</SPAN></FONT></P><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"> </P><P align="justify" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">(3)</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"><B> </B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">The biblical narrative of the mighty hunter Nimrod, who established a kingdom in Shinar (Babylonia), ties together three or four of the most famous cites: Babel, Erech, Accad (Akkad) ( and Calneh) of early Babylonian history:</SPAN></FONT></P><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"> </P><P align="justify" style="text-indent: -24px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 148px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Symbol" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">¨</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Times New Arabic" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9.3px;"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, and Accad, all of them in the land of Shinar (</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px; text-decoration: underline;">The Oxford Annotated Bible</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">, Genesis, 10.10).</SPAN></FONT></P><P align="justify" style="text-indent: -24px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 148px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Symbol" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">¨</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Times New Arabic" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9.3px;"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar (</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px; text-decoration: underline;">The Scofield Reference Bible</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">, Genesis, 10.10).</SPAN></FONT></P><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"> </P><P align="justify" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 24px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">(4) The Oxford maps of the Near East in the times of the Assyrian and Persian empires use the biblical name </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"><B>Erech</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"> (and </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"><B>Uruk</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"> parenthetically). Similarly, the Babylonian epic of </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"><B>Gilgamesh</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"> has /</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"><B>Uruk</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">/ as its setting. </SPAN></FONT></P><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"> </P><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"> </P><DIV style="text-indent: -48px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 72px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"><B>II.</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Times New Arabic" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9.3px;"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"><B>My personal argument:</B></SPAN></FONT></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify; text-indent: 0px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"> </SPAN></FONT><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><P align="justify" style="text-indent: 48px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">Rather than thinking of “Iraq” as derived from the triliteral verb / noun (</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"><B>ر- ق - ع</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">), with all its denotational imports of “root” or “vein,” and connotational suggestions of “deep-rooted” and “noble decent,” I’d strongly argue that the Arabic name ( </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"><B>عراق</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">) is, in all likelihood, an Arabic version of the Assyrian-com-biblical /Erech/ or the Sumerian /Uruk/. The Arabic naturalization of the Assyrian, then Hebrew name /Erech/ or the Sumerian /Uruk/ entails the regular process: vowel and consonantal change; i.e., insertion of the initial / ‘ayn = </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"><B>ع</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> /, and turning the terminal letter /ch/ or /k/ into a /qaaf = </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"><B>ق</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> / and the adjustment of vowels. (Cf. Eden and /</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"><B>عدن</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> /). </SPAN></FONT></P><P align="justify" style="text-indent: 48px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"><B> </B></SPAN></FONT></P><P align="justify" style="text-indent: 48px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">The problem, or one of the problems of Arabic lexicography, is that seemingly cognate, but unrelated words are lumped under one entry, as is evident in / </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"><B>عراق</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"><B> ،</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"><B>عرق</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> /</SPAN></FONT></P><P align="justify" style="text-indent: 48px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">and / /</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"><B>جمل ، جمال</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"> ، </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"><B>حساب</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"><B>الجمًل</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;"> (for camel, beauty and using the numerical values of the letters of the alphabet). In my view, this renders the derivation of Iraq from (</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="7"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 26.7px;"><B>ر- ق - ع</B></SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">) untenable. Far from philology and reckless imperial madness, Iraq is and will always remain a country of noble descent, deeply rooted in our hearts.</SPAN></FONT></P><P align="justify" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "> </P><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">--------------------------------------------------------------------------</DIV><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 4.0px 0.0px"><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">*MD</SPAN></FONT></P><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Times New Arabic" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"> </SPAN></FONT><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Times New Arabic" size="4"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"> </SPAN></FONT><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><P align="justify" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 4px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Arial" size="5"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 18px;">I’ve used the references below:</SPAN></FONT></P><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px"> </P><DIV style="text-indent: -24px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 148px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Symbol" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">¨</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Times New Arabic" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9.3px;"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">Kraeling, Emile G. </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px; text-decoration: underline;">Rand McNally Bible Atlas</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">. 1946; rpt. 1952.</SPAN></FONT></DIV><P style="text-indent: 0px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 124px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"> </SPAN></FONT></P><DIV style="text-indent: -24px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 148px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Symbol" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">¨</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Times New Arabic" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9.3px;"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">May, Herbert G. and Bruce M. Metzger, eds. </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px; text-decoration: underline;">The </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">Oxford</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px; text-decoration: underline;"> Annotated Bible</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">. 1962.</SPAN></FONT></DIV><P style="text-indent: 0px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "> </P><DIV style="text-indent: -24px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 148px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Symbol" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">¨</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Times New Arabic" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9.3px;"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">Metzger, Bruce M. and Michael D. Coogan, eds. </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px; text-decoration: underline;">The </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">Oxford</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px; text-decoration: underline;"> Companion to the Bible</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">. 1993.</SPAN></FONT></DIV><P style="text-indent: 0px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"> </SPAN></FONT></P><DIV style="text-indent: -24px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 148px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Symbol" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">¨</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" face="Times New Arabic" size="2"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 9.3px;"> </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">Scofield, C. I., ed. </SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px; text-decoration: underline;">The New Scofield Reference Bible</SPAN></FONT><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;">. 1967.</SPAN></FONT></DIV><P style="text-indent: 0px;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"> </SPAN></FONT></P><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><FONT class="Apple-style-span" size="6"><SPAN class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px;"><B> </B></SPAN></FONT></DIV><P style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 124.0px"> </P><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">--------------------------------------------------------------------------</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">End of Arabic-L: 14 Feb 2007</DIV></BODY></HTML>