Thoughts On The Lemnos Stele

[proto-language]

Dear Ernest and IEists:

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ernest P. Moyer" <epmoyer at netrax.net>
Sent: Sunday, February 18, 2001 5:27 AM

> Brent:

> I find Y'hawa in the Hebrew Pi'el verb table under Hawa = Form or Mold.
> Literally, Y'hawa = "He shall Mold."  Future tense. Some people believe
> this is the origin of the Hebrew name for God.

[PR]
Then they are rather misguided. The name, avocalicly, is y-h-w-h NOT y-h-w. We
do not just drop 'atches' to suit a hypothesis.

Secondly, the (imperfect) Pi'el form of h-w-h is not "y'hawa" as you write, but
(perfect) h-y-w-w-h, vocalized hi:wa:h, and (imperfect) y-h-w-w-h, vocalized
y'haweh.

Thirdly, the Pi'el form means 'to constitute'.

We do not just ignore gemination when convenient.

I much better guess is the Hiph'il form: yahweh might mean "he who brings into
being", the causative ('cause to become') that you mistakenly understand the
Pi'el form to be.

So this speculation is a pure waste of time on several counts since you
obviously do not rtead Hebrew, and do not possess a reliable Hebrew dictionary
nor grammar.

<snip>

> So I am very distrustful of a supposed origin which sees the Hebrew name for
> God as some primitive superstitious designation deriving out of mere sounds,
> such as "Yah."

[PR]
Your mistrust is unfounded in any kind of valid knowledge that could be brought
to bear on the subject.

The facts are, Yah was used in Ebla. Whatever its origin there, it might well
be the same divine name as Yah, apparently the basis for Yahweh.

Finally, I think a very plausible case can be made for Ya(h) deriving from Ea
(or Ia), the Mesopotamian god of wisdom. If the name is derived from Sumerian,
it might well mean 'engenderer'; or more philosophically, 'existence' (what has
been engendered), which might relate to the Pi'el form of h-w-h a little more
closely.

Pat

PATRICK C. RYAN | PROTO-LANGUAGE at email.msn.com (501) 227-9947 * 9115 W. 34th
St. Little Rock, AR 72204-4441 USA WEBPAGES: PROTO-LANGUAGE:
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at ec hecc, vindgá meiði a netr allar nío, geiri vndaþr . . . a þeim
meiþi, er mangi veit, hvers hann af rótom renn." (Hávamál 138)