Arabic-L:LING:Place name Zuweirah etymology response

[Dilworth Parkinson]

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Arabic-L: Thu 05 Jun 2014
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1) Subject: Place name Zuweirah etymology response

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1)
Date: 05 Jun 2014
From: salem aweiss <salema52 at yahoo.com>
Subject: Place name Zuweirah etymology response

Several avenues can be pursued in dealing with the name of this location.

1.    One meaning of the of the root “zwr” is to press, squeeze, or the
press out. It also means to take in the hand. In Hebrew as well as in
Arabic, this verb is used to mean “to press” especially applied to the lip
of a horse.
2.    2. Another meaning of the root has to do with “turning aside, to
depart (as the verb “zara” in Arabic followed by “min” (from) someone,
especially from God; from the way of truth and uprightness, whence “Zawwar”
(lie, falsehood, to tell lies).
3.    Another meaning related to the previous one is along the line of
“turn from the way” (to lodge at any one’s house as Zara (visited) in
Arabic, hence to be a stranger or a visitor (especially of another nation,
or an alien by birth (see Exodus 30:33). This meaning is not associated
with a holy person (e.g., chief or high priest.
4.    It could also mean “of another family” or a strange woman as in the
Hebrew “zara” (foreigner/stranger. By extension it could mean “a strange
women, especially with regard to unlawful intercourse, an adulterous, a
harlot. This meaning is clear in Proverbs (e.g., 2:16,; 5:3, 20; etc.). One
has to mention in this context that Lot took refugee with his two daughters
in that place (and their subsequent tempting of their father). The place is
also mentioned as a refugee for those “Moabites” who would run away from
the Ammonites  or from natural disasters . thus they would dwell the caves
of that region (the region is rich in caves and running water/springs (it
is close to the Arnon River/Al-Mujeb??
5.    Another clear meaning stemming from the meaning of “press, squeeze”
is that of water gushing out of a gorge??
6.    Thus, by extension, the verb also reflects “smallness, tightness,
narrowness”. In Arabic the “throat” part is called “zoar” in Levantine
Arabic.
7.    As mentioned in the inquiry, “zo’ar” in Hebrew (smallness). It is a
city in the “District of the Jordan. It is believed that the original name
of the place was “Bela”.
8.    In the Hebrew Masoretic text, it is referred to as “little ones”. It
is believe that Zo’ar and the other cities of the district of the Jordan
now lie submerged in the Dead Sea (earthquake??)
9.    Now, for the Arabic name “zweirah”, it could be understood as a
diminutive form of “zoar”?? the location is close to “as-safi” or “ghor
as-safi”.
10.                  And from the meaning of visiting, one could get the
meaning of “a place of visitation” or another form of “ziyara (a visit)
expressed as “zweira”

I hope this helps

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