Benjamin J. Noonan, «Hide or Hue? Defining Hebrew #x$ At%A», Vol. 93 (2012) 580-589
The word #$xAtA% has long puzzled Hebrew lexicographers. The present paper evaluates the most common definitions for this elusive Hebrew word, focusing particularly on Stephanie Dalley’s recent consideration of this term. Dalley’s proposal that #$xAtA%A% is derived from Akkadian dušû and means «faience beadwork» falls short linguistically as well as contextually. More plausibly, Hebrew #$xAtA% originates with Egyptian ths, a term used with reference to leather. This well suits the contexts in which #$xAtA% occurs and reflects Egyptian influence on the tabernacle and its terminology.
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586 BENJAMIN J. NOONAN
VI. Hebrew #$xAtA% as a Type of Egyptian Leather
Dalley unfortunately glosses over the most likely etymology for Hebrew
#$xAtA. In a short paragraph, she briefly mentions the possibility that #$xAtA % de-
%
rives from Egyptian ṯḥs, a verb used with reference to leather19. She quickly
discounts this loan hypothesis, stating in a footnote: “The vogue for finding
Egyptian cognates for Hebrew can also be seen in the misguided translation
of ḥašmal as ‘brass’, which was based on comparison with the Egyptian
ḥsmn meaning ‘bronze’, and is no longer favored†20. While one cannot deny
that scholars have postulated poor Egyptian etymologies for Hebrew words,
lm#x being one of them21, Dalley’s statement ignores the fruitful research
on Egyptian loanwords in Northwest Semitic — especially Hebrew — that
has taken place over the past fifty years 22. A significant number of Egyptian
loanwords as well as other Egyptian elements occur in the wilderness wan-
dering narratives 23, precisely the context in which Hebrew #$xAtA % most often
appears; so this loan hypothesis deserves more than a casual dismissal.
Egyptian ṯḥs first appears during the Old Kingdom 24. As noted above,
it occurs with reference to leather 25. Most commonly, ṯḥs occurs along
with hnt (“animal hideâ€) and relates to the process of stretching leather
-
across a wooden frame for oil-curing. The ancient Egyptians used oil (as
opposed to immersion in vegetable extracts for dyeing or tanning) to cure
their leather. This was done by dipping the hide in oil, stretching it across
a wooden frame, and scraping or rubbing the hide with a stone or other
R. HANNIG, Großes Handwörterbuch Ägyptisch–Deutsch (2800 bis 950
19
v. Chr.). Die Sprache der Pharaonen (Kulturgeschichte der antiken Welt 64;
Mainz am Rhein 52009) 1034; A. ERMAN ‒ H. GRAPOW, Wörterbuch der ägyp-
tischen Sprache (Leipzig 1926-1931) V, 396. This derivation was first sug-
gested by J.H. BONDI, “Gegenseitige Kultureinflüsse der Ägypter und
Semitenâ€, Aegyptiaca. Festschrift für Georg Ebers zum 1. März 1897 (Leipzig
1897) 1-7. Recent proponents of this view include M. GÖRG, “Das Lexem
taḥaÅ¡: Herkunft und Bedeutungâ€, BN 109 (2001) 5-9, and J.K. HOFFMEIER,
Ancient Israel in Sinai. The Evidence for the Authenticity of the Wilderness
Tradition (Oxford 2005) 212-213.
DALLEY, “Hebrew taḥaÅ¡, Akkadian duḫšuâ€, 3.
20
Cf. Y. MUCHIKI, Egyptian Proper Names and Loanwords in North-West
21
Semitic (SBLDS 173; Atlanta, GA 1999) 246.
E.g., MUCHIKI, Egyptian Proper Names and Loanwords; T.O. LAMBDIN,
22
“Egyptian Loan Words in the Old Testamentâ€, JAOS 73 (1953) 145-155.
HOFFMEIER, Ancient Israel in Sinai, 209-221, 223-226.
23
Egyptian ṯ represents a palatal consonant (pronounced like ch as in English
24
“churchâ€) rather than an interdental as in Semitic.
HANNIG, Großes Handwörterbuch Ägyptisch-Deutsch, 1034; A. ERMAN
25
‒ H. GRAPOW, Wörterbuch der ägyptischen Sprache, V, 396.
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