Re: Biblical Hebrew

On 19 August, Steg Belsky wrote:

> >     Actually, I was deliberately trying to keep the translation
> > at a higher level. If I had translated the verse more closely,
> > I would have had to say "my bowels _move_ for him".
> > This usage is similar to the English for being emotionally
> > affected by something: "it moved me", "I was moved by
> > the story", "it was a very moving situation", etc.
> > ("it was a moving movie about movers"?    ;-)   )
> > People can interpret it as they will, but that happens to be
> > the metaphor which is employed.
> > Dan Sulani
> -
>
> If i remember this quote correctly (is it |habein yaqir li efrayim, im
> yeled sha`shu`im; ki midey daberi bo, zakhor ezkereinu `od. `al kein
> *hamu mei`ai lo*, rahheim arahhamenu, ne'um H'|?),
    Yes, it is. Fantastic memory, Steg!

> i always thought that
> |hamu| is the same verb as |homa|, which i seem to remember learning is
> "the sound made by a dove".

Couple of  comments:

    a.)  The commentary I was using (Mossad Harav Kook, Jerusalem)
          interprets  *hamu mei`ai lo* using the verb |hitno'a'u| from the
          root "nun-vav-ayin" refering to motion.

    b.) |hamu| , from the word "heh-mem-heh" (I'm not certain if that is the
         root or "nun-heh-mem" is), but in any case, the sense is one of
        "great noise", ie loud excitement. I'm not familiar with |homa| used
        as "the sound of a dove".
            OTOH, I don't know about doves where you live, but over here
        they can be "winged parasites", taking over any place not constantly
        protected, fouling clean clothes on the line, and spreading small
        disease-carrying insects. (There is another sub-species which lives
        in trees; they're cleaner and never bother people --- and, of
        course, this is not referring to the doves that may be raised by
        people who take great care in raising them.) And, oh,yes,
        while they're busy doing their dirty (literally) deeds,
        the parasites can put up an unholy
        racket! There's nothing  "coo-te"  about the sound!
        (Sorry about that! I couldn't resist  it!  ;-)  )
        It would certainly fit, though, with
        the sense of  |homa| as loud, excited  noise!


> Is it the same as in _Hatiqva_: |nefesh yehudi *homiya*|?
    AFAIK, yes: the sense is one of "excitement".



        Dan Sulani
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likehsna rtem zuv tikuhnuh auag inuvuz vaka'a

A word is an awesome thing.