Re: Same name (was Re: Brithenig-heads)

On 25 April, Nik Taylor wrote:

>Raymond Brown wrote:
>> Luke, writing in Greek, would use the Septuagint version of the name.
>
>Wouldn't he use the form used by the Elizabeth herself?
>
>> ...distorting 'oath of Baal' into 'island of garbage'?
>
>Distorting whatever into "island of garbage".  After all, they did
>distort Ba'al-zebul (Lord Ba'al) into Beelzebub (Lord of Flies)

"Island of garbage"? I take it we are talking about
the wife of Ahab, king of (the northern kingdom of)
Israel. AFAIK, her name has come down to us in English
as  "Jezebel".
    I wouldn't be suprised if her name was originally some form
of "oath of Baal" since she figures prominently in
pushing the worship of Baal in the time of Ahab the king and
Elijah the prophet. I'm curious:  What is claimed to be the original Punic?
How is it claimed to have changed?
    In the Bible, (beginning with Kings I, chapter 16, verse 31)
her name is spelled: aleph-yod-zayin-vet-lamed and pronounced
(in today's Hebrew) as /izevel/; although the pronounciation varies:
elsewhere (chapter 18, verse 19 for example) the vowelling seems
to indicate (in modern Hebrew) /izavel/  (perhaps  more like /izOvel/ in
ancient Hebrew). Anyhow, the name "Baal" is spelled with an 'ayen
in the middle.
    One final point, if I may: although it's tempting to translate the name
as /i/= island and /zevel/= garbage; somehow I can't see a queen calling
herself that. Please bear in mind that "zevel" in those days was
usually organic and used to fertilize fields.  To the farmers of those
days, it was considered valuable. I can't say for certain, but her name,
as given in the Bible, might have even had the connotation of
 "fertile island" or "isle of fertility", which would, anyhow,
make more sense for a royal name than "Island of garbage".

Dan Sulani


--------------------------------------------------------------------
likehsna rtem zuv tikuhnuh auag inuvuz vaka'a.

A word is an awesome thing.