Sunday, January 13, 2013

English Words from the Hebrew Source

English dictionaries trace words back to Latin. But they go no further.

It only makes sense most languages, including Latin derivatives, derive from the first universal language ever spoken, Biblical Hebrew. The Torah explicitly tells us that until the Tower of Babylon story, the world's populace spoke - only Hebrew (Braishis 11:1).

Here are some English words that most probably have their source in Hebrew:
More examples:
"שרף" means "Serpent"(Devarim 8, 15).
Speaking of snakes,
"פתן" is "Python"  (Tehilim 91:13).

"מסתר"(as in Rashi: Shir Hashirim 1:2) means "Mystery",
a noun from the root verb "to conceal".

Rabbi Yitzchak Ginsburgh (lecture in 2005) says the word MURDER comes from 2 Hebrew words:
"Mered Or" (מרד אור), meaning - Rebellion Against Light [as in Iyov 24, 13]. Light connotes G-d, and murder is rebelling against Him Who created all people to live.

Probably Hashem mixed up the universal language of Hebrew into 70 different languages at the Tower of Babel; The "mix-up" probably kept the original language as a sort of "parent" to the derived words; But that is my guess.

3 comments:

Yankev said...

See Iggeret HaKodesh, end of Epistle 19.

www.chabad.org/dailystudy/tanya.asp?tDate=9/19/2012

in the vanguard said...

Yankev, thanks. I only wish you would have explained a little in the comment you left, because, frankly, I don't understand the Alter Rebbe's message there.

joshwaxman said...

regarding your recent comment on my post:

The link was there, but you just missed it. It is on the words "Hebrew and English words".

kol tuv,
josh

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