The name “Benjamin” is, as I understand it, Hebrew (or Arabic/Aramaic) for ‘son of the right hand’. What would the equivalent for ‘son of the left hand’ be?
Ben-smol, from Hebrew ben, “son,” and smol, “left.”
Bensemol, or something like that, maybe?
“Son of the right”. There is no reference to hand there.
It is also worth noting that Biblical Hebrew does not use many prepositions like “of” - these are filled in by context. So it literally says “son right”, which can be understood to mean “of the right”.
OK, Izzy, but what would be “son of the left”? Have Scuba_Ben and Cap’n A got it right? My Arabic grammar says “left” is shimaal, so would it be something like Bensmol, Bensemol, or Benshemol?
Whack-A-Mole.
I don’t think your source is very accurate. There is a specific word in Hebrew for south (da-rom) which has nothing to do with Benjamin. Indeed, he was named Benjamin long before the tribes were given thier portions in Israel.
Secondly, while Benjamin’s portion was in the southern part of the land, Judah’s and Simeon’s were still further south.
Lastly, Scuba-Ben hit it right on the head. It would be ben-smol.
Zev Steinhardt
Zev Steinhardt
Bensmol. From what little I’ve seen of Arabic, it is vaguely similar to Hebrew but not directly comparable. (I believe Shalom Aleichem = Sala’am Aleiku).
The “South” translation cited by Whack-a-Mole is possibly valid. The Bible sometimes refers to the directions from the perspective of a person facing East, so that East is “Front” etc., making South “Right”. Some commentators have understood the name to be a reference to the birth of Benjamin in a more southerly location as compared to the other sons.
This raises two related questions, Zev.
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I was under the impression that the Negev, the desert area in the southern triangle of modern Israel which is mentioned in passing in several O.T. passages (e.g., “Restore our fortunes, Lord, like the watercourses of the Negev”), was named from the Hebrew word for “south.” Could you expound on what it really means?
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I was under the impression that at the Division of Tribes after Solomon’s reign, ten went with the north and only Benjamin with Judah. Yet Simeon is on the southern edge of the assigned areas for the tribes, and within the bounds of Judah as a separate kingdom. What’s the scoop here?
fixed coding
Zev,
See Rashi
;j
Poly,
The word Negev is from the Hebrew naguv meaning dry, a reference to the desert. It’s use as South is borrowed from the location of the Negev in the South.
The tribe of Simeon was dispersed among the tribe of Judah. I’ve wondered about your question myself.
I can’t even begin to argue the linguistics of it but here it is again.
And again (with a linguistic description):
**
Often, in Hebrew, the derivative of a place name could mean "toward <place name>. Thus, the word negbah (meaning toward the negev also means south, as yamah (toward the sea – yam is sea) means west (as the Medeterranian Sea is to the west of Israel.
Yet another one who was long troubled by this as well.
Zev Steinhardt
Ah, as in “I’m Dixie-bound” might be used for “I’m traveling south” in America. Thanks!
Is it just me, or is Bensemol a good name for a hobbit?
The greeting in (Egyptian) Arabic is “salaamu 9aleekum” (the 9 represents the pharyngeal fricative) - to me, quite directly comparable to Hebrew. They are, after all, both Semitic languages.
SC_Wolf - IMO, Benshemol is the best-sounding variation, but there doesn’t seem to be much in the way of linguistic factual support for it.
Dang ZS…
I was hoping you’d comment on the ymîn equates to south bit I quoted in my previous post. No word on this (pun not intended)?
OK, back with some more fodder. I just found a Hebrew-English online dictionary here, and under the entry “left” (in the heading ‘Directions’) it gives the word shmol - or shin-mem-alef-lamed. There is a shva under the shin, which according to this site is either the ‘eh’ sound or silent.
Question: How does one tell the difference?
Continuing on, there seems to be a diacritical mark above the mem but the second site doesn’t identify it as such.
Question: What’s it doing there, and does it affect either the mem or the following alef?
Ultimately, the question is what lexical restrictions are preventing me from reading the Hebrew word for ‘left’ as shemol?
FWIW, Ben Ya-amin in Modern Hebrew would be “Son will believe”
I’m not sure if Benjamin in Hebrew is Benyamin or ben ya-amin. It makes all the difference.
Olentzero :
The dot is on the left upper side of the Shin, so it’s Smol.
The mark above the mem is the “o” sign, that’s why it’s Smol and not smal.
It’s the former.