The Hebrew language does not have an synonyms...?

[Neogaia777]

The Hebrew language does not have an synonyms...?

Is this correct...?

In our language, every word has all kinds of other words that are similar or the same to that word, but I heard, it is not so, in the original Hebrew... The name or word was the thing, and the thing was the name or word, and there were not any other words (unpolluted) that meant or were close to the same as that one word for a thing... Their was no confusion in the language...

They had a (one) metaphorical meaning and a (one) earthly meaning, and that was it, perhaps and antonym but no synonyms... There were not 20 words for "blanket" for example... It's a bit confusing, cause when you look up one of our words in Hebrew, the same word can be used for things that seem like they would have to be totally different, but, there not, in the Hebrew... Must be a result of confusing the languages at or after the Tower of Babel...

Is there any way of figuring out this puzzle...?

Comments...?

God Bless!

 

[brightlights]

No this is not correct. The Hebrew language, like all languages, contains all kinds of synonyms. Just look at Psalm 119.

 

[Hank77]

No this is not correct. The Hebrew language, like all languages, contains all kinds of synonyms. Just look at Psalm 119.

Could you be a little more specific, please? Say an example of two Hebrew words that are synonyms from Psalms 119.

 

[Neogaia777]

Could you be a little more specific, please? Say an example of two Hebrew words that are synonyms from Psalms 119.

Yes, I have this question also...

 

[brightlights]

Could you be a little more specific, please? Say an example of two Hebrew words that are synonyms from Psalms 119.

In Psalm 119:
תּוֹרָה
עֵדוּת
פִּקּוּדִים
חֹק
מִצְוָה
מִשְׁפָּט

Those, at least, are all synonyms.

 

[Neogaia777]

In Psalm 119:
תּוֹרָה
עֵדוּת
פִּקּוּדִים
חֹק
מִצְוָה
מִשְׁפָּט

Those, at least, are all synonyms.

I don't know Hebrew, but, a true synonym, has to mean the almost exact same thing as another word, to where they are almost always interchangable, I do not know, But I heard that Hebrew has no true synonyms like this...

Could you give the English or Hebrew meanings or definitions behind the words you quoted perhaps...?

God Bless!

 

[Hank77]

In Psalm 119:
תּוֹרָה
עֵדוּת
פִּקּוּדִים
חֹק
מִצְוָה
מִשְׁפָּט

Those, at least, are all synonyms.

Thank you.
I found them all and sure enough they are plain for me to see so most anyone can.

 

[Neogaia777]

Thank you.
I found them all and sure enough they are plain for me to see so most anyone can.

How'd you find them? Can you provide a link...? Are they really true synonyms...?

I'd like to see for myself...

God Bless!

 

[brightlights]

I don't know Hebrew, but, a true synonym, has to mean the almost exact same thing as another word, to where they are almost always interchangable, I do not know, But I heard that Hebrew has no true synonyms like this...

Well every word has particular nuances even if it's synonymous with another word. For example, in English the words "boy", "lad", and "youth" can be synonymous although they also have special nuances of their own.

All of the words I quoted to you from Psalm 119 can be found in the first stanza and they all refer to God's word. In English they're translated as:

Law
Testimony
Precept
Statute
Commandment
Rule

All of those different Hebrew words refer to God's Law.

Plenty of other examples abound. The Hebrew word "na.ar" and "yalad" are synonymous - they both mean "young child".

 

[Neogaia777]

Well every word has particular nuances even if it's synonymous with another word. For example, in English the words "boy", "lad", and "youth" can be synonymous although they also have special nuances of their own.

All of the words I quoted to you from Psalm 119 can be found in the first stanza and they all refer to God's word. In English they're translated as:

Law
Testimony
Precept
Statute
Commandment
Rule

All of those different Hebrew words refer to God's Law.

Plenty of other examples abound. The Hebrew word "na.ar" and "yalad" are synonymous - they both mean "young child".

Oh, OK, thanks very much, what I heard must have not been entirely accurate then...

Thanks,

God Bless!

 

[Hank77]

How'd you find them? Can you provide a link...? Are they really true synonyms...?

I'd like to see for myself...

God Bless!

For future reference....
Copy each Hebrew word from the post into your browser search engine, I use google. Every one came up with a reference in Strong's except the third one, which I had a little trouble finding.

 

[Neogaia777]

For future reference....
Copy each Hebrew word from the post into your browser search engine, I use google. Every one came up with a reference in Strong's except the third one, which I had a little trouble finding.

Oh, OK, thanks very much,

Peace,

God Bless!

 

[Archie the Preacher]

I do know, from my limited amount of study, ancient (Biblical) Hebrew is a rather primitive - early and basic - language. Most of the ancient Hebrew words have more than one meaning (although related), depending on context.

 

[Neogaia777]

Why does one Hebrew word seem to be total opposites almost but seem to be the same word for two seemingly totally different things...?

Is that due to a metaphorical or spiritual meaning or sense along with the earthly meaning or sense...?

Like "fish" it can mean fish, but also means to multiply, increase, grow (Kinda makes me wonder about the miracles involving fish with Jesus)...

God Bless!

 

[Florin Lăiu]

I don't know Hebrew, but, a true synonym, has to mean the almost exact same thing as another word, to where they are almost always interchangable, I do not know, But I heard that Hebrew has no true synonyms like this...
Could you give the English or Hebrew meanings or definitions behind the words you quoted perhaps...?
God Bless!

I study Biblical Hebrew for 47 years, and I teach Hebrew at the Seminary for 23 years. My definite conclusion is that Hebrew is like any other human language. I like it so much, but I cannot ascribe to it a unique or divine character. It is quite similar to other Semitic languages, like Akkadian (Assyrian and Babylonian), Eblite, Ugaritic, Aramaic, Arabic and Ethyopian, and it is part of the Canaanite dialects (together with Moabite, Phoenician, Cartaginese).
Usually, there are not perfect synonyms in any language, ibcluding Hebrew. However, there are many good Hebrew synonyms, that you may check against any Biblical Hebrew lexicon/dictionary, e.g. Holladay Lexicon. For example, let’s see the synonyms of the Hebrew terms of the first verse in Genesis:
בְּרֵאשִׁית / ‎בִּתְחִלַּת Da 9:23 / ‎ בָּרֹאשׁ I Ch 16:7 = in/at the beginning
‎ בָּרָא / ‎ עָשָׂה Gn 2:2 / ‎ יָצָר Gn 2:8 = created, made, crafted
אֱלֹהִים / ‎ אֵל Mal 2:10 / ‎ אֱלוֹהַּ Job 27:3 = GOD
‎ שָׁמָיִם / ‎ רָקִיעַ Gn 1:8 / ‎ שְׁחָקִים or ‎ שַּׁחַק Job 35:5; Ps 89:38 = heaven, sky, firmament
‎ אֶרֶץ / ‎ אֲדָמָה Gn 2:19 / ‎ יַּבָּשָׁה Gn 1:10 = earth, land, dry land

Even for the personal pronoun ”I”, Biblical Hebrew has two different terms: ‎ אָנֹכִי (Ex 4:11) ‎ אֲנִי (Ex 6:2), that are perfectly interchangeble. A subtle nuance of difference might be, because ‎ אָנֹכִי is more formal and finally it was lost, while ‎ אֲנִי is more usual and popular, so that it only survived. There is so much evidence for Hebrew synonyms, but I have no time to continue, and probably my examples are sufficient.

 

[Archie the Preacher]

Like "fish" it can mean fish, but also means to multiply, increase, grow (Kinda makes me wonder about the miracles involving fish with Jesus)...

According to Strong's the root (primary or prior) word is דָּגָה - dah-gah (Strong's H1711) which means 'grow'. From this comes the word דָּג - dagh (or dog, sounds to me) (Strong's 1709) which means 'fish'; believed to apply as fish reproduce (or seemed to) quickly and greatly. To add to the confusion, the Hebrew word דָּגָה - dah-gah (Strong's 1710) which seems to be identical with H1711 above, also means fish, but it comes from the same 'grow' and 'growth' idea. There seems to be a faint difference in pronunciation between H1710 and H1711, but it's hard to pick up.

Similarly, it would be like finding in some language, the word for elephant came from a word meaning 'big' or 'strong'.

An obsolete term in English is 'brontosaurus'. (Right, the paleontologists have decided that it didn't exist in the once perceived fashion, but) the name came from Latin words meaning 'thunder lizard' because it was so big (how big was it?) the ground shook and thundered when it walked.

However, the big critter (real or imagined) had nothing to do with 'lightning'.

 

[Neogaia777]

According to Strong's the root (primary or prior) word is דָּגָה - dah-gah (Strong's H1711) which means 'grow'. From this comes the word דָּג - dagh (or dog, sounds to me) (Strong's 1709) which means 'fish'; believed to apply as fish reproduce (or seemed to) quickly and greatly. To add to the confusion, the Hebrew word דָּגָה - dah-gah (Strong's 1710) which seems to be identical with H1711 above, also means fish, but it comes from the same 'grow' and 'growth' idea. There seems to be a faint difference in pronunciation between H1710 and H1711, but it's hard to pick up.

Similarly, it would be like finding in some language, the word for elephant came from a word meaning 'big' or 'strong'.

An obsolete term in English is 'brontosaurus'. (Right, the paleontologists have decided that it didn't exist in the once perceived fashion, but) the name came from Latin words meaning 'thunder lizard' because it was so big (how big was it?) the ground shook and thundered when it walked.

However, the big critter (real or imagined) had nothing to do with 'lightning'.

Do you think any of that about "fish" had anything to do with the miraculous things Christ did with fish, cause he multiplied them...?

I'm just wondering if you think there is any connection there...?

Thanks for replying, very informative, interesting, informational, and insightful, thanks...

God Bless!

 

[Neogaia777]

I study Biblical Hebrew for 47 years, and I teach Hebrew at the Seminary for 23 years. My definite conclusion is that Hebrew is like any other human language. I like it so much, but I cannot ascribe to it a unique or divine character. It is quite similar to other Semitic languages, like Akkadian (Assyrian and Babylonian), Eblite, Ugaritic, Aramaic, Arabic and Ethyopian, and it is part of the Canaanite dialects (together with Moabite, Phoenician, Cartaginese).
Usually, there are not perfect synonyms in any language, ibcluding Hebrew. However, there are many good Hebrew synonyms, that you may check against any Biblical Hebrew lexicon/dictionary, e.g. Holladay Lexicon. For example, let’s see the synonyms of the Hebrew terms of the first verse in Genesis:
בְּרֵאשִׁית / ‎בִּתְחִלַּת Da 9:23 / ‎ בָּרֹאשׁ I Ch 16:7 = in/at the beginning
‎ בָּרָא / ‎ עָשָׂה Gn 2:2 / ‎ יָצָר Gn 2:8 = created, made, crafted
אֱלֹהִים / ‎ אֵל Mal 2:10 / ‎ אֱלוֹהַּ Job 27:3 = GOD
‎ שָׁמָיִם / ‎ רָקִיעַ Gn 1:8 / ‎ שְׁחָקִים or ‎ שַּׁחַק Job 35:5; Ps 89:38 = heaven, sky, firmament
‎ אֶרֶץ / ‎ אֲדָמָה Gn 2:19 / ‎ יַּבָּשָׁה Gn 1:10 = earth, land, dry land

Even for the personal pronoun ”I”, Biblical Hebrew has two different terms: ‎ אָנֹכִי (Ex 4:11) ‎ אֲנִי (Ex 6:2), that are perfectly interchangeble. A subtle nuance of difference might be, because ‎ אָנֹכִי is more formal and finally it was lost, while ‎ אֲנִי is more usual and popular, so that it only survived. There is so much evidence for Hebrew synonyms, but I have no time to continue, and probably my examples are sufficient.

I meant the post above for you as well, thanks...

 

[TheNorwegian]

Why does one Hebrew word seem to be total opposites almost but seem to be the same word for two seemingly totally different things...?

Is that due to a metaphorical or spiritual meaning or sense along with the earthly meaning or sense...?

Like "fish" it can mean fish, but also means to multiply, increase, grow (Kinda makes me wonder about the miracles involving fish with Jesus)...

God Bless!

What you refer to in this post is not synonyms, but is know as homonyms. Most (all?) languages have this, including English. Here is a list of English homonyms. Hav fun trying to figure out at least two meanings of every word
List of true homonyms - Wikipedia

 

[Archie the Preacher]

Do you think any of that about "fish" had anything to do with the miraculous things Christ did with fish, cause he multiplied them...?

Only in the somewhat vague sense of 'multiplication'.

I'm just wondering if you think there is any connection there...?

Not from a linguistic point of view. The words in the New Testament are Greek and are not connected in derivation from Hebrew, directly. It may be argued many Jewish people spoke and possibly thought in Hebrew, which might affect word choice when communicating in Greek; but probably not more than that.

In seeming contrast to what I just said, some words - units of language - are similar between Hebrew and Greek. The word "word' for instance, both have a reference to the idea behind the word (ink stain on paper).

The word 'fish' in the accounts of Jesus feeding the multitudes is the Greek word ὀψάριον - opsarion (Strong's G3795) actually means 'small fish' and is the term for fish that has been caught and prepared (dried or smoked or cooked), ready to eat.

I do not see a obvious connection between the two in terms of hidden meaning. Perhaps someone with more understanding of ancient Hebrew and Koine Greek could say more.