My Hebrew is getting worse by the day as I am out of practice. However I
can say that the coincidence of three letters that is being referred to
is not of as little importance as it would be in English. In the case of
Hebrew, these three letters are the root of the word. Take for instance
the root ספר sfr, (sefer) the root of book. To make library one adds to
the book root to get ספריה (seferiah). If one adds the roots for house
and book the result
is בית ספר, (biat sefer) house of books, a school. And so on. Same
principle as in Arabic.
But... there are lots of roots. Some very similar are related, others
not. Just like English really.
Regards,
Morgan Leigh
PhD Candidate
School of Sociology and Social Work
University of Tasmania
On 4/10/2010 5:02 PM, Ted Hand wrote:
> I agree with Sasha that we should be wary of correlating the words on
> the basis of the coincidence of letters.
> On the other hand, it's a marvelous synchronicity, and might have had
> meaning for occult "folk etymologists"
>
> On Sun, Oct 3, 2010 at 8:25 PM, sasha chaitow <[log in to unmask]
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
>
> Hi there, just to jump in on the thread, though I can;t help with
> Hebrew derivations, what I can add is that the word "esoteric" as
> used in English, derives from the Greek eso participle (έσω)
> meaning inner, and the suffix 'terikos' (found in many other Greek
> words) meaning "pertaining to", or "that which is". So in this case,
> I would hazard a guess that the presence of s-t-r is more
> coincidental than likely to indicate a shared background - though I
> could be wrong. There is also a linguistic debate re the extent to
> which there was major cross-fertilization between the ancient Greek
> and early Hebrew languages, with some scholars claiming that Hebrew
> actually derives from Greek - but I really can't provide any sources
> (not in English, certainly).
>
> Hope that didn't confuse the issue too much!
>
> Best,
> Sasha
>
> Sasha Chaitow
> PhDc Western Esotericism
> EXESESO University of Exeter
>
> Phoenix Rising Academy Director <http://www.phoenixrising.org.gr/>
>
> Personal Website & Gallery: http://sashanonserviat.net
> Professional
> Profile:http://www.phoenixrising.org.gr/en/academy/teachers/sasha-chaitow/
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> *From:* Cody Bahir <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>>
>
> *To:* [log in to unmask]
> <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> *Sent:* Sun, October 3, 2010 7:39:50 AM
>
> *Subject:* Re: [ACADEMIC-STUDY-MAGIC] Need help with authoritative
> source for Biblical name "Esther"
>
> Dear Caelum,
>
> Biblical linguistics is not my area of expertise, but here goes...
>
> In terms of Esther meaning "hidden", this surely stems from the
> letters סתר (samech, tav, reish) in the name, which is also the
> root for the word /nistar/ נסתר which usually translates as
> "esoteric", which also has a similar root consisting of the letters
> s, t and r, (which parallel the Hebrew letters mentioned above).
> Though I was under the impression these words shared a Phoenician
> root. You may wish to look up the etymology of the English word
> "esoteric" to find out more. For easy reference, here are the three
> words listed bilingually:
> Esther אסתר
> Nistar נסתר
> Shared root "/seter/" meaning "concealed/esoteric" סתר
>
> In terms of "myrtle", that is not a translation of the actual word
> Esther, but a reference to her name /Hadassah/ listed in Esther 2:7
> (/Hadassah/ is usually translated either as myrtle or willow). This
> idea is played with in the Talmud, here is a very trustworthy
> website which lists quite a few references to Esther throughout the
> entire Talmud:
> http://www.webshas.org/torah/bichtav/tanach/purim/esther.htm
>
> And the Astarte/Ishtar connection. Unfortunately this is not my
> area, (I do Medieval Kabbalah), but it is a well known fact and I am
> sure if you seek out an Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) scholar, he/she
> would be able to help you out.
>
> Hope this helps!
>
> Best,
> Cody
>
> On Sat, Oct 2, 2010 at 4:34 PM, Caelum Rainieri
> <[log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
>
> I've found conflicting meanings or derivations for the Hebrew
> word Esther; Persian in origin meaning Star or Ishtar, Hebrew
> for 'hidden', Hebrew for Myrtle. can anyone point me to an
> authoritative source?
>
> Thanks much,
> C
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>
> --
> Cody Bahir M.A.J.S.
>
> Ph.D. Student
> Philosophy and Religion
> Concentration: Asian and Comparative Studies
> California Institute of Integral Studies
> www.CIIS.edu <http://www.CIIS.edu>
>
>
> "Knowledge alone is transitory, the outcrop subsequent to 'I desire
> all things.'" -A.O. Spare
>
>
>
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