The distribution of these non-Semitic loanwords is summarized in the following table. The remainder (15) come from other less well-known languages like Philistine. The vast majority (135) of these non-Semitic loanwords come from Egyptian, Greek, Hittite, Luvian, Hurrian, Old Indic, or Old Iranian. Of these 235 loanwords, I identify 150 words that were borrowed directly from a non-Semitic language into either Hebrew or Aramaic. In my book I present a comprehensive listing of the Hebrew Bible’s 235 non-Semitic loanwords. First Century CE Wine Press, Old City of Jerusalem. Thus, Hebrew יַיִן and all these related words are representative of an ancient culture word, or word of unknown origin. Scholars continue to debate the origin of all these terms, and a convincing etymology has yet to be offered. Furthermore, related words occur in many non-Semitic languages, such as Greek οἶνος, Latin vinum, and Georgian ġvino.
For example, the Hebrew word יַיִן ‘wine’ has no native etymology in either Hebrew or any of the other Semitic languages, indicating that it is not original to them. In other instances, we know that a word is not original to Hebrew or the Semitic languages but cannot identify its specific source. ( Bible and Orient Museum, Fribourg/Wikimedia Commons) Statue of Pharaoh Ramesses II, Luxor Temple. Other good examples of words in Hebrew that have an Egyptian origin are חוֹתָם ‘seal, signet ring’ (borrowed from Egyptian ḫtm) and סוּף ‘reed, rush plant’ (borrowed from Egyptian ṯwf). So, they adopted the Egyptian word for ‘pharaoh’ into Hebrew. Because this word designates an Egyptian ruler and therefore a concept foreign to ancient Israel, Hebrew speakers had no native word to refer to it. This word comes from Egyptian pr-ʿꜢ, which originally referred to the Egyptian ruler’s ‘great house’ but eventually came to be used as a title for the ruler himself. An excellent example is the Hebrew word פַּרְעֹה ‘pharaoh’. In many cases, we can identify with relative certainty the specific language that a non-Semitic loanword comes from. Non-Semitic Loanwords in the Hebrew Bible: A Lexicon of Language Contact. These non-Semitic loanwords are the topic of my book, Non-Semitic Loanwords in the Hebrew Bible: A Lexicon of Language Contact. However, a good number of the loanwords in the Hebrew Bible come from non-Semitic languages like Egyptian, Hittite, and Persian. Many of the Hebrew Bible’s loanwords are from other Semitic languages, such as Akkadian.
Words like these that have been borrowed from one language to another, or loanwords, frequently appear in the various languages of the world.īiblical Hebrew and Biblical Aramaic also contain words borrowed from different languages. In fact, nearly 75 percent of the words in English have been borrowed from other languages, including common words such as people (borrowed from French), zero (borrowed from Italian), and even chocolate (borrowed from Nahuatl/Aztec). Without realizing it, most English-speakers today use a number of words that are not English in origin. Non-Semitic Loanwords in the Hebrew Bible: A Lexicon of Language Contact By Ben Noonan