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ArchivesBethesda/ Bathesda (Hebrew) Meaning?
It has been suggested that the meaning is
"Daughter of the oath"??
If so, can anyone expand upon this meaning???
"Daughter of the oath"??
If so, can anyone expand upon this meaning???
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Replies
Mme Claire, I'm still puzzled, and have been for decades! What does "daughter of an oath" mean? "Daughter an oath" I can sort-of see meaning something like "At the birth of my daughter, I take a solemn oath that ... " whatever; but "daughter an oath"? Same with "God an oath". Not being an ancient, or even modern, Hebrew, it makes no sense to me.
The names are good, though!
Could Batsheva have been transcribed as Bathesda, and was it? Just by putting the vowels in the wrong places? Interesting ...
The names are good, though!
Could Batsheva have been transcribed as Bathesda, and was it? Just by putting the vowels in the wrong places? Interesting ...
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Batsheva and Bethesda are two entirely different names.
One is daughter, other is house, one is oath (although it's disputated I think), other is charity.
One is daughter, other is house, one is oath (although it's disputated I think), other is charity.
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Batsheva
First BAT:
BEN (son) and BAT (daughter) respectively, do not only indicate the physical descent of a person in relation to another. It is also used to express any kind of affiliation: a "son/daughter of 500 years" (Gen 5,32) is someone of that age, BNE CHAYIL, the "sons of stubborness" (Num 17,25) simply are the stubborn ones. Fertile soil is referred to as "son of fat" (Is 5,1), and the "sons of the bow" are arrows. The "son of death" (1 Sam 20,31) is bound to die (soon).
Now SHEVA
But what about the "oath"? – First of all: sheva does not mean “oath” in Hebrew (this is what both my Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and of Modern Hebrew say); the Hebrew word for “oath” is "shvu’ah". Of course the verb shava’ (nishba in the Nifal-form), to swear, has the same consonants: shin-bet-ayin. “sheva” in Hebrew means “seven”, and it is not clear whether (or how) the two are related. Now does “daughter of seven” make more sense? Seven as the number of perfection? Here, a third possible meaning comes in: “abundant, perfect.” Elizabeth, Eli-sheva in Hebrew, is usually translated “God is abundance,” a translation I have double-checked with two professors of Old Testament in Germany. This again may be related to “seven,” others separate the two (Baumgartner). The problem with this translation: It requires a sin as first consonant, not a shin. The two are originally one letter, but I am not sure, whether they are really interchangeable in this case. “Seva” means “abundant, rich, satisfied.” A good translation of Bat-Sheva could be “daughter of abundance,” either referring to her corpulence or to God’s abundant grace.
On top of this there is the personal name Seva (Sheba) in the Bible (2 Sam 20,1), spelt just like the second part of Bat-Sheva. So, theoretically, Bat-Sheva could simply mean “daughter of Sheva.”
First BAT:
BEN (son) and BAT (daughter) respectively, do not only indicate the physical descent of a person in relation to another. It is also used to express any kind of affiliation: a "son/daughter of 500 years" (Gen 5,32) is someone of that age, BNE CHAYIL, the "sons of stubborness" (Num 17,25) simply are the stubborn ones. Fertile soil is referred to as "son of fat" (Is 5,1), and the "sons of the bow" are arrows. The "son of death" (1 Sam 20,31) is bound to die (soon).
Now SHEVA
But what about the "oath"? – First of all: sheva does not mean “oath” in Hebrew (this is what both my Dictionary of Biblical Hebrew and of Modern Hebrew say); the Hebrew word for “oath” is "shvu’ah". Of course the verb shava’ (nishba in the Nifal-form), to swear, has the same consonants: shin-bet-ayin. “sheva” in Hebrew means “seven”, and it is not clear whether (or how) the two are related. Now does “daughter of seven” make more sense? Seven as the number of perfection? Here, a third possible meaning comes in: “abundant, perfect.” Elizabeth, Eli-sheva in Hebrew, is usually translated “God is abundance,” a translation I have double-checked with two professors of Old Testament in Germany. This again may be related to “seven,” others separate the two (Baumgartner). The problem with this translation: It requires a sin as first consonant, not a shin. The two are originally one letter, but I am not sure, whether they are really interchangeable in this case. “Seva” means “abundant, rich, satisfied.” A good translation of Bat-Sheva could be “daughter of abundance,” either referring to her corpulence or to God’s abundant grace.
On top of this there is the personal name Seva (Sheba) in the Bible (2 Sam 20,1), spelt just like the second part of Bat-Sheva. So, theoretically, Bat-Sheva could simply mean “daughter of Sheva.”
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Thanks, Andy! Most interesting ...
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