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The way I learn what a word or name means, is by knowing its parts... the meanings within the meaning. If you don't know the parts that make it up, you don't really know the meaning of it except on the surface.
So, I look up 'daniel' and all I find is "God is my judge". How so though? I know 'el' means God, but thats it. I guess dan means judgement?
I just don't understand why the name isn't explained in a deeper manner.
Dictionary.com explains the name meaning just as deeply as this site...yet etymology is only a bonus for their site.
ALRIGHT! I just looked up Daniel on wikipedia:
The name "Daniel" means "God is my judge": Dan means "judgment" or "he judged", "i" is the hiriq compaginis meaning "of" (not to be confused with the modern Hebrew first person possessive suffix -i), and "El" means God.
GOD! Why does your site even exist. Its just a distraction from better sites. Have you no pride?
Sorry to be so brash. It just seems so pointless to treat names so shallowly. I expect MORE from an etymology site.
So, I look up 'daniel' and all I find is "God is my judge". How so though? I know 'el' means God, but thats it. I guess dan means judgement?
I just don't understand why the name isn't explained in a deeper manner.
Dictionary.com explains the name meaning just as deeply as this site...yet etymology is only a bonus for their site.
ALRIGHT! I just looked up Daniel on wikipedia:
The name "Daniel" means "God is my judge": Dan means "judgment" or "he judged", "i" is the hiriq compaginis meaning "of" (not to be confused with the modern Hebrew first person possessive suffix -i), and "El" means God.
GOD! Why does your site even exist. Its just a distraction from better sites. Have you no pride?
Sorry to be so brash. It just seems so pointless to treat names so shallowly. I expect MORE from an etymology site.
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Replies
The article on the name Daniel at Wikipedia is indeed inaccurate.
DAN:
This is the present participle of the verb DIN, to judge, vindicate: "judging", "he who judges" > "judge". (1)
I
The "i" in the name Daniel consists of two characters in Hebrew script: YOD (a consonant) and HIRIQ (a vowel). A lot of times the two occur together as a unit representing the sound "ee". (This goes back to times when no vowels were written and consonants were inserted to clarify the pronunciation.)
The HIRIQ compaginis appears in Hebrew poetry as a suffix at the end of a noun (or a participle). It is called compaginis because ist just goes along with the noun without changing its meaning (it may have had a meaning of its own, but that got lost).
Now the HIRIQ compaginis looks exactly like the first person singular suffix used in ancient Hebrew (not in modern Hebrew as Wikipedia states; in modern Hebrew it has to a large extent been replaced by the possessive pronoun sheli, "of me").
Within a Hebrew text it is usually easy to tell one from the other, but in a name you just don't know, whether the "i" is the suffix "my" or the HIRIQ c.
EL
The only part that seems to be clear.
Now the translation "God (my) judge" may be a little misleading. A better translation would be "God vindicates (me)." Barrenness was considered a great disgrace in biblical times and would lead to mockery and the question: What did that woman do wrong so that God punishes her? A child (preferably a boy) given by God would vindicate that woman, so God was her vindicator (judge) and she could say: God is my vindicator/judge. (2)
From that personal statement there is only a short step to a more general statement: God vindicates. So both interpretations of the name Daniel make sense, and you can't tell which one is correct. Probably the more personal interpretation is the older one
(1) Theoretically it could also be "perfect tense": This can refer to an action in the past or a general statement (God has vindicated me / God vindicates) (In fact there are no "tenses" in our modern sense in biblical Hebrew - in modern Hebrew there are.) I would say, in this case, DAN cannot be "perfect tense", because these forms never go with either the possessive suffix "I" (in this case it would be daneni) or the Hiriq compaginis (this is what my grammar books say).
DAN:
This is the present participle of the verb DIN, to judge, vindicate: "judging", "he who judges" > "judge". (1)
I
The "i" in the name Daniel consists of two characters in Hebrew script: YOD (a consonant) and HIRIQ (a vowel). A lot of times the two occur together as a unit representing the sound "ee". (This goes back to times when no vowels were written and consonants were inserted to clarify the pronunciation.)
The HIRIQ compaginis appears in Hebrew poetry as a suffix at the end of a noun (or a participle). It is called compaginis because ist just goes along with the noun without changing its meaning (it may have had a meaning of its own, but that got lost).
Now the HIRIQ compaginis looks exactly like the first person singular suffix used in ancient Hebrew (not in modern Hebrew as Wikipedia states; in modern Hebrew it has to a large extent been replaced by the possessive pronoun sheli, "of me").
Within a Hebrew text it is usually easy to tell one from the other, but in a name you just don't know, whether the "i" is the suffix "my" or the HIRIQ c.
EL
The only part that seems to be clear.
Now the translation "God (my) judge" may be a little misleading. A better translation would be "God vindicates (me)." Barrenness was considered a great disgrace in biblical times and would lead to mockery and the question: What did that woman do wrong so that God punishes her? A child (preferably a boy) given by God would vindicate that woman, so God was her vindicator (judge) and she could say: God is my vindicator/judge. (2)
From that personal statement there is only a short step to a more general statement: God vindicates. So both interpretations of the name Daniel make sense, and you can't tell which one is correct. Probably the more personal interpretation is the older one
(1) Theoretically it could also be "perfect tense": This can refer to an action in the past or a general statement (God has vindicated me / God vindicates) (In fact there are no "tenses" in our modern sense in biblical Hebrew - in modern Hebrew there are.) I would say, in this case, DAN cannot be "perfect tense", because these forms never go with either the possessive suffix "I" (in this case it would be daneni) or the Hiriq compaginis (this is what my grammar books say).
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I forgot
(2) Martin Noth: Die Israelitischen Personennamen im Rahmen der gemeinsemitischen Namengebung, Hildesheim 1929/1966, p. 188
(2) Martin Noth: Die Israelitischen Personennamen im Rahmen der gemeinsemitischen Namengebung, Hildesheim 1929/1966, p. 188
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I want to preface this by saying, I only have a basic understanding of Hebrew. El does indeed mean "God". According to this site, Daniel means "God is my judge" and Dinah means "judged". With this in mind, dn or dnh would mean "judge" "judgement" or "judged". Vowels are filled in during transcription. Daniel then, would literally mean "God judge" "God judgement" or "God judged". I believe the "is my" part of "God is my judge" has been added in for clarification of the meaning behind the two parts of the name. I have also heard of Daniel meaning "Judgement of God" and "Judged by God", which would support the theory of adding in words to clarify a meaning.
ETA: I like wikipedia a lot, but it can't always be counted on for completely accurate information.
ETA: I like wikipedia a lot, but it can't always be counted on for completely accurate information.
This message was edited 2/3/2010, 4:00 PM
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wikipedia might be wrong
Well, I am not an expert and might be corrected. I think "Dani" means "my judge". I don't believe wikipedia is right about the first person suffix "i" only used in Modern Hebrew.
I don't see why you have to be so upset. It is annoying when people write in a manner that they feel by themselves they have to apologize for in the end.
Well, I am not an expert and might be corrected. I think "Dani" means "my judge". I don't believe wikipedia is right about the first person suffix "i" only used in Modern Hebrew.
I don't see why you have to be so upset. It is annoying when people write in a manner that they feel by themselves they have to apologize for in the end.
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