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ArchivesRachel and other -el names
I'm curious... In doing research, every Biblical name I've come across that ends with -el means something to do with "God." I understand, as "El" is "God," but why doesn't Rachel have a similar meaning? Are there any other Biblical names that end in -el without meaning anything like "God"? I've found Jael, but that's all.
Thanks for any information you can give!
Thanks for any information you can give!
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Replies
It's the Aleph. Rachel doesn't have one, and the Hebrew word for God is El (Aleph-Lamed). Aleph represents a soft guttural sound to open a vowel. When the Greeks adapted the Phoenician alphabet, they took the Aleph for a vowel: A.
Now Yael has a similar sound, but a different character: Ayin. So no God in that name either.
Does this help?
Andy ;—)
Now Yael has a similar sound, but a different character: Ayin. So no God in that name either.
Does this help?
Andy ;—)
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The Hebrew word el is related to the Phoenician god Baal , which means 'lord' or 'god' and as the Phoenician people originally are from the region now known as Libanon and surroundings, the Bible also tells about Baal. I don;t know where the story is to found, but i remember a story about people believing in Baal in the northern part of Galizea (but it is all unclear now with new borders what region is meant)
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Not likely
I don't think the name Baal is related to El. It is spelled with an AYIN while El has an ALEF.
There are conflicting theories about what the name El meant in mesopotamian paganism. Some claim that it is the name of a specific god, supposedly superior to the rest of the pantheon, later adopted as the monotheistic god of judaism. Others think that it is a generic name for a deity and when used without qualification it simply means the patron god of the speaker's tribe. According to this theory El did refer to Baal for some.
I don't think the name Baal is related to El. It is spelled with an AYIN while El has an ALEF.
There are conflicting theories about what the name El meant in mesopotamian paganism. Some claim that it is the name of a specific god, supposedly superior to the rest of the pantheon, later adopted as the monotheistic god of judaism. Others think that it is a generic name for a deity and when used without qualification it simply means the patron god of the speaker's tribe. According to this theory El did refer to Baal for some.
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I think you are perfectly right. It looks like there is no etymological connection between the two.
Amdy ;—)
Amdy ;—)
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