Hebraism is the identification of a usage, trait, or characteristic of the Hebrew language. By successive extension it is sometimes applied to the Jewish people, their faith, national ideology, or culture.
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Idiomatic Hebrew
There exist in the Hebrew language numerous idiomatic terms that don't translate easily to more widely used languages. To the extent those broader cultures rely for cultural meaning on Hebrew-language-based scriptures, those idioms sometimes prove puzzling.
Writer David Bivin gives examples of some difficult Hebrew idioms: "be'arba enayim, literally 'with four eyes,' means face to face without the presence of a third person, as in, 'The two men met with four eyes.' [The term] lo dubim ve lo ya'ar is literally '[There are] neither bears nor forest,' but means that something is completely false. And taman et yado batsalahat, 'buried his hand in the dish,' means that someone idles away his time."[1]
Hebrew etymologies
The word Hebraism may also describe a word in another language that has Hebrew etymology[2]. The word "Carob" is an English-language example of this etymology[3].
Several common-place phrases in English have Hebrew origins.[4] Some examples are "The way of women," "Flowing with milk and honey," and "stiff-necked."
Distinctive language
Beyond simple etymology, both spoken and written Hebrew is marked by peculiar linguistic elements that distinguish its semitic roots. These Hebraisms include: Word order, chiasmus, compound prepositions, and numerous other distinctive features.
At least one writer finds Hebraisms in the New Testament, suggesting that the work was originally written in Hebrew, rather than Greek, as others argue.[5]
Systematic Hebraisms
Finally, the word Hebraism describes a quality, character, nature, or method of thought, or system of religion attributed to the Hebrew people. It is in this sense that Mathew Arnold (1869) contrasts Hebraism with Hellenism[6]. Feldman's response to Arnold expands on this usage.[7]
See also
Notes
- ^ Bivin, David. "Hebrew Idioms in the Gospels," Jerusalem Perspective Online.
- ^ "Hebraism," Merriam-Webster online.
- ^ Balashon - Hebrew Language Detective
- ^ Leman, Wayne. "Ancient Hebrew Idioms," Ancient Hebrew Research Center.
- ^ Marlowe, Michael D. "The Semitic Style of the New Testament", Bible Research.
- ^ Arnold, Matthew. "Hebraism and Hellenism". From Culture and Anarchy: An Essay in Political and Social Criticism.
- ^ Feldman, Louis H., "Hebraism and Hellenism reconsidered," Judaism: A Quarterly Journal of Jewish Life and Thought, March 1994.
Further reading
- Hartz, Louis (2001). The Liberal Tradition in America. Princeton University Press. ISBN 069107447X.
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