The Genealogy Query Database
Genealogy Query Details
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The Genealogy Query Database |
Genealogy Query Details |
Full Details for Query #32492 |
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Commands:
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Date Posted: |
10-Jun-2003 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Surname(s): |
SALTZMAN : SALZMAN | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Query Text: |
Did you ever consider the possibility that your ancestor Salzman was not a salt merchant but simply a "nobleman"? Random House gives: salt' of the earth' n. an individual or group considered to embody the noblest human qualities. [1350-1400; ME; after Matthew 5:13] But Random House does not explain why "salt" means "noble". The current Hebrew word for noble is aleph-tzadi-yod-lamed ?aTZiL (using ? to represent the aleph). The ancient aleph had a -GHT or -CHS sound. This explains why ?aXaT and ?aXaS (using X for het) both mean "one". The aleph had lost its GH to become a T-sound by the time there was contact with the Romans. Finally it lost its T-sound to become the glottal stop it is today. When the aleph had a GHT sound, it was usually at the end of a word, as -GHT usually is in English. After the aleph lost its sound, it often migrated to the beginning of the Hebrew word. The ancient tzadi had a S-sound before it acquired its current TZ sound. So, the precursor of ?aTZiL had been *TZaLi? or [S]aLi[T]. It seems the SALT in Matthew 5:13 was a transliteration (not a translation) of the Hebrew word for "noble" when the book of Matthew was written. Hebrew aleph-tzadi-yod-lamed ?aTZiL also means "upper arm". It is cognate with Engish axle [bef. 900; ME axel, OE eaxl = shoulder, crossbeam, c. OS ahsla, OHG ahsala, ON oxl = shoulder, L ala = wing] In this case, the aleph had always been at the beginning of the word. Treating aleph as [CHS] and tzadi as S, we have ?aTZiL < *aCHS-SiL which sounds quite like axel and its predecessors. The tzadi in this word (with the meaning "arm") has a "dagesh", a dot that indicates the previous gemination or doubling of the letter/sound. Israel "izzy" Cohen izzy_cohen@bmc.com | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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