{"title":"The Gezer Inscription ʿṣd pšt ‘Bundling Flax’: Revising the Arabic Cognate Etymology","authors":"Mila Neishtadt","doi":"10.1093/jss/fgae012","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"This article is dedicated to one of the main lexical cruxes of the Gezer tablet, the expression ʿṣd pšt in the third line of the inscription. I follow the longstanding understanding of the Gezer inscription, according to which pšt refers to flax. The primary innovation of the article lies in the re-evaluation of the cognate Arabic etymology. I argue that the cognate Arabic ʿḍd in both Classical and Modern Arabic does not signify ‘cutting’, as has been suggested in research thus far. Rather, it means ‘upper arm’. I then examine the Mishnaic Hebrew phrase פשתן חוצני ḥoṣne pištan ‘flax bundles’ (m. Pe’ah 6:5) which exhibits a semantic shift: ḥōṣɛn ‘bosom’ > ‘amount carried under bosom’ > ‘bundle’. Based on the revised Arabic ʿḍd ‘upper arm’ meaning, I propose a semantic parallel: the Gezer inscription’s verbal noun ʿṣd (< Proto- Semitic ‘upper arm’) has possibly experienced a semantic shift similar to that of חוצני פשתן ḥoṣne pištan ‘flax bundles’ in m. Pe’ah 6:5: ‘upper arm’ > ‘armful of produce’ > ‘bundle’. Accordingly, I suggest ʿṣd pšt means ‘bundling flax’. This suggestion offers a straightforward solution which clarifies etymological data from various Semitic languages, fits within the context of the Gezer inscription and finally resolves the agricultural ‘cutting’ flax difficulty.","PeriodicalId":17130,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Semitic Studies","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Semitic Studies","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1093/jss/fgae012","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"社会学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"0","JCRName":"ASIAN STUDIES","Score":null,"Total":0}
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Abstract
This article is dedicated to one of the main lexical cruxes of the Gezer tablet, the expression ʿṣd pšt in the third line of the inscription. I follow the longstanding understanding of the Gezer inscription, according to which pšt refers to flax. The primary innovation of the article lies in the re-evaluation of the cognate Arabic etymology. I argue that the cognate Arabic ʿḍd in both Classical and Modern Arabic does not signify ‘cutting’, as has been suggested in research thus far. Rather, it means ‘upper arm’. I then examine the Mishnaic Hebrew phrase פשתן חוצני ḥoṣne pištan ‘flax bundles’ (m. Pe’ah 6:5) which exhibits a semantic shift: ḥōṣɛn ‘bosom’ > ‘amount carried under bosom’ > ‘bundle’. Based on the revised Arabic ʿḍd ‘upper arm’ meaning, I propose a semantic parallel: the Gezer inscription’s verbal noun ʿṣd (< Proto- Semitic ‘upper arm’) has possibly experienced a semantic shift similar to that of חוצני פשתן ḥoṣne pištan ‘flax bundles’ in m. Pe’ah 6:5: ‘upper arm’ > ‘armful of produce’ > ‘bundle’. Accordingly, I suggest ʿṣd pšt means ‘bundling flax’. This suggestion offers a straightforward solution which clarifies etymological data from various Semitic languages, fits within the context of the Gezer inscription and finally resolves the agricultural ‘cutting’ flax difficulty.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Semitic Studies was established in 1955 and since then has built up a reputation as one of the leading international academic journals in its field. Semitic Studies has always been understood by the editors to include the modern as well as the ancient Near (Middle) East, with special emphasis on research into the languages and literatures of the area. The editors continue to maintain the policy of ensuring that each volume contains items of interest to Orientalists and Biblical Scholars. Extensive reviews of selected books, as well as general review notices, remain a feature of the Journal.