Page 111 - Coincidences in the Bible and in Biblical Hebrew

CHAPTER 5 “DOUBLE” AND A MESSAGE OF SYMMETRY

CHAPTER 5

“Double” and a Message of Symmetry

5.1 Introduction

The concept of “double” plays unique role in the biblical Hebrew. It is hard to
pinpoint the logic and underlying motivation for this particular reference to the
concept of “two” (as contrasted with “plural” in general). But in Hebrew, “plural
referring to two” gained special status. Perhaps the fact that “two,” in many cases,
goes hand in hand with symmetry , explains why the special reference to “double”
extends, in the Hebrew language, to plurality of objects that are, in one sense or
another, symmetrical.
A good departure point to describing “double” and the message of symmetry
in the Hebrew language is to explain how “two” is pronounced. For most nouns

in the plural, the plurality property is achieved in Hebrew via an added suffix of

-im, pronounced “eam,” for masculine nouns, and a suffix -ot, pronounced “ot,”
2
1
3
to a feminine noun. Thus, a man is gever, and men are gevarim. A sister is achot;
4
sisters are achayot (at times, the last letter of the singular is also changed, like in
5
6
the last example). A male child is yeled, and children are yeladim. A female child
7
is yaldah; the plural is yeladot. 8
Generating plurality is altogether different where the plural signifies two.

9
10
“Two” in Hebrew is shnayim (masculine) and shtayim (feminine). The suffi x
of -ayim is extended to all cases indicative of “two.” This is the most common
case. However, it occasionally extends naturally to cases of multiplicity beyond
“two.” Thus, all organs of the human body which come in symmetrical “double”
are denoted in the plural by a suffix of -ayim. This extends to the case when the

11
same object counts more than “two.” For example, “a hand” is yad; two hands
13
12
(or more, as just explained) is yadayim. “A leg” is regel; two legs or more are
14
raglayim. The same rule applies to the eyes, the ears, the palms of the hands, the
knees, and so forth.
90 90