Page 58 - Coincidences in the Bible and in Biblical Hebrew

CHAPTER 2 CASES OF DESIGN IN THE HEBREW LANGUAGE
CHAPTER 2 CASES OF DESIGN IN THE HEBREW LANGUAGE 37 37

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• “See now that I, even I, am he [Ani Ani Hoo ],/ and there is no God
with me:/ I kill, and I make alive;/ I wound and I heal:/ neither is there
any that can deliver out of my hand.” (Deut. 32:39).
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• “Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, whom I called; I am [Ani ] he; I
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am [Ani ] the fi rst, I am [Ani ] also the last.” … “I, even I [Ani Ani ],
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have spoken; yea I [Ani ] have called him: I [Ani ] have brought him,
and he shall make his way prosperous” (Isa. 48:12,15).
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• “I, even I [Anochi, Anochi ], am the Lord; and beside me there is no
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deliverer” … “Yea, from the first I am [Anochi ] he; and there is none

that can deliver out of my hand” (Isa. 43:11,13).
The root of “I” is A.N.I. It may be interesting to learn what other words are
derived from close roots. Exploration of such words may be revealing with respect
to the true nature of “I,” and perhaps provide guidelines as to the course of action
a human being should follow regarding his or her “I.”
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The first word we discuss is anah. This word has close kinship to A.N.I
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(see also the first comment below). In the Hebrew language, anah has double

meaning: “where to,” and, in the combination ad-anah, the meaning of “until
when.”
Thus, in a single Hebrew word, the essence of “I” is epitomized: “where” and
“when.”
A second meaning, derived from the close root A.N.H, is “to occur by
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accident.” An example: “No evil shall happen [yeuneh ] to the just” (Proverb
12:21). Random occurrences are an essential ingredient of that which the “I”
experiences.
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Finally, a ship in Hebrew is oniah —the relationship of which to “I” can easily
be elaborated.

Comments
1. “I” in Aramaic is Anah. 31
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2. By an exchange of the letters in Ani (“I”), it becomes ain, which means
“nothingness” (noun), or “there is not” (adverb). A fearsome reminder for the
final destiny of the “I.”

The Root Ch.L.L
This root gives rise to a variety of words. For a naive observer, the associations
between these words look puzzling, at best, or altogether missing. Yet they all are
interwoven together by an apparent logic that can hardly be ignored.