{"id":68192,"date":"2020-01-06T09:16:49","date_gmt":"2020-01-06T07:16:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/?p=68192"},"modified":"2023-07-31T12:21:36","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T09:21:36","slug":"fantastic-innovations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/fantastic-innovations\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantastic Innovations"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[281],"tags":[301,361],"acf":{"old_id":"68192","type":"no","iframe":"","writer":64450,"related_cahpter":"388","type_929":"2","show_author_image":false,"old_create_date":"","old_url":"","post_main_content":{"description":"A high caliber lapidary lexicon","content":"

In Isaiah 54, the prophet consoles the nation by telling them that not only will God restore the desolate Jerusalem, but it will be even more glorious than before. Instead of stones, the city will be built with gems:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cUnhappy, storm-tossed one, uncomforted!<\/span>
\n<\/span>I will lay carbuncles as your building stones<\/span>
\n<\/span>And make your foundations of sapphires.<\/span>
\n<\/span>I will make your battlements of rubies,<\/span>
\n<\/span>Your gates of precious stones,<\/span>
\n<\/span>The whole encircling wall of gems.\u201d (54:11-12)<\/span><\/p>\n

The Hebrew words for these precious stones are not common, and the commentators \u2013 both ancient and modern \u2013 have various suggestions for their identities. I, however, would like to focus on how two words in verse 12 have entered modern language.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first word to discuss is \u201cbattlements.\u201d The Hebrew is <\/span>shimshotayich<\/span><\/em>. The translation \u201cbattlements\u201d follows one suggestion by Rashi. However, another opinion that Rashi brings says that the word means \u201ca solid, translucent piece, placed in the window, that lets the sun in”. This is the meaning of <\/span>shimsha<\/span><\/em> in modern Hebrew \u2013 \u201cwindowpane.\u201d However,<\/span> Prof. Jonas C. Greenfield<\/span><\/a> offers a different explanation. Based on a comparison with the Arabic cognate <\/span>simsim<\/span><\/em>, meaning \u201cgate.\u201d And therefore, it is a parallel to the common Hebrew word for gate, <\/span>shaar<\/span><\/em>, found in the second section of that verse.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Arabic <\/span>simsim<\/span><\/em> is the source of the phrase \u201copen sesame.\u201d It was used to open a cave in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves. While there are several theories as to why that phrase was chosen as the charm, the understanding that <\/span>simsim<\/span><\/em> means gate, means that it simply meant, \u201cOpen O Gate\u201d. In Arabic, <\/span>simsim<\/span><\/em> also means \u201csesame\u201d (Hebrew has the related <\/span>sumsum<\/span><\/em>), so that is likely how the phrase became transcribed as \u201copen sesame\u201d in English.<\/span><\/p>\n

The second word I\u2019d like to look at is in the Hebrew phrase translated as \u201cprecious stones\u201d \u2013 <\/span>avnei ekdach<\/span><\/em>. In modern Hebrew, <\/span>ekdach<\/span><\/em> means \u201cpistol, revolver.\u201d How did a gem become a gun?<\/span><\/p>\n

Rashi says that <\/span>ekdach\u00a0<\/span><\/em>is \u201ccarbuncle\u201d, which is a word meaning \u201cred, precious stone\u201d, and is related to the English word \u201ccarbon\u201d, which originally meant \u201ca glowing coal.\u201d So according to this translation the stone is associated with fire. This fits the word <\/span>ekdach<\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>which contains the root <\/span>K-D-CH<\/span><\/em>, <\/span><\/i>meaning \u201cto kindle\u201d and also \u201cto drill\u201d (making fire by rubbing is similar to the process of drilling.)<\/span><\/p>\n

Based on all of this, the father of Modern Hebrew, Eliezer Ben Yehuda, decided to use the \u201cavailable\u201d word <\/span>ekdach<\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0for revolver, because it shoots (fires) using firepower.<\/span><\/p>\n

Isaiah prophesied a time where commonplace things (like stones) would be replaced with fantastic innovations (gems). I think the same thing could be said about these two words\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

illustration: by Ben Schachter<\/p>\n","image":{"ID":68193,"id":68193,"title":"Is54-DCurwin- ekdach","filename":"Is54-DCurwin-ekdach.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/fantastic-innovations\/is54-dcurwin-ekdach\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"is54-dcurwin-ekdach","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":68192,"date":"2020-01-06 07:16:20","modified":"2020-01-06 07:16:44","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2346,"height":1129,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach-300x144.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":144,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach-768x370.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":370,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach-1024x493.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":493,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":739,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":986,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach-1200x577.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":577,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach-873x420.jpg","home_baner-width":873,"home_baner-height":420}},"embedded_video":"","video_duration":"","show_fb_comments":true,"credit_media":""},"tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"Fantastic Innovations","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"A high caliber lapidary lexicon","preview_embedded":"","preview_image":{"ID":68193,"id":68193,"title":"Is54-DCurwin- ekdach","filename":"Is54-DCurwin-ekdach.jpg","filesize":0,"url":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach.jpg","link":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/fantastic-innovations\/is54-dcurwin-ekdach\/","alt":"","author":"7","description":"","caption":"","name":"is54-dcurwin-ekdach","status":"inherit","uploaded_to":68192,"date":"2020-01-06 07:16:20","modified":"2020-01-06 07:16:44","menu_order":0,"mime_type":"image\/jpeg","type":"image","subtype":"jpeg","icon":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-includes\/images\/media\/default.png","width":2346,"height":1129,"sizes":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach-150x150.jpg","thumbnail-width":150,"thumbnail-height":150,"medium":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach-300x144.jpg","medium-width":300,"medium-height":144,"medium_large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach-768x370.jpg","medium_large-width":768,"medium_large-height":370,"large":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach-1024x493.jpg","large-width":1024,"large-height":493,"1536x1536":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach.jpg","1536x1536-width":1536,"1536x1536-height":739,"2048x2048":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach.jpg","2048x2048-width":2048,"2048x2048-height":986,"post_full_size":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach-1200x577.jpg","post_full_size-width":1200,"post_full_size-height":577,"home_baner":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Is54-DCurwin-ekdach-873x420.jpg","home_baner-width":873,"home_baner-height":420}},"preview_video":"","external_link":"","link_for_pay":false,"tile_gallery_items":false,"credits":""},"alternate_tile":{"top_caption":"","main_caption":"","main_caption_size":"1","sub_caption":"","hide_media":false},"tile_group":{"preview_image_url":false,"main_caption":"","sub_caption":"","":null,"popup_package_extra_content":"","read_time":""},"home_color":"","home_gallery_top":"","home_gallery_middle":"","home_gallery_book":"","home_gallery_bottom":"","seo":{"seo_title":"","seo_description":"","seo_default_title":"","seo_default_description":""},"links":false,"send_noty":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68192"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=68192"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":68194,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68192\/revisions\/68194"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp.929.org.il\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}