What are ʾElilim?

The Hebrew word ᵓĕlīlîm is usually explained as the plural of the Hebrew adjective ᵓĕlīl (“useless, vain”), hence a dysphemism describing idols. However, the ancient versions did not understand the word this way. The word more plausibly is a loanword from the Akkadian illilu, itself a borrowing from...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Hamilton, Mark W. 1964- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: The National Library of Canada 2019
In: The journal of Hebrew scriptures
Year: 2019, Volume: 19, Pages: 1-9
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Lexicology / Hebrew scholar
IxTheo Classification:HB Old Testament
Further subjects:B 'elilim
Online Access: Volltext (kostenfrei)
Description
Summary:The Hebrew word ᵓĕlīlîm is usually explained as the plural of the Hebrew adjective ᵓĕlīl (“useless, vain”), hence a dysphemism describing idols. However, the ancient versions did not understand the word this way. The word more plausibly is a loanword from the Akkadian illilu, itself a borrowing from Sumerian. The earliest attestations of ᵓĕlīlîm in Hebrew appear in Isaiah often as part of code-switching to signal the foreignness of the word itself.
ISSN:1203-1542
Contains:Enthalten in: The journal of Hebrew scriptures
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.5508/jhs29554