[Avodah] Why Not: Yehoshua BEN Nun?

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, Jun 12, 2012 at 06:18:29PM -0400, cantorwolberg at cox.net wrote:
: Has anyone ever wondered why in the Torah Joshua is referred to as
: "BIN Nun" as opposed to Ben Nun?

I know there are lost of medrashic explanations.

He isn't alone, Mishlei (30:1) has Agur bin Yaqah hamasa.

The Radaq (Yehoshua 1:1) says it's because the father's name is both
short, and tightly coupled trop-wise.

: All of the other spies are referred to as ploni BEN ploni and Joshua
: is the only one referred to as Yehoshua BIN Nun.

Like "Binyamin" rather than "Ben Yemin".

This is also implied by the Tankhuma that says that Yehoshua lost a year
of his life for each word in the pasuq in which the youth (assumed to be
Yehoshua) reports the words of Eldad and Meidad. 10 words - 10 years. But
there are 11 words! Unless "Bin-Nun" counts as one.

So, the question isn't why "bin" but why the implied hyphen. There the
medrash about wanting an annagram for navon in order to complement him
might fill in the gap.

So, I'm convinced there is some obscure diqduq rule, and someone will
correct my description of the Radaq to tell you what it is, and everything
else is meant on a midrashic level.

Here's one you didn't list, from MiShulchan Gavohah: The yud added to
Yehoshua's name is "well known" to have been borrowed from the one
dropped out of "Sarai" when she became "Sarah". But where did the two
dots for the sheva under the yud come from? The segol from "ben"!

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             "Someday I will do it." - is self-deceptive. 
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