[Mesorah] FW: Meaning of m'tim

[גודיק שלמה]

It later occurred to me that the connection with death might simply be the same connection that exists between mortality (or "mort" in French) and mortal (as in "we mere mortals").     Cf. the expression "ben mavet" in Hebrew.


-----Original Message-----
From: D&E-H Bannett [mailto:dbnet at zahav.net.il] 
Sent: Tuesday, August 12, 2008 12:12 PM
To: גודיק שלמה; mesorah at aishdas.org
Subject: Re: [Mesorah] Meaning of m'tim

As Rashi said, the word means people.  It is obviously connected to m'tei mispar, i.e.,  a number of people, 
meaning a small number.   Similarly, m'tei m'at.

One that always interested me is in Iyov, m'tei sodi or sodo. It means, people who are in on the secret. What interested me is that the word sod also means a closed group of people. B'sodam al tavo nafshi, bik'halam al teichat kvodi. The parallel, sodam = k'halam.  See also, sod m'sachakim on Yirmeyahu 15 and Radak and others there.

The man sitting next to me in shul asked me the same question last Shabbat and, afterwards, I checked in Even Shashan who informed me that mt with various vowels means man in a few Semitic languages and also in Egyptian. No mention of connection with death.


David

 <<iteam.txt>>  



המידע הכלול בהודעת דוא"ל זו הנו חסוי וסודי. המידע מיועד לשימושו של הנמען בלבד. אם קורא הודעה זו אינו הנמען, הננו מביאים לידיעתו כי כל הפצה, העברה או העתקה של תכתובת זו אסורה בהחלט. אם תכתובת זו הגיעה אליך בטעות, הנך מתבקש ליידע אותנו בהקדם בדוא"ל, ולמחוק את ההודעה מהמחשב שלך. תודה.
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