CJK EX UNTED FROM THE JEWISH QUARTERLY REVIEW NEW SERIES VOLUME V, NUMBER 2 NOTES ON POST-TALMUDIC-ARAMAIC LEXICOGRAPHY I BY J. N. EPSTEIN PHILADELPHIA THE DROPSIE COLLEGE FOR HEBREW AND COGNATE LEARNING 1914 > /."/?."/*, NOTES ON POST-TALMUDIC-ARAMAIC LEXICOGRAPHY BY J. N. EPSTEIN, Charlottenburg. THE lexicon of the Jewish-Babylonian-Aramaic dialect was by no means sealed with the completion of the Babylonian Talmud. The ' Aramaic ' was alive and spoken by non-Jews as well as Jews down to the last days of the Gaonate (to be treated elsewhere). This Aramaic dialect which I might style the Jewish ' Nabatean ' is preserved in the writings of the Geonim : in the Seder Olam Zuta, Shimusha rabba (p^am nan NBWt?), in the Gemara to Kalla r., the Sheeltot of R. Ahai, 1 Halakot Pesukot and Halakot Gedolot, in the Aramaic commentaries and responsa of the Geonim (to which belongs also R. Amratn's Seder), and on the non-rabbinic side in Anan's writings. But the linguistic nature of that literature has hitherto been neglected to such an extent that it now becomes imperative to emphasize as strongly as possible the relation and exact nature of this ' Nabatean ' dialect and what is particularly important its aid in the explanation of some talmudic words. As a contribution along these lines the present article offers disconnected lexical (sometimes also textual) notes to the above-mentioned works, my wish being to turn the attention of Semitic scholars to those important linguistic documents. 1 See Poznanski in JQR., New Series, III, 405 ff. 233 2097894 234 THE JEWISH QUARTERLY REVIEW I begin with Anan's writings because they are free from talmudic quotations and hence cannot have been directly influenced by the language of the Talmud. I LINGUISTIC REMARKS TO ANAN'S Sepher ha-Misivot? Anan's language does not differ in the least from that of the Geonim ; at the utmost he employs very few Persian words, which is not the case with the Geonim. An Arabism is probably Dfo (= J.>), no. 6 a, and perhaps also M n, no. i6. 2a The 1 in the part. pi. which is found in the Jewish-Palestinian (rarely, comp. Dalman, Grammatik des jud.-pal. Aramaisch, p. 229) and frequently in the bab. Talmud (Margolis, Lehrbuch d. aram. Sprache d. Talm., pp. 40 f.) 3 and likewise by the Geonim, I find in Anan only in the case of verbs tertiae ': WN3, 1JD, alongside with ^3, WKD (pp. 33-5), HKP (34), UDB (56), UNDO (66), ivtn (57), pnp, pwa, ptaro/ pv.ro, pwnsw, &c., which is perhaps to be ascribed to the Arabic influence. The orthography is that of the gaonic writings (comp. my ' Rechtsgutachten, &c.' in Jahrbuch d. jild. lit. Ges., IX, 230 ff.), in accordance with the Babylonian pronunciation, of which there are traces left 2 Harkavy ( = Hark.), Stud. u. Mitt., VIII, St. Petersburg, 1903 ; Schechter (= Sch.), Documents, &c., II, pj6 Dimi 1SDD D^DIBJlp, Cambridge, 1910. Sa Perhaps also Nriv3p, Anan, Hark. 20, see Hark., I.e., note 4. 3 Comp. Seidel in HvHTBWI nninn, I, Jerusalem, 1913, p. 69. 4 Once Hark. 39: p^XD, to which the editor remarks: DJ7 ^^ p (Ht3^ pi p'bifD ICO) ^33H HpJO D^inn. Hark, probably changed here the Babylonian holem (^-) to a Tiberian ( ) ; for - : is hirek in the Babylonian punctuation ! POST-TALMUDIC-ARAMAIC LEXICOGRAPHY EPSTEIN 235 in the Talmud (Noldeke, Mand. Grammatik, p. 59) and which is used throughout in Mandaic and ' Nabatean '. Matres lectionis are employed instead of vowels (as in Mandaic), n instead of n (TNWj p. 28 ; iTnii"6, pp. 10 and 21 ; nrtKD, see below), and so on. Furthermore, frequent elision of "i (N3nN, NDN ; Gaonic also NDSD, N^ip, even assimilation to the following b : FP7 ^"2&b, see no. 16 note); 1 instead of i ("piasn = 'pun) ; n for n (par- = pan) ; : for b (tu ch ; comp. KDfU, Mand. xvrh ; mw, Mand. Nia^ ' foot ', &c.) and like changes. i. Hark., p. 7, 1. 8 f. b: Ttsnh 6 n&n:i IBD, furthermore p. 8, 1. 9 : a> nDsn nt^x 53i 'an NnrPN n NT^ n^o. T^D and NT 1 '^ do not mean here, as Harkavy thinks, ' throw ' (THMl^), ' pass a thread ' this would require in Aramaic NOT'D, N^l from the root NCH (Men. 39 a, 43 a et al.} 6 but ' spin ', talmudic N1^, HB> : Ket. 72 b N3^B NHB> Np nnn 11 ; Git. 69 a ... nan rrniBn Nnninn s Din, and Suk. 16 a i>BW xn^ci. In gaonic literature: Geonica, p. 325, XLI: y*noa n^D^ ^: pain (uv* = spindle), and ibid. XLV: ~\wvh D 11 ^ jnason. Arab. liC, J^l II = stamina telae disposuit ; , hence no^ iTiD as Suk. 9 a, Men. 42 a (which Hark. had already pointed out on p. 126). Likewise on p. 8 the Hebrew rendering should be : 8 nnt^ nta ni^N DJ nilD^ ^3N* [!"vu: nn^a] 3^ n^3n n^N ^>3i 'xJty jnis. The gaonic and 5 The misprint I| "1X"13 is corrected on p. 196. 6 Also Sheeltot, no. 96, end : WI^H n 7 I believe, therefore, that Noldeke (Nene Beitrage, p. 144, note i) is wrong in assuming (JjuD to be a loan-word from the Aram.-Syr. NTlK', Hebrew VlE>. 8 This is permitted also by R. Meir of Rothenburg, Hag. Maim., Sisit, 1,12. 236 THE JEWISH QUARTERLY REVIEW Ananic verb is TIP, Ti? (YJ*D, NTS?) ; the talmudic and Arabic on the other hand HB>, NIP (Nnp 4ne>, NYJta). ^^ Indeed, the verba tertiae 1 and and those mediae 1 and IT *T*~ *y ) often interchange. nna (p. 7), ma (p. 8) were rightly rendered D'Uin by Harkavy. Syr. ?^ ( )?^= licium (Payne Smith, 650) ; Nabatean nN13 ("K^ 3 ) from which Arab. .>!!. is borrowed. Cf. Gawaliki, Muarrab, ed. Sachau, p. 42,: 9 JJJT ilklUU jij jJulM Jp&^ &F> The word also occurs in the Talmud a number of times, but in a corrupt form : Men. 42 b pman for pD'an pi D^npn jo (edit, pYian), so Amram Gaon, Geonica, 331 thrice ! with the explanation : pain (read iniK) miK nox ^ nan ans^ anw paa priri p 10 nan nnn^K' nnxi? *n^n jo nnuti', so also in the rTo cited below ; Targ. Yer. I, Num. 15. 38 : }o vb\ N^o^a JD s^ma jo N^I X^D^D (edit. ma) ; Shab. 134 a : Nina NpaT (edit tma, MS. M. KTa) ; Men. 31 b: p-nn ^3N pnaa *^o 'am N^, edit, pnnaa, but so in the n^o nD^n in onvo naa, ed. Adler, Oxford, 1897, 42, with the explanation: 'YSi pi pman joi pjnpn p nNB>y naio naoon p-onan K\nna inn: i3nin Nin^D nann jo amsn I"^B> nnDon >w 'T-SI H^DD po^an ; Bek. 8b:"nnl ^ *ana (edit. YTJ) ; "Syr.nna, N-jna, lidum as I have already remarked but also: stamina ultima quae a ingo abscinduntur , BA. BB : pbm npnwn WNDT ND pposnoi Saa (Payne Smith, 650). 2. p. 8: NrDTi "3 r6 Ta*D^ jaiya. rto wi& is not to be rendered with Harkavy nniK TOf&, but to be read, in accordance with facsimile no. i, as one word iiTTOcfc and 9 Frankel, 256. In Mandaic 3 for 3 is not rare, comp. NOldeke, Maud. Gramm.. p. 41. 10 Similarly Rashi, Suk. 93 : IHIO H^LSH ^103 phnB' (franges) _ 11 Probably also Targ. Job 7. 6: >HO nH~U }D l^p W should be read nma, Peshitta pip "TTa" fD l^p W. POST-TALMUDIC-ARAMAIC LEXICOGRAPHY EPSTEIN 237 rendered by feftifc (]fl^&) from ^ = twist, weave. As to the form comp. the infinitives i"P*nT (p. 7), rtySPfVvh (p. n), &c. ; likewise in Mandaic ; and in gaonic literature: n"W (Geonica, 107, 4), H^pB*B (ibid., 234, 13), &c. 3. Ibid. : 'a ^y msntn anr >mn . . . ana^o 'a 5>y nonx ^1 po^a, read ona< and pona ' twisted, woven ' ; Arab. j = contorsit funem, l^o = # duabus aut pluribus partibus in unum contortus,funis contorttis bicolor. The latter = Hebr. Dnpia naa , Assyr. burmu. 4. p. 9 : 'Tin 5>y [isiDjN pnnij NBira }ini? pnm. pnn is not denom. of "H, ^ (Hark.), but of TIT = press, Hebr. (Judges 6. 38) and talmudic, as NTV Niso, Nlltoi N"Fr, iTf> lr 'keeps it back' (neon KO^BN BM. i6b). Translate therefore : ' and we press both ends together through a thread.' 5. p. 12: NnaVD *Wno *an. As Harkavy remarks, the reading l^no is likewise possible, which is of course right. There is no reason to correct it so as to read TTTO (Hark.) ; it is found moreover also in Sch., p. 28, 1. 7 : "Vn, 1. 10, 16-20 : 'TiTi, 22 : NTPn, 22 and 24TTIE, and is also preserved in Syriac, inKal: rPN^m Dpi .noena nhaa j*aanNi ,Kiina n^aa nn nnni (^4^- ^?/ Syriaca, III, 75, 17), 'and the soul (the life) returned to the bull, &c.' (comp. vi>N inn ac'ni I Sam. 30. 12). In Pael in a Syriac inscription of Serrin (Beitrdge z. Assyr., VII, a, 1 60), 1. 6: $>an &nay Man nxnn p; INH =^n Pael in the meaning of ' alter ', ' destroy ' (comp. B. Moritz, /. e., p. 163) (Assyr. tarti means also 'to alter'). Also Arab. ^15 = circumivit, conversus fuit (but not to be confused with^lo, as in Payne Smith, p. 4412); Assyr. taru = turn, return, II. bring back ; Hebr. "Ml = turn about (Num. 15. 39), then 'go to and from ', 'spy out ' (comp. ian). 238 THE JEWISH QUARTERLY REVIEW 6. p. 22, 1. 8 read : enao *ia IN*T, so according to facsimile no. 2. 12 p. 23, 1. 9 read : SI^DI Benson Kin imta 13, according to the same facsimile. 1. n read: KB>O01, so facsimile. 7. p. 28, last line: 123 DTob jm pa 3[l]ni -|3 NOW. DTD, Arab. *U ' last, continue ' (if it is not to be emended to - P- 33 : irrjna nna innaN IPOI. Furthermore p. 35 : innas' v^wo Nin . . . nyio ^nsb pijn wvjn nyio and p. 36 : n^ynai nna^w rpi snt^aa Ivan tw ^. From all these passages it is proved conclusively that innax is not m^inm-OK (Hark., p. 33, n. 4), but = ynt ' arm ', parallel to irrpt?. The word is found to have this meaning already in the Talmud, Shab. 90 b t^MpKH tna'N3 (Rashi : ^MDV ynn), furthermore Ber. 5 a, according to the reading of R. Baruk (who also explains the miTtf of BM. in the same way) : nnayi3 nna, as likewise p. 36. 9. p. 37: lion 3 NON ^3 phn. Harkavy considers the first ^ superfluous, but it is not so. It is rather the Syr. **o = then, indeed, so = nam = KC, which Anan employs also in another place, p. 41 : ""NEK x nnny jvbb anpn N^ 12 The notes a, 3, 1 in Hark, are misplaced in print, instead of a read T , for 3 read a , for T read 3 . 13 Yo/iasin, ed. Filipowski, p. 53 : "njpp nna'N B>TD inn 13"311 K^n j3nv '-n xnin3 ^231 nna^K n^a niana Dia. POST-TALMUDIC-ARAMAIC LEXICOGRAPHY EPSTEIN 239 nrrny n&afc iNb (why then the words finny ntab?) '3 ?iT7 nt? 'B na. Furthermore, in the formularies of decrees published by Aptowitzer in JQR., N. S., IV (1913), 28: fb'ttb 3en '3 'tWK 'b JVN ICKI. Geonica, 234, n : 1M *3 *anh ' and according to Rabbi then also ' (not 'DJ 'a ' when also '). Likewise ordinarily in connexion with the introductory interrogative particle H30 : 'nan o, in Anan, Hark., p. 56 : . . . r6s anao n^b nob NCDH nab nn Ntwna rrb anai na^D o; with the Geonim, ed. Cassel, no. 21 (fol. 5 a, 1. 12) : na p^ini . . . 'TNI 'TN nao 3 (missing in the editions Ket. 79 b) ; no. 72, fol. 21 a: ... D^a 'na^o 'a ; Hark., Rechtsgutachten, no. 251 (p. 1 27, below) : mw 7 n naD O (Shab. 32 b) p^poi . . . N^J.I ; *zV/.,p. 207 : . . . ir na"D 'a ; p. 161 : Na'b na^o 'a , . . eyre nby ; p. 268 : . . . ntryD *Kn nao "a ; HG.,ed. Berlin, p. 79: ... ano nsvm by nans ai (ed. Ven., 16 c, "ai is missing) and finally Sherira Gaon in his Epistle (B. Lewin, Prolegomena, p. 52): "Nob Nnb^o snb^T Npn *D3 n 11 ! wpni ja ^n"ob nno^s ^sob fa n^b wn nac 'a NWN, comp. talmudic nn^Q 'ai and Levy's Wb'rterbuch> s. v. 'a III, 2). 10. p. 42: Nnm Na IN nyasy inn nny^ sin a^RD. The IN is not faulty and superfluous (Hark.) ; the phrase NTm NE3 IN rather signifies ' or however much she may see' 14 with reference to nnyjy Nin. ibid., 1. 19: '131 NEN Np. From here on the text is fragmentary also in Schechter, p. 33 f. In Harkavy the beginning of fol. 12 a (of MS. B) is wanting, but this may now be supplied from Schechter, loc. cit., 1. 5 ff., as follows : ny N]cBl (1. 5, middle) ny IBBD in^s: pjnn D^t3p ib^sNi na [yaii bai] (6) [anyn 14 Comp. also SCO, Geonica, 103, 20: 'll^B' N03 NO3 Ha p^im ('various, several, many things'-), 163, 9: pyiDBH Kn*3 ('as long as', as in Syr.) ; 234, 10 : na: n as long as ; 99, 12: na WyOl ND31 'as soon as '. VOL. V. R 240 THE JEWISH QUARTERLY REVIEW wo fen 3-iyn ny NED< na yn b avian WHO lino nfenna^ antqn S>ai icons prrfer N3 [?n s-nns] (8) '131 b 3TDH N:E& ny an[DOi tfea] (9) in accordance with Hark., 1. 7 ff. from below. [. . , K]OOI, Lev. 15. 9; here, in Sch., NODI instead of NCO' as in Hark., p. 41, 1. 19. Also the beginning of fol. 12 b of MS. B, Hark., p. 43, is wanting; but again it may be supplied partly from Sch.. p. 34. For by baxn ~\VK B>D3m 37131, end of fol. 12 a, Hark., p. 43, 1. 18, not Lev. 7. 20 is meant, as Hark. assumes in consequence of which he had to make a very forced statement but Lev. 17. 15: nfeaj." ^3Kn IBtt B>w ^31 'ui onsa ymi visa 0331 -uai niTN3 nsnoi. Thus mrm is expressly mentioned here with reference to one who eats a H733. The lacunae at the beginning of fol. 12 b, Hark., p. 43, may be filled out partly from Sch. 34, 15 : 16 [yan ^3] ... irvi>y N':n (3) ... 13 wm (2) ... ^ai p[ittui6] (i) n ..... (5) [ ..... ]nKDi NK'o^ N3iyn ny 3"nD>D pna (4) '131 DS 3^n3T, in accordance with Hark., 1. 19 f. In Sch., P- 33i on tne other hand, supply from Hark, as follows : yap mrr] (2) [nitno nnnj n]y [i>3 oan D^O^ NCN NP . . .] (i) nmj] (3) [ny] N^3 [aa NCN NP ^nno nya-^o ^an Nvn a] (4) [>:] nma ny nnxoo] (5) [nyas^J ny in a ^3N nyat? ii. p. 44, 1. 6 f. from below, read : KB^p 131T n 3^n3T Kin NCD n*wa nn3T 'a ntra D^nnn ix [mr n] nc^a. NS^CD = dense, thick, opposite of fflpfep, is frequent in the Talmud ; NP3N1 = and sticks, 18 Anan has C'BJiTI instead of tJ'BJ ^31 ; the citations from the Bible are not always correct in Anan. 18 1. 6: f?y DN 'ND, in Hark. Hence supply DN not DfcO as ibid., 1. 19. Again an incorrect citation ! POST-TALMUDIC-ARAMAIC LEXICOGRAPHY EPSTEIN 241 pax in Talmud and Targum means 'to bind, to cleave' (= DTinn!). 12. p. 47: 'jpaai TT^O JW. Etymologically '"33 has nothing to do with W23 (Hark.), but with the Syr. JL- = to press, talm. ncm NV^Hn ,Nyi3 H n, BM. 993, 'something pressed ' (Levy, II, 7 a) ; comp. also the talm. p13 = to draw together, to shrink. J 3- P- 52: K * D ( nnD'3 rr^D i?j? ; read TB^5 ' to submerge ', 17 from the talm. 1DK (comp. ^niOK 13), Syr. ^ao^. Comp. Gittin 67 b: nio^i n^i^y Noi'y ^^m ny nnwx ny D3 oip^i (and let him submerge), see Levy, III, 42 (against I, 566 b), Kohut, 1, 1 15. Comp. also Hal. Ged., ed. Yen., fol. 85 b: N'O ns>w K$nai DI Tatri xn^^aa NTWD nnoip n^ia Nnn^x woTwrS; inGaonic Resp., nairn nyi?, no. 171, ed. Lipsiae, it reads NI II E!J (as if from "IDS ' to say ' !), but the correct reading is of course NlD'oij from noN. 14. p. 55: iT^y DlSJTD N!> iT3 jn N^ "3 H^ ^3K INT. Some manuscripts have D'anD (Hark.). Read Dian^D, D'3nD 'to be rebuked, to be punished', Syr. DW (PSm. 1709), DD3 (/^V/., 1777), example x^a Mnay f?y j^DS Di3, Dpanx, D3nnx ; targumic Dp3 c to punish, upbraid' (Levy I, 377), in Targum usually aphel, but also Kal as Prov. 9. 8 SJp'-DO^ D'n N^ (ed. Lagarde D-'Sn, //z., Peshitta D3n, Levy, loc. cit.}. 15. p. 63 : nn^ INVI NON Npn n^ pin N-iayon ^a 'xcx = Why (do we have n*1^*) ? Each one that is pregnant bears two, hence rT"^ 11 INVI. Nothing therefore is wanting here (against Hark.) ; likewise p. 41 : nnny nb& ivb 17 Hark.'s nn 1| D,5 fits badly; indeed, Anan would have written ~i for it, see below to p. 103. R 2 242 THE JEWISH QUARTERLY REVIEW n^ ns? o na aipoi' (above to p. 37) ; p. 97, no. 20 : xex "or KDKI ; Ker. 5 a : piaTi *NCK '13 "]i?D1 W ; comp. below on Sheeltot. 16. pp. 64 below and 65 above: N3ND Ninnb nnvnb. nvn is a regular inf. pael of "Jin, as nv: of 113, nrn (above to p. 12) of Tin and so on. 17. p. 65 : 'i3i rwx J?D'^ none HDISD xn ^ = nanw," as sns nnt< (frequently in Anan and already in Talmud fcWN, imp. and impf., with the Geonim also N3NT NDN, Geonica, 80, below, and even n^DM instead of rvb NC = n^ ION, j'^tt/., 266, 1. 31, 32; 267, 1. 27, 28 bis, 35, &c. ; also Anan, Hark. 34) ; and *]i>'N instead of "]*? KO^N (Geonica, 103, 21: l^D\s* Nnsi, 22: also 199 below, to) ; NDBD = "1D2D (Geonica, 106 : p xhp = n^p (Hark., no. 244 = 364 : use* nr N^ipi nonoi ^IDNH "ihp wn "ons pe&a onoiK) ; suit = pK = 1PK (Geonica, ibid. : N1D3 'pxai = n'pxai = ; and pp'K, p. 88 (see below) = pnp'K. 19 n is found also below : 'aj (p. 66) 20 n KDt3 Dm yawn i>3 N3sn ^SLD *anh ... It is the talmudic Kn = Arabic "i 'quickly, soon ' (Levy, I, 405 a). Kn is here, as above 18 KaiK ( = -OTK) also Geonica, 233, 5: nD % J' K21N [JKO H^lp], read , Gi(fin,gb, edit. "13T. Comp. Hark., Resp., p. 120 : 131N fSO ', Pjts. sab, ed. "H3T. Also assimilation to the following word: i"Pt> /*3B'D (Geonica, 104, 2) = "VJ^'D, comp. Syr. ?nD which originated from ~? friD (Brockelmann). 19 Comp. also my remark in Jahrbuch d. jtid. lit. Ges., X, p. 380. 20 The points over " are not annulling signs ,Hark.), but zere ( ) of the superlinear punctuation, perhaps pathah hatuph -^- . POST-TALMUDIC-ARAMAIC LEXICOGRAPHY EPSTEIN 243 noieo (also elsewhere), the same as ""Nil ; hence translate : ' and he mentions 'iai yDB> soon after noia noiSD ', and likewise below : ' soon with reference to . . . ' 1 8. Ibid.: 531^ wn Nan BnKBD Npn . . , 55 sn ina B*-IKBX Instead of ca read, as the following, D3 = Syr. D^>, for which Talmud has *m (Noldeke, Mandaische Grammatik, 485), comp. also Hark, below, p. 98: PTDN Nn ^J nan 'BO i>a Nn. (''EO also elsewhere frequently) ch in gaonic literature in the sense of *3, Geonica, 257, 1. 20 f. : up rvnjHD ll^] ''N na"K D^ N^in nin N^T ywi> i>3 mn WD. 19. p. 81: no& nnn^x aai , , . n^nc' 3 , . , nnan pnw , , . }usip. Read jwKnp^oi (= }WK NlplDl) in one word, as e.g. 48 NDNT'D, 46 71 N'^in^D, 75 NCNiron some manuscripts NONna *on and more (see my Rechtsgutachten> &c., p. 231). Translate therefore : ' and since he named them, &c.' 20. p. 83 : naio ^PKK* 'a n-a '20N pin D'Npn KWDK um S 20N pin T'ayNT. Harkavy translates D^NXn, deriving it from N^D 'side'. But it is rather the talmudic ''SON, Ab. zarah ^ fi 35 b: ^BDS* W2 "Npn, MS. M. 1> at: 1| N, Hark., Responsa, 23 : y*a (y\JLLUl J}!-")) nspnybx pa 'END-N ' in the scars, pores ' (of the cheese), Rashi mown Tina, Aruk n^ajn nina m^aa = folds 21 in the cheese. As for gaonic literature comp. Hal. Ged., ed. Berlin, 532 (= ed. Ven., 129 c) : roK> pa NDno n^y ^ax -|inb nr iap3i XD 1| Dj:nm oa >ai '"strs :a 'cj 'N NDiai VGHgcb na i^ n"^ ni (ed. Ven. corruptly 'Da yan) ; NSD^N is thus 'fold ', ' bend ' = targ. NDO^y *bend, *fold, then ' bosom ', ' Jap ', in which sense it is quite frequent (Levy, II, 210) ; Arab. uJ-kg = everything that is bent or folded, every curved place in 21 Comp. also Pseudo-Saadya's Comm. Ber. 55 a (ed. Wertheimer, 19 a) : , see below. 244 THE JEWISH QUARTERLY REVIEW the body ; Mand. ^Nt3S 'turn about' (Noldeke, Gramm., 241) 21. p. 88: 7^5 pnnxnin KDS? 5y rwian. The last word, PP'N, is no doubt handed down correctly, since the Karaite Abulfarag Furkan already had it, but he failed to grasp its meaning (Hark., n. 5). It is probably = p'VN, but rather than being a scribal error it is a vulgar pronunciation which elided the 1 also in the verb (comp. above to p. 65). Similarly, in the Syr. i>TN : |&WJ (= pTW), with the Geonim imp. T (instead of i^f), Geonica, 336: 1p s j; "im T ; 364, 12 WPNii n ; Hark., Responsa^ 99 : npT2 ^ (note 6 !). Midr. hag. 284 : ^ 3H \T ; 621 : NTN ( = ^), TN (=^TK) J 21O: 22. p. 103: nt? ni^:b w^ KIIKD^ ni^3^ npn N a ninob int^n 'la n:n nnb B^K nb ^n^o ^sn !?. Harkavy corrected here rightly n Nob, but offers a forced explanation ; the passage, however, becomes clear by a comparison with p. 105, where we find : nins nn nro nnsD^ n^ T'DNT anpn N^ NOX N^I npn N xnnx na ^aK Nn^5; for to which NnNo!> above corresponds, read likewise (with Hark.) : Kn No=xn NDN 'after which, if ',&c. nns is no doubt inND (in accordance with the Babylonian-Mandaic pro- nunciation of the n) in the sense of ' defer ', ' delay ', ' tarry ', in which it occurs also in Syriac (PSm.). This is in agreement with 'ira (but not if we derive it from "inD f as Hark, does, for then we should expect an ethp.), comp. Hal. Ged., ed. Venice, fol. 77 b : mna Tnh n^ TDK. That this is the right explanation is evident from Schechter, p. 22, 1. 6-7 : naa mo^ n[^] nen mpn K^ NDN pi ! Schechter, D*DiD3lp, p. 3, 11. i-io, are contained verbatim also in MS. B, in the same place, p. 30, 1. 5 f., which Sch. POST-TALMUDIC-ARAMAIC LEXICOGRAPHY EPSTEIN 245 already seems to have noticed in his comment on 1. 8 (though he points to 11. 1-3 !). The fragments thus supple- ment each other. 23. p. 3 is therefore to be read as follows : , . . [^o]pD (i) pNn jo nvpt?] b ncyy [NEK N^I pun -it?]yo bai (2) ... [T^Jyo apy] njh : bo ntpyo i^ ;nn '3n . . . JVN omaso (3) [. . . son TVI 'an '131 nnos* W (4) [^ unswt* W ^ inn ns?N bi ana [nnn nna ...i? MISWN] n^y '131 apjjn (5) [Tm 3 s n3i m: apy s ] bo (7) [npyo jn^o^ a^no Nijonn ^op n^sD^ '121 jni3N^ (6) 'i3i nsin (8) [}3sm Nt^N"i3 3 s n3T -is^jyo^ rrann^ ^y3n?o '131 nxnp] KONI 'i n^yon (9) [wan nrun] n^yo pvob p^ya j>yn naoa (JM: !) NI n^a 3n3 N^I (10) [nao jn^n 'pi mn "3 (n) (sicl) [p]n ynroh. With 1. 10 the fragment B breaks up. As to p. 30, see below. To 11. 4-5 comp. Sheeltot, no. 23. Ni (1. 10) is the letter waw, frequent in Anan ; likewise Hal. Ged., ed. Berlin, 340: nan N rromh . . . ppin^n N^I, Pseudo-Saadya's Comm. Ber. 56 a (ed. Wertheimer, 19 b) : N1 }O 13 . . . nicn "iDQn Nl. 1. 1 1 read : . . . [3nn3 24. 1. 14 read: bn , , , [NT-S. To nny comp. Hark., p. 3 : ^n^N N^n Niny paai innao ' manna', Syr. Nliyiy (PSm. 2975), Hark., ^z'^., p. 123. 1. 15 f. read : x[in N]n^s (16) [t6i xyx p] psjn ^NO i^asn . . , ^ay paa. 25. 1. 1 8 : n^yiTD Nnan^o ^annn i?3 pn OD DO na 'ao . . . niTai. Sch., p. 67, remarks that the words pn ,.oo (j-zV ! !) and xian^o are doubtful and that we may read also n instead of n in fcOan-'D. Read therefore [yi]to instead of ... co and in place of Ni3n'o : wnaTO (= Nnano, Ninn |O, see above), nan 'field'. *y*n perhaps = nD 11 H, as p. 88: pp\s = pip'N, see above; comp. also Hark., Resp., p. 160: sbn, Harkavy corrected 246 THE JEWISH QUARTERLY REVIEW 26. p. 4, 1. 7 ff., read: WD ny-tf 'N 'tti K N3[ip-ie !>y] (9) K^K 'i3i ^33 nvi> m[n B^ip-i] (8) '131 NyiNzi p!>[n r6 JVN] (10) N^> ntrNn '121 D'Np NyiNi. nvi> is an abbreviation of the Tetragrammaton, 22 as the occasional >*V, comp. also p. 30 TO (see below). As to WHIt^, which is by no means rare, see Remarks on the Sheeltot. 1. 15 read: (sic\) |K ipm n[>ytn]. 27. p. 6, 1. 4 ff., read : [^33 Dm $>3 1DB] NON [p . . . normi] (6) DINS [nsp '^ ^22] 3D2 nnpxi nfonnni onsn 'c^] (5) Kin ^] (7) 'nan nfvnpM^ T-] si' '^ ^3 yinron 'ttl N[N Np. Ibid., 1. 8 ff. read: "i^rVNl] (9) "1132 (12) ixh 'w m [IDJD Np] (n) '131 y n^D N[^I NDN xp] (13) n3B>n mv 'm (comp. Revel, JQR., N. S., Ill, 392, note), see Hadassi, Alph. 204, letter y. p. 8, 1. 17 ff., read : (r. bl) by '3T ^ai nnoD[n] n[n33 om 'nsi (Exod. 13. 13) 'ai nes] (18) NDNT V (19) s :n n^n^x ton [r-nbt>]m n^xn (Lev. 27. 27) ...[... NinJ 1^n[m] (v !) NJ^^ noai lion (w !) n[oa 28. p. 7, 1. 13 f. : mine njona^ n^N3 incnn !?31 nnm NCNI -ne> [nnn (see y<2^., /^. cit., p. 391), read nfea = nb ^S3, comp. talmudic ^>"3T ^s, //d;/. 6"^., ed. Ven., 71 b: ^N3T ; so also below, p. 9, 1. 4 f. : mnD [nojanob mn [a] . . . *? 29. 7^^., 1. 27 f., read : nnt?]y 'sn wn eTp '3 N-j3i]3i N^pnc^ n^n^N *3n so^ysn ND^N (28) [bpt^n n-u nb paK'n BTP 7 3 (29) ["D N^pno an on. p. 12, 1. 25 ff, read : '3T DTP] (26) pny nn N^pnon onBTn ntron D^PB> nnt^y ma onry DS!? rriT nacn [^pe> nKT2ni ; comp. Benjamin Nahawendi, ioaa, Gozlow, 1834, fol. 2c: nt^n 133 ^3 ^"xr jay nan 23 A similar abbreviation is perhaps also the word ~v on p. 5, 1. a. POST-TALMUDIC-ARAMAIC LEXICOGRAPHY EPSTEIN 247 rrva aasi^ niys DN (Hark., p. 137). The word riT3 is not Arabic (= **), as Harkavy thinks (5,000 ' qirat ' cannot possibly be equal to 3,000 shekel !), nor is it a gloss, but it is the Hebrew rna (plene), /i.e. 'iTia is equal to DNTp', as Anan actually says p. 7, 1. 27. Comp. also the citation from Jephet's Commentary to Exod. 30. 13 (Hark., 206) : '131 paNi ^pi DNTP pipy $vp ma entry r6ipl. The value of the kikkar = 3,000 shekel was fixed by the Geonim as 6,000 Arabic mithkal (see my remark, JQR., 1913, p. 439, n. 128), but Anan fixed it at 5.000 mithkal (= niyo) Sheshdang, and Nahawendi at 10,000 mithkal (= niyo), as also Ibn Janah, Neubauer, p. 330; comp. also Hark., Responsa, p. 38. As to ^n DHj see below. 30. pp. 14, 21 ff., read : '131 N13m NOIO [KWH&] (22) TDN1 [rra jrwuak] (24) '121 waao NOID n^a is[m u] (23) rrrp 131 7 131 NOID. Comp. Bekorot 33 b and Sheeltot, no. 44 (HG., ed. Berlin, p. 597) : N^oo 12 i'lD^ ny D^BHpa D1O NTN^o!' TDM "i3i N^ DID ^3 f yv (Geonica, 362 : n^ioo na b'Esn ny). 31. p. 15, 1. 17, read: 'vno NEN (sic\] ^Nn Npl N[?ON ]p . . . i nonn by&n- Read ^Kn instead of ^xn, which Sch. himself considers as doubtful. 'iNrl = s :n f he repeats ', comp. wn, 11. 22-3. 32. p. 17, 1. 14 f., read: Nina loyvb vb^ NaDni pn^ps '31 [n]^[n] ^[njp^ (jwr!) DNH" (15) [WUVK] vb\ n^n nnnpo 7 iai -IKB' b i>N BK t?N. DNH (instead of onn) = on, Persian JU, Neo-Syriac Bn (see my Rechtsgutachten, &c., p. 252), 'likewise'. DNn (with N) also in a gaonic responsum, Hakedem, II, 86 (no. 7): J N3'N1 DniD3H DV3 ^DH I^MBVI ? i> IN pn ^y in3 n^oi pasMn^b naxnatsn DNnT, ^. ^. and although it is customary to bring this to the circumcision (it remains' questionable) . . . TIDE (Hark., ibid., forced); similarly, Mand. DNn, Noldeke, Gramm., 465. As to the 248 THE JEWISH QUARTERLY REVIEW contents and style, comp. Shecltot, no. 95 : rvaiij pr6 'IDT trx B*K nojop rrnanp BTK awi> tanc*. 33. p. 23, 11. 1-5 (until . . . }KO1) is cited verbatim by Abulfarag Furkan (Q^D) in his manuscript commentary on Lev., Hark., p. 67, 1. 4 f. The beginning of this passage can therefore be supplied from Hark., p. 66, no. 24 (':i taxn nr nx) p. 67, 1. 4 (IN a^nai) ! Similarly the lacunae in 11. 1-4 may be closed up through Hark., 67. Instead of 7VNT 'N, here 1. 4, in Hark.: JVN1N 'while it is still'. Ibid., 1.30, read: [(p"nno) ni]aiy bx, and p. 24, 1. i, read: (sic instead of <3C>!) Wi WJD[!? vuba]oi> f? untrr [m]ni[ai] N'aui (V instead of l6ttll) b;, comp. 1. 5: ^en nn bi Kam wyaen wvi, and Hark., p. 67 : VD ia^ n^asa fb I^DN na^ bi, and p. 68: rontrN -N msiya ~IPD N^T. p. 24. n : ponn^'o JOTT in ro, read X3TT (= Ninna) inna, comp. inn, p. 28, I2-I3. 23 p. 25, 1. 12 f., read: nnyn nin^ niano pn HDD nnanon i^oi . . apn 'nan xan 11 nin [nnyn ninb ^aj pns nuon]. 34. p. 27, 11. i, ii, 12: "pi3Nn, 1. 7: p'a[Kn]. The meaning of the word becomes evident from 1. 1 2 : Nin "piasn Ninn ; hence ' scratch ', ' scribble ', * carve ', ' carvings '. It originated from ''iP/UNn ; Syr. Juacu. 'linea', J^a*. 'step', the former being explained by the Syriac lexica as Kna'nan NCniDi KOTDI Nn:iiD, PSm., 1226; the latter is found in the Talmud piin, pplin, but in one explanation certainly gaonic of the Aruk, s. v. n^aoN :bin HDID wn: Dipo n^pan ia pipm IIIN fy mm, therefore likewise with 3i 1. 7: JTN b s bp3 read H^Jp3 ' easily ', adv. like similar Syr. and Mand. words ; opposite 1. 8: KnvB'pa. 1. 23 r. i3:b (sicl) m[pon *]3jn. 1. 26 r. pin KDKI. p. 28, 1. 14 f. r. : myi> mW i [iirn]n nrn^ mroi awi [Kajx'ao ina irpnn Ntru^. xax'ao instead of ... N'3O = w;j ; naTioi instead of nx zrro. 35- P- 3> ! I ff-> read : ^ ' T EP^ Hicry!> Kao[ nin^ pyn nao psn ynro *pN[n n^yD] (2) [^i] 'an (sic!) *?i K[ON sp] (3) [nin^ {j>nip] an (^zV!) n[^yD] (4) [^a ira (see above, nin^=) n^ [n^yo] (5) [i>a] a^no nB'yo apn*] (6) [pxin JNDJT - 4 nov nio r[" 1Nn ] (7) [iB'yo ^] ^wna, like p. 3, 1. 2 flf. (see above). To 1. 5 end comp. p. 3, 1. i : [? i>a]p*D ; the space of the lacuna (to judge from the points) really seems to be too large for N^n fKO. The lacunae in 1. 7 f. may be filled out from p. 3 (see above). Read therefore 1. 12 f. as follows : worn (13) [DP (.rzV!) n^Ja^^ [B*]aN [a^njon aM ^n (sic!) [KttB'Jya n 11 ^]! 'i jn^. Last line read probably: . . .], see above. 36. p. 32, 1. 9 ff., read: D^ (10) a Kirnix] (u) '^ win winiN *[n^ }r>ai rnKa* ^ D^] (12) n^ pnsa mnSn] (13) nx DBW [^'t DB> WPI*T6] (14) ni? liNp KPT. Comp. Hark., p. 3, end and f. : jnx nx D^D nbyrh 'nan ^* D^ NHPN 'oa Nnnixn NDN xp vby o^anan acr 1 mxas 1|// ' 1 Diy DB> xipa nc'x Dr6iin na rvx fnxai XDX NP an ^ DB> DB> Nipa IB^K tpnittn pnx ^N nnyn nx jn^ np^i 'an mm ix^\s* xa^x x^ pnxai *' n^ ^ Dtr xnmx^ n^ nxp xpn nan^'X pixn. Comp. also Responsa of the Geonim, ed. Cassel, no. 15, p. 3 b: iiaya pixn npyo 24 A. ^ after the H1D1 11 H1O of ver. 29 ! How Sch. found this unclear I fail to perceive. 250 THE JEWISH QUARTERLY REVIEW /iji nnan pis nan 'w ixtan wn jnKm? tfrodb i^no nnt? "H^on 33-4, see above. 25 INDEX OF WORDS COMMENTED UPON P2K = cleave, stick (no. n). NTJ3N = arm (no. 8). -ins (= ins), IPIKO = tarry, linger (no. 22). ND3 1K = or however much (no. 10). fli3K, BOK (= NSD'y) = fold, bend (no. 20). (= IDN), n>tax, (gaonic also ita'N) (no. 17). ^ 'NON wherefore, why then ; introducing a question (no. 15). (= noy), 1D< = submerge (gaonic also Niov:) (no. 13). D13 (Dia^D poT3) = weave, twist (no. 3). na, ma (nxna, *na) (no. i), see nxna. ha (rrinyns) (no. 2). N31N (= 13TN, also gaonic) (no. 17). an = field (no. 25). (DTo) = last, continue (no. 7). n ; on = likewise ; although (the latter only gaonic) (no. 32). NT = letter waw (no. 23). . lit ("VT) = press together (no. 4). f (= i>N3), ^3 (rvb = n-6 i>3) = put together (no. 28). 3 (no. 9). (no. 10). ', Syr. and gaonic (No. 18). ^, Mand. (Introduction). inxio, see "ins. D3, *O3 (no. 1 8), see 0?. NOH3, Ni:^, talmudic (Introduction). [WBD], opposite of w6p (no. n). NDSD (= nDDD) (no. 17). NDD 11 !?*, see NDD-N. Niny, Hny = manna (no. 24). (NIP), iVN (= pip-N), v (=np*?), nvp 11 : (=nvnp 1| 3) (nos. 21 and 25). vp = easily (no. 34). (NT-^, l^o) = spin (no. i). n^ ^jBflD (= n^ T 1 :^), gaonic (no. 17). lin (Tn, 1no, mn)= return, bring back (no. 5). (To be continued.)