The prefix c

Music for grammar? "Really, you insist on the music when all we want is the abstract truth." Sorry friend but I cannot speak to truth in the abstract. These days among Christians, I can scarcely speak of truth at all. There is little mutual trust. Some trust in logic and fall into their own unquestioned assumptions. I have seen this even among scholars. Ordained Christian scholars in particular may trust in the power base that they operate from and the correctness of its foundations. It is evident though that all established churches are saturated with assumptions. Still others are 'beyond the pale' to me. I can speak their language and they will thrill in it, but their enthusiasm, sadly, has been misplaced in some alternative universe. So I look to the music for unexpected suggestions, things that are beyond my assumptions.

Ezekiel 1:24 - illustrating three uses of the prefix 'c'.
(Looks like there is a bug in my transcription of Shaddai.)

וָאֶשְׁמַ֣ע אֶת־ק֣וֹל כַּנְפֵיהֶ֡ם כְּקוֹל֩ מַ֨יִם רַבִּ֤ים כְּקוֹל־שַׁדַּי֙ בְּלֶכְתָּ֔ם ק֥וֹל הֲמֻלָּ֖ה כְּק֣וֹל מַחֲנֶ֑ה בְּעָמְדָ֖ם תְּרַפֶּ֥ינָה כַנְפֵיהֶֽן	29 10	24 And I heard the voice of their wings as the voice of many waters, as the voice of the Sufficient. When they go, the voice of the speech, as the voice of a camp. When they stand, slackened are their wings.
		cd vawmy at-qol cnpihm cqol mim rbim cqol-wdii blctm qol hmulh cqol mknh byomdm trpinh cnpihn

The phrase cqol mim rbim occurs only in Ezekiel - here and again near the end of the book (43.2). You could not tell this from a translation unless it is done with framing and concordance in mind. (And yes, that is abstraction -- let it not be a distraction!)

I need another approach to the letter /c/ as prefix and preposition. In a typical complete lexicon, I will find another arcane and unreadable paragraph - albeit with lots of useful stuff. 

One thing to note is the similarity of /c/ as prefix to cmo as word. This word cmo is essentially the same as /c/ when used in the sense of likeness. This word is needed for use with pronoun suffixes, cmonu, (like us) 4 times, cmoni (like me) 17, cmoç (like you singular), 31 including two instances of כָּמֹכָה, cmocm (like you plural) once only Job 12:3, [also ccm (like you) 7 times], cmohu (like him/it), 24, cmohm, (like them) 3 times, and cmoh (like her/it) 4 times in 3 verses.

I checked all these counts using search in the SimHebrew Bible, against the counts in the BDB article on the letter caf, and we differ only in the last one where I count 4 to BDB's 3. See Ex 30:38, 1 Sam 21:10, Zech 5:3 (twice).

/c/ as prefix in its role as like or as is very similar to cmo. Which is derived from which, I wonder. (Note that likeness is also expressed with a verb dmh).

The prefix /c/ may also take the sense of according to, or about, and other phrases. Chatgpt summarized the hierarchic section of BDB--(I used a copied dog's breakfast), as follows: /c/ can function as both an adverb and a conjunction. As an adverb, it is used to mean "like," "as," or "about." (Adverbs?) As a conjunction, it can be translated as "according to," "as," or "when." The word is used to express similarity or comparison between two objects or actions.

Here is another example where the concept is slightly different again.

1 Samuel 20:3

I asked chatgpt what the sentence in BDB meant related to this verse. 

Working on Hebrew again - the letter kaf and its uses. What do you make of this sentence out of a lexicon: "Prop. an undeveloped subst., capable of standing in any case and followed (like) always by a gen., as 1 S 20:3  כי כפשׂע or there is (nomin.) the like of a footstep (Arabic ) between me and death." Here's what the bot said:

Here's a breakdown of the sentence:

1. "Prop." stands for "properly" or "proper." It indicates that the following explanation relates to the correct or accurate usage of the letter "kaf."

2. "an undeveloped subst." likely refers to the idea that "kaf" can serve as a root or core of a word that hasn't been fully developed into a full-fledged word on its own.

3. "capable of standing in any case" suggests that "kaf" can be used in various grammatical cases within Hebrew sentences.

4. "followed (like ) always by a gen." implies that "kaf" is often followed by a genitive construction (a construction that indicates possession or close relationship).

5. As an example, the sentence cites 1 Samuel 20:3:  כי כפשׂע, which may be translated as "for there is (nomin.) the like of a footstep between me and death." This demonstrates the usage of "kaf" in context, showing how it is used with a genitive construction.

6. The mention of "Arabic" likely indicates a parallel or similarity between the use of "kaf" in Hebrew and a similar concept in the Arabic language.

Overall, this sentence seems to be explaining how the Hebrew letter "kaf" functions as an undeveloped substantive (a root word), and it is typically used in conjunction with a genitive construction, allowing it to be employed in various grammatical cases. The example from 1 Samuel 20:3 illustrates the usage of "kaf" in a specific context.

No wonder I can't read BDB. A further direct question whether the Arabic reference indicated that the word pwy (or psy rather than pshy) being from Arabic and chatgpt responded with

It's possible that the Hebrew word פשׂע (pronounced as "psy") was either derived from or influenced by a similar word in Arabic. Language borrowing and influence between neighboring cultures are quite common, and it's fascinating to see how words and concepts can travel and evolve over time. ... Both versions likely represent the same root word with similar meanings, and such variations might be attributed to regional dialects, different time periods, or copyist errors in ancient manuscripts.

In later Hebrew the lexicon at the Blueletter Bible site says that the word pwy in this case is psy (samekh in the middle rather than sin). Curious though that peh-shin-ayin would work as well - one more transgression by David against Saul and he would be a goner.

Every post I do on grammar using this approach of music plus the abstraction of the words to express the experience -- every post raises questions for me for translation. And I read more closely.

What will I do with the translation?

g viiwby yod dvid viamr idoy idy abiç ci-mxati kn byiniç viamr al-iidy-zat ihontn pn-iiyxb,

vaulm ki-ihvh vki npwç ci cpwy bini ubin hmvvt.

3 And David swore further and he said, Your father knows that I find grace in your eyes, and he said, Do not let Jonathan know this lest he be tortured,

but as Yahweh lives and you live, there is but one false step between me and death.

I think there is but one false step is a good shot - but more literally I could render it as for the like of one false step is between me and death. Curious that transgression works just as well as the sibilant s (reading w as shin rather than sin).

Is it pwy or anticipating psy as in Isaiah 27:4-- the only other place where this root may occur?