Concerning the Hebrew idiom "writing 'Noah' with seven mistakes", how many letters does the word 'Noah' have in Hebrew and how does this sharpen the idiom's meaning?
Question #98289. Asked by gentlegiant17.
Last updated May 02 2023.
Arpeggionist
Answer has 3 votes
Arpeggionist 21 year member
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Answer has 3 votes.
First of all, the name "Noah" (the masculine, as in the one with the ark) is two letters long - Nun Het. Without any vowel markings, some might put in an extra Vav in there which would make it three letters. While both spellings are acceptable, the shortened spelling is understood by pretty much all Hebrew speakers to be the "correct" form. The phrase "seven mistakes" is sharpened further when one understands that in Hebrew literature the number 7 is often used to mean simply "many".
Aug 05 2008, 4:31 AM
zbeckabee
Answer has 7 votes
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zbeckabee Moderator 19 year member
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Answer has 7 votes.
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The expression hu kotev "noah" b'sheva she'giot, He writes the word "Noah" with seven errors, is a humorous description of a person whose writing is filled with the grossest of errors. https://www.jhom.com/topics/seven/hebrew.html
In many Hebrew expressions, "seven" is used in exaggeration:
(al ta'amen bo, ki sheva to'eivot b'libo), "Do not trust [an enemy], for seven abominations are in his mind";
(Be'sheva aynayim tabit, v'titbonen el kol ha'nasah bah), "With seven eyes, look and observe all that is being done..." https://www.jhom.com/hebrew/seven_h.htm
Response last updated by gtho4 on May 02 2023.
Aug 05 2008, 5:08 AM