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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 star
Answer has 3 votes
Arpeggionist star
21 year member
2173 replies

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
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zbeckabee star
Answer has 7 votes
Currently Best Answer
zbeckabee star
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19 year member
11752 replies avatar

Answer has 7 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
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.
link 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..."
link https://www.jhom.com/hebrew/seven_h.htm


Response last updated by gtho4 on May 02 2023.
Aug 05 2008, 5:08 AM
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