The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the BibleLETTER EVOLUTION...................................................................................................
Over time words and their roots evolve. One of the most common evolutions of a word
is an exchange for one sounding letter for another. All spoken sounds can be grouped
into seven different categories. Table 10 below lists these categories and the letters that
correspond to them.
Table 10
Category Location English Hebrew
Labials lip sounds bfpvw FJT
Dentals tooth sounds dt XYH
Gutturals throat sounds ghjkqxy KUSOMLIG
Liquids tounge sounds lr VP
Nasals nose sounds mn RQ
Fractives whistle sounds csz W]\^
Vowels breath sounds aeiou MJIEThis can be seen in many English words such as "vine" which is the origin of "wine"
where the "w" is exchanged for the "v". The word "foot" comes from the ancient word
"ped" meaning foot (as in pedal or pedestrian). This type of letter exchange occurs
frequently in all languages including Hebrew.
Within the Biblical text we have the ancient parent root F^ (zav) meaning “yellow”.
From this parent root two child roots are derived; FI^ (zahav) meaning “gold” and
FJ^ (zuv) meaning “puss”, both being yellow in color. Another child root, FI]
(tsahav), also has the meaning “yellow” but, has no connection to the ancient parent
root F] (tsav) meaning “wall”. From this evidence we can conclude that FI] is an
evolved form of the root FI^. The letter ] (ts) has replaced the ^ (z), both sounds
being very similar.
Another common evolution is the replacement of letters. The Hebrew word FP (lev)
meaning heart has evolved into the Aramaic word PF (bal), also meaning heart, by
reversing the order of the letters.
In the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible the original spelling of the words will be
used. The spelling as found in the Biblical text will be listed under "defective
spellings".