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AdvancedSpecial charactersHelpHeadingLevel 2Level 3Level 4Level 5FormatInsertLatinLatin extendedIPASymbolsGreekGreek extendedCyrillicArabicArabic extendedHebrewBanglaTamilTeluguSinhalaDevanagariGujaratiThaiLaoKhmerCanadian AboriginalRunesÁáÀàÂâÄäÃãǍǎĀāĂ㥹ÅåĆćĈĉÇçČčĊċĐđĎďÉéÈèÊêËëĚěĒēĔĕĖėĘęĜĝĢģĞğĠġĤĥĦħÍíÌìÎîÏïĨĩǏǐĪīĬĭİıĮįĴĵĶķĹĺĻļĽľŁłŃńÑñŅņŇňÓóÒòÔôÖöÕõǑǒŌōŎŏǪǫŐőŔŕŖŗŘřŚśŜŝŞşŠšȘșȚțŤťÚúÙùÛûÜüŨũŮůǓǔŪūǖǘǚǜŬŭŲųŰűŴŵÝýŶŷŸÿȲȳŹźŽžŻżÆæǢǣØøŒœßÐðÞþƏəFormattingLinksHeadingsListsFilesDiscussionReferencesDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getItalic''Italic text''Italic textBold'''Bold text'''Bold textBold & italic'''''Bold & italic text'''''Bold & italic textDescriptionWhat you typeWhat you getReferencePage text.<ref>[https://www.example.org/ Link text], additional text.</ref>Page text.[1]Named referencePage text.<ref name="test">[https://www.example.org/ Link text]</ref>Page text.[2]Additional use of the same referencePage text.<ref name="test" />Page text.[2]Display references<references />↑ Link text, additional text.↑ Link text==Etymology== The modern [[English language|English]] word "Hebrew" is derived from [[Old French]] {{Lang|ang|Ebrau}}, via [[Latin]] from the [[Ancient Greek]] {{Lang|grc|Ἑβραῖος|italic=no}} ({{Lang|grc-latn|hebraîos}}) and [[Aramaic]] ''<nowiki/>'ibrāy'', all ultimately derived from [[Biblical Hebrew]] {{Lang|hbo-latn|Ivri}} ({{Script/Hebrew|עברי}}), one of several names for the [[Israelites|Israelite]] ([[Jews|Jewish]] and [[Samaritans|Samaritan]]) people ([[Hebrews]]). It is traditionally understood to be an adjective based on the name of [[Abraham]]'s ancestor, [[Eber]], mentioned in {{bibleref2|Genesis|10:21}}. The name is believed to be based on the [[Semitic root]] ''ʕ-b-r'' ({{Script/Hebrew|עבר}}), meaning "beyond", "other side", "across";<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://biblehub.com/hebrew/5676.htm|title=Strong's Hebrew: 5676. עֵ֫בֶר (eber) – region across or beyond, side|website=biblehub.com|access-date=25 March 2018|archive-date=17 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180417133208/http://biblehub.com/hebrew/5676.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> interpretations of the term "Hebrew" generally render its meaning as roughly "from the other side [of the river/desert]"—i.e., an [[Exonym and endonym|exonym]] for the inhabitants of the land of [[History of ancient Israel and Judah|Israel and Judah]], perhaps from the perspective of [[Mesopotamia]], [[Phoenicia]] or [[Transjordan (region)|Transjordan]] (with the river referred to being perhaps the [[Euphrates]], [[Jordan River|Jordan]] or [[Litani River|Litani]]; or maybe the northern [[Arabian Desert]] between [[Babylonia]] and [[Canaan]]).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lib.cet.ac.il/pages/item.asp?item=12606 |title=הספריה של מט"ח |publisher=Lib.cet.ac.il |access-date=25 April 2013 |archive-date=2 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130502104627/http://lib.cet.ac.il/pages/item.asp?item=12606 |url-status=live }}</ref> Compare the word ''[[Habiru]]'' or cognate [[Akkadian language|Assyrian]] ''ebru'', of identical meaning.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uycYAAAAYAAJ&q=assyrian+ebru&pg=PA9|title=A Concise Dictionary of the Assyrian Languages|last=Muss-Arnolt|first=William|date=1905|publisher=Reuther & Reichard|pages=9|language=en|access-date=10 June 2021|archive-date=8 April 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408152916/https://books.google.com/books?id=uycYAAAAYAAJ&q=assyrian+ebru&pg=PA9|url-status=live}}</ref> One of the earliest references to the language's name as "''Ivrit''" is found in the prologue to the [[Book of Sirach]],{{refn|group=note|https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/septuagint/chapter.asp?book=30|See original text}}{{clarify|reason=The link to ellopos a) isn't showing, and b) doesn't seem to be working.|date=September 2021}} from the 2nd century BCE.<ref name=Xeravits>{{cite book|author1=Géza Xeravits|author2=József Zsengellér|title=Studies in the Book of Ben Sira: Papers of the Third International Conference on the Deuterocanonical Books, Shime'on Centre, Pápa, Hungary, 18–20 May, 2006|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y042aO03HLUC&pg=PA43|date=25 June 2008|publisher=Brill|isbn=978-90-04-16906-7|pages=43–}}</ref> The Hebrew Bible does not use the term "Hebrew" in reference to the language of the Hebrew people;<ref>Barton, John, ed. (2004) [2002]. ''The Biblical World''. 2. Taylor & Francis. p. 7.</ref> its later historiography, in the [[Books of Kings|Book of Kings]], refers to it as {{lang|he|יְהוּדִית}} ''Yehudit'' "[[Tribe of Judah|Judahite]] (language)".<ref>Kings II 18:26.</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly, then do not submit it here. You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource (see Christianpedia:Copyrights for details). Do not submit copyrighted work without permission! Cancel Editing help (opens in new window) Discuss this page