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September 26, 2008

Friday Loanword: nikkassu

Nik(k)assu is a rather common Akkadian word with a meaning in the semantic range of "account," "accounting," or the mathematical result of a calculation, but by Neo-Assyrian and Neo-Babylonian times, while retaining the earlier connotations in some contexts, it came to also mean "property," "assets," "wealth," "estate" or the like. It is itself a loanword into Akkadian from Sumerian níg.kaz7, "accounting."

Of the many examples, I cite these two.

From YOS 7 93:4 (apud CAD N2, 224), mimma NÍG.ŠID (nikkassi) būsi makkūri u tarkuttu . . ., "whatever property, positions, goods and deposits(?). . . " The context of this passage is debt recovery.

And from ABL 791:4 (apud CAD N2, 224), NÍG.ŠID-i-ni gabbi ana elam ittašši, "he carried away all the property of Elam."

The certain loanword נכס occurs five times in the Hebrew Bible, always in the plural.

Joshua 22:8:

וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם לֵאמֹר בִּנְכָסִים רַבִּים שׁוּבוּ אֶל־אָהֳלֵיכֶם וּבְמִקְנֶה רַב־מְאֹד בְּכֶסֶף וּבְזָהָב וּבִנְחֹשֶׁת וּבְבַרְזֶל וּבִשְׂלָמֹות הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד חִלְקוּ שְׁלַל־אֹיְבֵיכֶם עִם־אֲחֵיכֶם
And he [Joshua] spoke to them saying, "Return to your tents with much property (נְכָסִים) and with a great many cattle, with silver, gold, brass and iron and with very much clothing; divide the spoil of your enemies with your brothers."

Qohelet 5:18(19):

גַּם כָּל־הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר נָתַן־לֹו הָאֱלֹהִים עֹשֶׁר וּנְכָסִים וְהִשְׁלִיטֹו לֶאֱכֹל מִמֶּנּוּ וְלָשֵׂאת אֶת־חֶלְקֹו וְלִשְׂמֹחַ בַּעֲמָלֹו זֹה מַתַּת אֱלֹהִים הִיא
To everyone whom God has given wealth and property (נְכָסִים) and whom he allows to consume them and to accept their status and find pleasure in their toil - this too is a gift from God.

Qohelet 6:2a:

אִישׁ אֲשֶׁר יִתֶּן־לֹו הָאֱלֹהִים עֹשֶׁר וּנְכָסִים וְכָבֹוד
And to the person that God has given wealth, property and honor . . .

2 Chronicles 1:11a:

וַיֹּאמֶר־אֱלֹהִים לִשְׁלֹמֹה יַעַן אֲשֶׁר הָיְתָה זֹאת עִם־לְבָבֶךָ וְלֹא־שָׁאַלְתָּ עֹשֶׁר נְכָסִים וְכָבֹוד
And God said to Solomon, "Since this was in your heart and you have not asked for wealth, property or honor . . ."

2 Chronicles 1:12a

הַחָכְמָה וְהַמַּדָּע נָתוּן לָךְ וְעֹשֶׁר וּנְכָסִים וְכָבֹוד אֶתֶּן־לָךְ
. . . wisdom and knowledge are given you and I will give you wealth, property and honor . . .

I think there is little doubt that נְכָסִים is a loanword from Akkadian. Beyond saying that it came into Hebrew from Neo-Assyrian or Neo-Babylonian, it cannot be determined from which dialect of Akkadian Hebrew borrowed it. Because Aramaic also has the equivalent word (נִכַסִין, Ezra 6:8; 7:26) as a loan it is not possible to be certain if it came into Hebrew via Aramaic or directly from Akkadian. Mankowski, 103, makes the best but still weak argument for a trans-Aramaic barrowing but he ultimately concludes ". . . there are no grounds to assume the priority of one borrowing over the other." I can only agree.

On a related subject, it is abnormally interesting that the phrase וְעֹשֶׁר וּנְכָסִים וְכָבֹוד, "wealth, property and honor" occurs in both Chronicles and Qohelet. Does this mean that they were written at about the same time, as I think they likely were? Or did one, perhaps Qohelet, acquire the phrase from the other? Or both?

Reference:

Mankowski, Paul V., Akkadian Loanwords in Biblical Hebrew, Harvard Semitic Studies, 47, Winona Lake, Indiana: Eisenbrauns, 2000

Posted by Duane Smith at September 26, 2008 8:01 PM | Read more on Hebrew Bible |

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