# What's happening with אֵרַע?



## InfatigableLearner

Greetings to all,

In his commentary on Genesis 12:6, Ramban, citing _Midrash Tanhuma_, mentions the following 'principle' (כְּלָל): “whatever happened to the fathers is a sign to the children” (כָּל מַה שֶּׁאֵרַע לָאָבוֹת סִימָן לַבָּנִים). My question concerns the third word here which, after removing the relative שֶׁ, I am fairly confident is a piel perfect 3ms of the root ארע which means “to happen, to occur.” As usual my question concerns unusual spellings that I have observed and with this verb I have also seen the spellings אִ(י)רַע and אִ(י)רָע. Thus my question is, does anyone have an idea what accounts for these spellings?

InfatigableLearner


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## origumi

ארע = _happen_ is an Aramaic root borrowed into Mishnaic Hebrew. Some say it's related to ארע = Hebrew ארץ = _land_, other say it's derived from Aramaic root ערע (convincing examples in the second link below by reviewing root ערע in the Onkalos translation to the Bible). Your analysis of the verb form is accurate (as usual): pi`el, past, sing.,  3rd, masc. The alternative spelling א*י*רע with yod is like other cases of tzere since Mishnaic times. Tzere (instead of hiriq) due to תשלום דגש (compensation for dagesh) as occurs in pi`el. Why you see a hiriq? Maybe because of the yod, maybe because of the pi`el, in either case looks like a mistake (although an old one). In Biblical pronunciation the ר gets patah or kamatz according to the word position in the sentence - kamatz before a pause, otherwise patah. Compare to וְדַעַת קְדֹשִׁים אֵ*דָ*ע vs. לֹא אֵ*דַ*ע צֵאת וָבֹא. Do you have specific examples of אירע with patah / kamatz? the reason may be different.

ארע is indeed of binyan pi`el in the past tense, but usually of binyan pa`al in future tense: יֶאֱרַע etc. Somewhat unusual but there are other roots with such behavior.


ארע is Aramaic: http://www.daat.ac.il/daat/kitveyet/mahanaim/lashon-2.htm
ארע is derived from ערע: http://musaf-shabbat.com/2011/09/08/לכה-דודי-לפגישת-כלה-יעקב-עציון-לפרשת-כ/


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## InfatigableLearner

Origami,

Thank you for your very thorough reply which not only provides many insights into this particular word but also things to remember for others as well. I knew there was something odd about this root when, upon looking at Tarmon and Uval’s _Hebrew Verb Tables_, I found the piel only conjugated for the perfect and imperfect and then only for the 3rd person (ms, fs, mp, fp). Aramaic forms are always something to watch out for, but I was thrown off by Even-Shoshan which did not seem to indicate an Aramaic derivation but simply lists an אֲרַע as the Aramaic cognate. The derivation from Aramaic ערע (“to meet, to befall”) which you mentioned certainly seems to be the case: “for he said, perhaps death should befall him” (אֲרֵי אֲמַר דִלמָא יְעָרְעִינֵיה מוֹתָא; Gen 42:4 TgO) and checking Sokoloff’s _Dictionary of Jewish Palestinian Aramaic of the Byzantine Period_ I see that he directly links the Aramaic cognate ארע given by Even-Shoshan with ערע. I will certainly have to examine the links you provided in more detail when I have more time.

Just to see if I have followed you correctly, you mention that “The alternative spelling...with yod is like other cases of tzere since Mishnaic times.” So the _yod_ here is actually a mater lectionis for _tzere_ (_tzere male_) which has, perhaps, been mistaken as a mater lectionis for _hiriq_ (_hiriq male_). In that case would it be acceptable to restore the reading with _tzere male_ and read אֵירַע/ אֵירָע as well as אֵרַע/ אֵרָע? You also mention that “In Biblical pronunciation the ר gets patah or kamatz according to the word position in the sentence” so that the issue here, perhaps, is related to whether it is a pausal form or not. I did not have an example in mind when I asked my question, but in looking into this I did notice some differences in reading for Pirkei Abot 5:7 (examples from Google Books):

English:
“ten miracles were performed for our fathers in the temple...pollution did not happen to a high priest on the day of atonement”

עֲשָׂרָה נִסִּים נַעֲשׂוּ לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ, בְּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ...לֹא *אֵרַע* קֶרִי לְכֹהֵן גָּדוֹל בְּיוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים
סידור שפת אמת החדש: כולל כל תפילות ישראל לכול השנה–

...לֹא *אִרָע* קֶרִי לְכֹהֵן גָּדוֹל בְּיוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים
–_Tefilat Yiśraʼel_

(Another edition of this work with a non-transliterated title (תפלת ישראל) on Google also has *אִירָע*)

...לֹא *אִירַע* קֶרִי לְכֹהֵן גָּדוֹל בְּיוֹם הַכִּפֻּרִים
תפילת ישרים: כמנהג ספרד...עם דרך החיים...עם נהורה השלם...עם תיקוני שבת...עם ...–

...לֹא *אִרַע* קֶרִי לְכֹהֵן גָדוֹל בְּיוֹם הַכִּפּוּרִים
–_Tiqqûn Šelomo ʻim tiqqûnê Šabbāt_

I do not believe that in this context ארע is a pausal form so that it is the first of these examples with אֵרַע which is correct. If so, then those with אִ(י)רָע would be in error for using a pausal form and confusion of _hiriq_ for _tzere_ while those with אִ(י)רַע would be correct for not presuming a pausal form, but wrong in their confusion of _hiriq_ for _tzere_. Yes?

InfatigableLearner


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## JaiHare

In modern Hebrew, we generally add a yod in the piel forms:

דיבר
קיבל
אירע
סירב

It's just how it happens in unpointed texts to make it clear that these are not qal forms. It's not a pausal form, as you've surmised above.


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## arielipi

Though kara is more used than era


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## origumi

InfatigableLearner said:


> If so, then those with אִ(י)רָע would be in error for using a pausal form and confusion of _hiriq_ for _tzere_ while those with אִ(י)רַע would be correct for not presuming a pausal form, but wrong in their confusion of _hiriq_ for _tzere_.


Your examples above demonstrate random behavior (at least seemingly). I suspect that having no authoritative nikkud (because the word is not Biblical), the various versions represent either the pronunciation in certain places and times, or (as you suspected) lack of tradition / knowledge by the authors that resulted in arbitrary nikkud. 


> So the _yod_ here is actually a mater lectionis for _tzere_ (_tzere male_) which has, perhaps, been mistaken as a mater lectionis for _hiriq_ (_hiriq male_).


Probably. Yet I am not sure where and when yod begun to represent tzere, and when such deviations from tzere to hiriq have started (or were they always there?), so cannot add anything.



JaiHare said:


> דיבר
> קיבל
> אירע
> סירב


Please note that there are two different cases. דיבר and קיבל have hiriq thus naturally get yod in כתיב מלא. For אירע and סירב the yod represents a tzere.

An interesting comment here:


> בעברית יש שתי מסורות עיקריות בהגיית הצירה: על פי המסורת האשכנזית, יש להגות את הצירה תמיד כ-EY, ועל פי המסורת הספרדית יש להגות אותו תמיד כ-E.  בעניין הזה שתי המסורות אינן מבחינות בין צירה מלא (צירה שאחריו האות יו"ד) לבין צירה חסר.
> בעברית הישראלית, בין השאר בגלל הכתיב חסר הניקוד, יש נטייה גוברת להגות את הצירה המלא תמיד כ-EY,  ואת הצירה החסר תמיד כ-E. ומאחר שהשאיפה הזאת הולכת ומתבססת, היא פועלת לעיתים גם בכוון ההפוך: מילים  שההגייה שלהן היא בבירור בתנועת E ייטו להיכתב בלי יו"ד, גם כאשר זה אינו הכתיב הנכון של המילה.


http://www.safa-ivrit.org/spelling/beinenu.php


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## JaiHare

I always thought (especially because of אירוע) that this verb was a piel! Apparently, it's a type of qal. How odd!

Infinitive:
לֶאֱרֹעַ

Past tense:
(הוא) אֵרַע
(היא) אֵרְעָה
(הם) אֵרְעוּ
(הן) אֵרְעוּ

Future tense:
(הוא) יֶאֱרַע
(היא) תֶּאֱרַע
(הם) יֶאֶרְעוּ
(הן) תֶּאֱרַעְנָה

There is no present tense or forms for אני ,אתה ,את ,אנחנו ,אתם ,אתן. 

What's the difference in connotation between this and התרחש?


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## origumi

It's pi`el in the past (or "perfect", as Learner wrote and many western scholars prefer to regard it) and pa`al (qal) in the future (or "imperfect"). The verb is not so productive in modern Hebrew. The infinitive is rare. Same about 1st/2nd body. What does "we occur" mean anyway, beyond philosophical context like _cogito ergo sum_.


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## JaiHare

I always thought that it was אִירֵעַ, though.


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## origumi

It's pi`el. Therefore ע הפועל (the middle of three, in this case ר) needs to get strong dagesh. However, ר as אות גרונית cannot get it so there's תשלום דגש (compensation for dagesh) - the previous vowel is lengthened, in this case from hiriq "i" to tzere "e".


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