# הישוי



## Isidore Demsky

Does anyone know what the name הישוי means?


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## origumi

Context?

...


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## Isidore Demsky

What do you mean, "context"?

It's a Hebrew name, and Hebrew names have meanings.

Like "Michael" means "who is like El?"

Do you know what הישוי means?


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## arielipi

This is not a name i have ever encountered or heard of.
either you got it wrong or is a borrowed name.


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## airelibre

Context can also  be how you came across the name. 

I have found this from a google search: 
הישו"י = הישועת ישראל
The saviour/redeemer of Israel

Not exactly a name though.


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## Isidore Demsky

The *name* appears twice in Numbers 26:44.
Some sources say it means "he resembles me," and others say it means "he will justify me," and I'm not clear on whether it's a statement or a question (like "Who is like El?," or in this case, "does he resemble me?," or "he will justify me?.")

Anyway, I'm pretty sure it's Hebrew, it does appear in the Torah, and I'd like to know what it means (if anyone here can help me.)

Thank you.


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## Isidore Demsky

airelibre said:


> I have found this from a google search:
> הישו"י = הישועת ישראל
> The saviour/redeemer of Israel


So is this what the name means?


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## arbelyoni

The name is ישוי (ishvi); הישוי in Numbers 26 is the definite form (part of the construct state משפחת הישוי, "family of the ishvites").
There were two persons named ישוי in the bible: son of Asher (Genesis 46:17; Numbers 26:44) and son of Saul (1 Samuel 14:49), both of which are only mentioned as lineal descendants and the bible doesn't elaborate about them. It's not a popular modern name and most Israelis wouldn't recognize it.

The name comes from the root שוה, that bears the general meaning of likeness and equality (to equal, to be like); the paradigm (משקל) is imperfect of Qal (a common paradigm for names) + pronominal suffix י, thus making it "(let him) be like me".


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## Isidore Demsky

Thank you.

So the definite form used in Numbers 26 (הישוי) would mean "let him be like me," or "let them be like me"?


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## airelibre

No, הישוי means nothing special by itself, it is ה+ישוי, since משפחת הישוי needs to be definite: *the* family of *the* Yishvites (also translated as Jesuits) rather than משפחת ישוי, *a* family of Yishvi/Yishvites.


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## Isidore Demsky

Thank you.


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## origumi

arbelyoni said:


> The name comes from the root שוה, that bears the general meaning of likeness and equality (to equal, to be like); the paradigm (משקל) is imperfect of Qal (a common paradigm for names) + pronominal suffix י, thus making it "(let him) be like me".


I'm afraid this etymology, as well as the popular etymology mentioned above for מיכאל, is not well established. For example, root שוה may mean in this case _to regard_, _consider_, _think about_, as in שיויתי השם לנגדי תמיד (Psalms 16:8), and then ישוי may mean _the one I think of_, or more likely _may God think _(= help, guard)_ of him_. And this too is merely a conjecture. The last yod may mean _my_, and yet also be a variant of ה as happens in Phoenician and northern Hebrew.


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## Isidore Demsky

airelibre said:


> No, הישוי means nothing special by itself, it is ה+ישוי, since משפחת הישוי needs to be definite: *the* family of *the* Yishvites (also translated as Jesuits) rather than משפחת ישוי, *a* family of Yishvi/Yishvites.





origumi said:


> I'm afraid this etymology, as well as the  popular etymology mentioned above for מיכאל, is not well established.  For example, root שוה may mean in this case _to regard_, _consider_, _think about_, as in שיויתי השם לנגדי תמיד (Psalms 16:8), and then ישוי may mean _the one I think of_, or more likely _may God think _(= help, guard)_ of him_. And this too is merely a conjecture. The last yod may mean _my_, and yet also be a variant of ה as happens in Phoenician and northern Hebrew.



Thank you both.


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