The importance of Tamil loanwords in Biblical Hebrew is that linguistically these words are the earliest attestation of the Tamil language. These words were incorporated into the writing of the Hebrew Bible starting before 500 BCE. Although a number of authors have identified many biblical and post-biblical words of Tamil, Old Tamil, or Dravidian origin, a number of them have competing etymologies and some Tamil derivations are considered controversial.
The incorporation of Tamil loanwords into the Hebrew language originally came about through the interactions of West Asian and South Indian merchants. The mainstream view is that the beginnings of trade between the Mediterranean region and South India can be traced back to 500 BCE when the word (Greek, Ancient (to 1453);: ζιγγίβερις), which was derived from the Proto-South Dravidian *cinki-ver (for "ginger"), first appeared in the Greek language.[1] This indicates South India possibly having been involved in trade with the Mediterranean diaspora centuries earlier.[2] There is some evidence that trade between India and the peoples inhabiting the Mediterranean regions may have been well established by 1500 BCE.[3] [4]
Due to its native speakers' location—in the critical path of trade between Egypt, Mesopotamia, and India—ancient Hebrew lexicon contains both cultural words that are common to many languages in the general area and loanwords from various other languages including Ancient Greek.[5] Some of these loan words are present in the earliest transcripts of the Bible. By the mid-nineteenth century, Christian missionaries trained in Biblical Hebrew noticed that there were words of Indian origin in the Bible, including from the Tamil language.[6] Some of the loan words were borrowed directly from Tamil or Old Tamil into Biblical Hebrew. Others were borrowed via the Akkadian, Aramaic, Greek, Persian, and South Arabian languages.[7] The period of these lexiconic borrowings range from 1000 BCE to 500 BCE.[7] [8] The dating of this borrowing depends on the acceptable ranges of dates for the compilation and redaction of the Books of Kings.
Most of the borrowed words had to do with items of trade that were unique to South India but which lacked native names in Hebrew.[9] [10] According to linguists such as Chaim Rabin and Abraham Mariaselvam, the Tamil linguistic impact in Hebrew goes beyond just loan words. The contact also influenced the poetic traditions and styles such as those found in the Song of Songs, which according to Rabin and Mariaselvam shows the influence of Cankam anthologies.[9] [10] [11]
Linguistically, the importance of Tamil loanwords in Hebrew is that it is the earliest attestation of Tamil language [12] [13] and an early attestation in the Dravidian languages. This was before Tamil was widely written down, using the Tamil Brahmi script and dated variously from 600 BCE to 200 BCE.[14] [15] Although a number of authors have identified many Biblical and post-Biblical words of Tamil, Old Tamil, or Dravidian origin, a number of them have competing etymologies and some Tamil derivations are today considered controversial.[16] There is also a class of words that were borrowed ultimately from Indo-Aryan languages spoken in North India but via Tamil.[7]
| Hebrew word | Meaning in Hebrew | Source language | Tamil word | Meaning in Tamil |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Hebrew: תוכים | parrots but meant peacocks in the past | Tamil | Tamil: தோகை | feather[17] [18] [19] [20] |
Hebrew: אֲהָלִים | eagle-wood or agarwood | Tamil | Tamil: அகில் | agarwood[21] [22] |
Hebrew: כורכום | turmeric | probably Tamil but also possibly Sanskrit | Tamil: கூகை (Tamil: கூவை) | turmeric[23] |
Hebrew: ארמון | palace | probably Tamil but has competing etymologies | Tamil: அரண்மனை | palace[24] |
Hebrew: כד | jug | probably Tamil, cognates in South Dravidian languages | Tamil: கிண்டி | small vessel[25] |
Hebrew: ריג | weave | probably Tamil, cognates in South Dravidian languages | Tamil: ஒருக்கு | to draw out |
Hebrew: מִנִּית | rice | Tamil via Akkadian | Tamil: உண்டி | boiled rice[26] |
Hebrew: פנג | millet | Tamil via South Arabian | Tamil: உணங்கல் | millet |
Hebrew: בּוּץ | fine textile | Possibly related to Tamil, via South Arabian also possibly via Sanskrit. Already attested in Syrian and Akkadian inscriptions dating back to the 9th century BCE. | Tamil: பஞ்சு | cotton |
Hebrew: מסכן | wood | Tamil via Akkadian | Tamil: முசுக்கட்டை | mulberry tree |
Hebrew: פִטְדָה | topaz | Tamil or Dravidian | Tamil: பித்த | bile or yellow[27] |
Hebrew: קוף | monkey | probably Tamil but also possibly Sanskrit | Tamil: கவி | monkey[28] [29] [30] |
| Hebrew word | Meaning in Hebrew | Source language | Tamil word | Meaning in Tamil | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Hebrew: אתרוג | yellow citron | Tamil via Persian | Tamil: மாதுளம், or alternatively, Tamil: நார்த்தங்காய் | pomegranate or citron[31] | |
Hebrew: אורז | rice | Tamil via South Arabian | Tamil: அரிசி | rice[32] [33] | |
Hebrew: נול | loom | probably Tamil, cognates in South Dravidian languages | Tamil: நூல் | thread | |
Hebrew: מנגו | mango | From English, via Portuguese originally from Tamil | Tamil: மாங்காய் | unripe mā (a species) fruit[34] |