Yachle-El

יחלאל


Genesis 46:14: a son of Zevulun; his siblings were Sered (סרד) and Elon (אלון).

The name is usually taken to mean "whom El has made sick" or "hoping in El"; but as so often this is probably a case of the Redactor choosing the innocuous alternate meanings in order to disguise the real one. The root Chalah (חלה) has for its primary meaning "to polish smooth", and is used for the process of jewel making (nothing to do with the plaited bread eaten by Jews on the Sabbath - 
Leviticus 8:26, 24:5 et al - and other festive occasions; that should really be chalalah - חללה - from the root chalal - חלל - which means "to perforate" and describes the technique for making what is rather more brioche than bread)

The breastplate of the High Priest bore twelve polished gems, one for each tribe, which also meant one for each zodiacal constellation. That of the tribe of Zevulun was the Bareket (ברקת), the Emerald or Agate or possibly the Green Beryl (Exodus 28:17). The root is Barak (ברק), the lightning, and the Jovian thunderbolt identified specifically with the judge Barak, who fought with Devorah against the Kena'anim (Judges 4:6). Barkanim (ברקנים) are fire-stones or flints attached to a timber stave and used for threshing corn, though what this has to do with Yachle-El or the tribe of Zevulun I can't begin to imagine. I simply make the information available because it is there and I find it interesting.

His brother Sered's tribe, according to Numbers 26:26, were the Sardites. Sard is also a gem-stone - the rust-red sard is identified with Re'u-Ven, though the Odem (אודם) - yet another word out of that ubiquitous root Adam/Edom - simply means "red jewel", which could as well be the ruby or the garnet.

For the other brother, Elon, see the notes: it is the oak tree, famous symbol of Zeus and Jupiter and Thor - all of them head-gods of their pantheons, all of them in control of the thunder and the lightning, all of them linked to oak trees.

The final answer to all this must lie with the father - and for him see the notes to Zevulun (Zebulon). But for those who do not wish to take the trouble, a mere hint - Zevel (זבל) is goat dung, the round costive droppings rather than the compostible stools. Strange name to give your child. Yah-Zevel, the goddess of the goat-dung, is usually rendered in English as Jezebel (1 Kings 16), though it should really be Iy-Zevel. Eli-Yahu (Elijah) fought her valiantly. King Yehu had her destroyed, and then took her name. Perhaps you will find it worth the trouble, and should indeed consult the notes! As each of the tribes was associated with a jewel and a constellation, so each was also associated with one of the twelve members of the pantheon of the gods, or their tanist spouse, in the days before monotheism. Someone had to get the dung-goddess, who is the wife of the Underworld God, who was She'ol or Sha'ul amongst other of the tribes who formed the Yisra-Elite confederacy, and later Ba'al-Zevuv, the Lord of the Flies - well, what do you expect, where there is dung there will be flies.



Copyright © 2019 David Prashker 
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The Argaman Press


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