The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon

ˀb, ˀbˀ (ˀeḇ, ˀebbā) n.m. fruit

pl. also ܐܒܒ̈ܢܐ

1 fruit (of specific trees and vines) Com. TAD C1.1(Ahiqar) .101 : מה טב שג[י]א כביך֗[ ל]פ֗גע ב[א]ביך what great good are your thorns against one who touches your fruit?. SyrAhiq 2 40:15 : ܐܝܟ ܠܘܙܐ ܕܠܘܩܕܡ ܥܦܐ܂ ܘܠܚܪܬܐ ܐܒܗ ܡܬܐܟܠ like the almond, which blooms first and in the end its fruit is edible. Kays 186:5 : ܐܒܒ̈ܢܐ ܡܫܚܠ̈ܦܐ ܘܣܿܓܝ̈ܐܝܝ ܛܥܡ̈ܬܐ ܘܪ̈ܝܼܚܬܵܢܐ ܘܓܘܢ̈ܢܐ various kinds of fruits of many tastes and smells and colors. P Dt33:14 : ܐܒܐ ܕܥ̈ܠܠܬܐ ܕܫܡܫܐ . P 2K18:32 ; . BT Ḥul 67b(8) : הא דאתלע באביה הא דלא אתלע באביה this is where it became wormy when it was fruit, that to where it did not become when it was fruit. (a) of trees in general Com. TgO Gen4:3 : אֵיתִי קַיִן מֵיאִבָא דְאַרעָא Cain brought from the fruit of the land. (b) grapes JLAtg. TgJ Is37:30 : צוּבוּ כַרמִין וַאְכוּלוּ אִיבְהוֹן plant vineyards and eat their fruit.

2 produce in general Com. Pallad 619:4 (quot. STS 1a) : ܦܐܪ̈ܐ ܕܐܒܐ the fruits of the (season's) crop. P Dt33:14 : ܡܢ ܐܒܐ ܕܥ̈ܠܠܬܐ ܕܫܡܫܐ܂ ܘܡܢ ܐܒܐ ܕܡܘܥܐ ܣܗܪܐ܂ from the 'fruit' of the produce of the sun, and from the 'fruit' of the going forth of the moon. (a) In particular in the biblical expression 'fruit of the land' JLAtg, PTA, LJLA. TgO Num13:26 : וְאַחזִיאוּנוּן יָת אִיבָא דְאַרעָא they showed them the fruit of the land.

The forms without nun are not particularly Palestinian! Forms with nun are in Biblical Aramaic and Qumran (and Mandaic, of course), without nun in JLA. LJLA has both, but the evidence suggests an original attempt in that dialect to distinguish between the two, where nun-minus forms are meaning 1, those with nun meaning 2. Also note that this word is used exclusively in the targumic tradition for the literal meaning of ”fruit.” Where the biblical text uses פרי in figurative senses such as “produce, offspring, results” and the like, the parallel targums regularly use other terms, in particular the cognate פירי.

In Syriac there is a great confusion in the texts between the three homographic vars. of the near-homonymous forms ˀb ( ˀbb), ˀb (ˀnb) and ˀb (hbb) !! See, for example, EphPar> 5:6.3.

For the probable connection with עֵנָב via Akkadian inbu see AIOA p. 58.

Page refs. in other dictionaries: LS2: 1[1]; DJBA: 73a; Jastrow: 44; Drower/Macuch: 340a; Payne-Smith: 6; J. Payne-Smith: 2; Levy Ch-W: 1:2; Tal Sam: 2; DNWSI: 3;

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