History of Dor. 19 



the cities with the nimbus of ancient Greek origin. The name Dor 

 is accounted for by this word-play method. Claudius lolaus' 

 declares : Kai rives toro/aovcrt S.wpov tov Iloo-etSwj/os oIkktttjv avrrj^ yeyovevat. 

 Evidently this is mere legend, invented to explain the name, and 

 has no basis beyond verbal similarity\ 



The Hebrew 111 means ordinarily "period", "generation'". 

 In the verse Isaiah 38:12, however, it is translated "dwelling", or 

 "habitation"*. In Ps. 84:11 the corresponding verb 1)1 signifies 

 "to dwell". The Hebrew noun is evidently related to that 

 other Hebrew noun 1)1 , "circle" or "ball". The Hebrew nouns 



and verb are doubtless connected with the Arabic verb >1^ , to 

 "move in a circle", "go about", "surround". From this root is 



derived the Arabic noun Jk> "house", "group of buildings around 



a court ", related to xjO " circle ", " circuit ". 



The Assyrian sign for Du-ru is borrowed from the Sumerian, 

 where it is given the value BAD\ Du-ru signifies "wall" or 

 "fence", and then "rampart" or a "place or fortress surrounded 

 with a rampart " \ It is a common and early Babylonian place 

 name'. Apparently the name Du-ru is related to the Hebrew "ITH 



and "ill and to the Arabic Ji>, ^lt> and ^^^^ '• In all these forms 

 there is the idea of something round, a circle, hence in the case of 

 the nouns, a court, or a surrounding wall, a fortress or place sur- 

 rounded by a w^air. A common Semitic root "111 with the idea of 



' Steph. Byz. s.v. Mjpoq ; MiiUer, Fragm. hist, graec. VI, 363. 



' So Schur., lac. cit.; Guer., Sam. 2:310. 



^ Brown, Driver and Briggs, Heb. Lex., s.v. 



* Ibid.; Marti on the passage. 



^ Strassmeier, Assyr. und Akkad. Worter of Cun. Inscr. of West. Asia, 

 vol. II, no. 2107; Ungnad in Beitr. z. Assyr., vol. VI, Heft 8, pp. 27, 28; 

 Delitzsch, Handworterbuch . 



^ Muss-Arnolt, Diet, of Assyr. Lang.; Delitzsch, Handworterbueh ; C.O.T. 

 on Dan. 3: 1 ; ibid. II, 224 ; Clay, Amurru, p. 130. 



* C.O.T. on Dan. 3: 1 ; Marti on Dan. 3:1. 



* In the Aramaic of the Talmud, etc., we have the form }<*l?lT (»=>? , 1'=?), 

 from")')':], "to dwell" with the meaning "village" or "town". This 

 word likewise has the idea of something round (Levy, Neuhebr. Worter- 

 buch) and goes back to the same root as these other forms. 



' From the idea of a surrounding wall comes the meaning " court" and 

 then " dwelling ", as in the Hebrew. 



