^. 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 : Kal rives {(TTopovai Awpov rbv nocctSwi/os olKLorrrjv avTrj<s ycyovcvat. 

 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 *y\*^ , " circle" or " ball". The Hebrew nouns 



and verb are doubtless connected with the Arabic verb J*> , to 

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



G -- 



derived the Arabic noun Jj "house", "group of buildings around 



a court ", related to \^0 " 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 *)11 



and ^li*! and to the Arabic >t4>, ^l4> 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 walP. A common Semitic root ^1*1 with the idea of 



^ Steph. Byz. s.v. Awpof ; Miiller, Fragm. hist, graec. VI, 363. 



^ So Schtir., loc. cit.; Guer., Sam. 2:310. 



2 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 3, pp. 27, 28 ; 

 Delitzsch, Handworterbuch. 



® Muss-Arnolt, Diet, of Assyr. Lang.; Delitzsch; Handworterbuch ; C.O.T. 

 on Dan. 3: 1 ; ibid. II, 224 ; Clay, Amiirru, 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 J^*)^*^ ('o? , I'®?), 

 frora")?)*Ty, "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. 



