Number 8
The number 8, when written as תמן tmn puns with טמן ṭmn meaning “hidden”.
Semitic eight
The 8 is not a very straightforward pun. The main problem of finding the right pun-connection is that in the Semitic languages (and Egyptian), the spelling & pronunciation of “eight” starts with a different fricative in each case: š, t, θ, s, ḫ.
- Hebrew: שמונה — šemōnā
- Aramaic: ܬ݁ܡܳܢܶܐ — tmānyā
- Arabic: ثَمَانِيَة — θamāniyat
- Akkadian: 𒐆 — samānat
- Egyptian: 𓐍𓏠𓈖𓐁 — ḫemen
So, while searching for our pun, we may chose more or less freely among these fricatives, and even others. My pun-choice here is Aramaic-Arabic tmn, which makes the number 8 pun with ṭmn meaning “hidden”.
Aramaic tmn for “eight”, ṭmn for “hidden”.
If we accept the fact that the pun works mostly in Aramaic, and not so well in Hebrew, then it is straightforward:
Aramaic tmn = eight
Hebrew, Aramaic ṭmn = hidden
טמן ṭmn : to hide, to conceal, to store; to have hidden, to cache — Aramaic (CAL)
מטמון mṭmwn : hidden treasure — Aramaic (CAL)
טמן ṭmn : to hide, store away, preserve; to be hidden, hide one’s self, to be stored up; hide, keep; to hide one’s self, lie in wait — Hebrew (Jastrow)
טמן ṭmn : to hide, conceal; hidden, concealed, buried; Aramaic-Syriac טְמַר (= he hid under the earth, covered with earth), whence prob. Arabic ṭamara (= he buried, covered with earth), Akkadian ṭamāru (= to cover with earth). — Hebrew (Klein)