Ashkenaz

🏷  Bible name Semitic hidden ruler pun · name   —   by Gerry · Mar 2019 · 445 words

The Biblical name Ashkenaz, written אשכנז ˀš-knz, may be a pun with איש גנז ˀyš-gnz ish ganaz, which can mean “hidden lord” or “man of finance”. The root gnz / knz has the basic meanings of “hidden” & “finance”, and ˀyš can mean “man” & “lord”, so we have a “hidden ruler” pun. That’s probably why many spooks call themselves Ashkenazi after this relatively minor character.

ˀyš as “man” & “lord”

Most analyses interpret Ashkenaz אשכנז ˀšknz as a compound word, with the word break before the K as אש-כנז ˀš-knz, and I would agree so far. But most sources then interpret the first part ˀš as “fire”. I don’t think that’s the spook meaning. The spook aristocrats are obsessed about themselves, so the preferred meaning of the first part would be איש ˀyš ish as “man” or “person”.

Much like the word baal, the word ish can be used in everyday language, but can also denote a special high standing: both words mean “husband”, for example. It’s also a bit like English lord, where not everyone greeted as milord is a literal aristocrat.

Hebrew, Aramaic ˀyš = man, person, lord

איש ˀyš : man, he, him, husband, mankind — Old Hebrew (Strong)

איש ˀyš : person, someone, anyone — Aramaic (CAL)

איש ˀyš : being, man; husband; lord — Hebrew (Jastrow)

knz, gnz as “hidden” or “treasure”

The term gnz or knz or kns for “treasure” or “collecting” can be found in the Bible, but only with inconsistent spellings and derived meanings. It may thus originate in other languages, perhaps Persian or unknown older ones.

Many more derivations are attested for Aramaic, where the spelling varies between knz and gnz. Here, the “treasure” meaning seems derived from being “hidden” or acting in “secret”. The vocabulary reads like a list of all things spooky.

Hebrew gnz, kns = treasury, wrapped up

גנז gnz : treasury, perhaps chests — Old Hebrew (Strong)

גנזך gnzk : treasury, storehouses — Old Hebrew (Strong)

כנס kns : to gather, collect, wrap — Old Hebrew (Strong)

מכנס mkns : an undergarment — Old Hebrew (Strong)

Aramaic knz, gnz = treasury, hidden, concealed

כנז knz : to hide something; to hide; to mislead — Aramaic (CAL)

כניזה knyzh : treasure; secret plan — Aramaic (CAL)

גנז gnz : treasure, library or book of sacred literature, hidden place, as an adverb: much — Aramaic (CAL)

גנז gnz : to hide, to have hidden, to become hidden — Aramaic (CAL)

גניז gnyz : hidden, concealed, unknown — Aramaic (CAL)

גניזו gnyzw : hiding; secret nature — Aramaic (CAL)

גנזי gnzy : treasurer — Aramaic (CAL)

גנזור gnzwr : treasury guard; an ecclesiastical rank; guard of the treasury — Aramaic (CAL)

Since pretty much the entire Aramaic vocabulary list for gnz is spooky, I’d guess that “hidden person” or “finance person” is the spook meaning of the name Ashkenaz.

🏷  Bible name Semitic hidden ruler pun · name