E 0426          ( TO )  HATE

The verb " to hate " is of Germanic origin .

H 0459            ה ת ח ,

H 0459            ת ת ח , ת ח

Concept of root :  persecution

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ה ת ח ;

ת ח;

ת ת ח

-

ghatà;

ghat;

ghatat

-

to abhor;

terror, fear;

to be abased, frightened, broken

Related English words

to hate

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

ה ת ח ;

ת ח;

ת ת ח ;

ghatà; ghat; ghatat

to abhor; terror, fear; be abased, frightened, broken

gh . t

Old Saxon

haton;

hettian

-

to hate;

to persecute

-

h . t

English

to hate

to hate

h . t

Dutch

haten

haten

to hate

h . t

German

hassen

hassen

to hate

h . t

Norwegian

hate

hate

to hate

h . t

Middle Dutch

hate

hate

enmity, rancour,

persecution

h . t

 

 

Proto-Semitic *GHAT --- *HĀT- Indo-European

 

 

 

Hatred is a wide-spread feeling, in our times a real scourge for humanity, so often guided by hatred. And where it settles in human minds, it produces anger. Combined with power, persecution frequently ensues. This persecution creates terror and fear in the targeted people. Therefore words that mean "hatred", often may express as well those other three concepts: anger, persecution, fear.

 

Hebrew in this entry and in the related E 0425 (Hebrew 0412), to which we refer, shows such words. They are "hot, hatat" and "ghat, ghatat". One sees the use of the vowels "O" and "A". In Indo-European we also find "O" and "A", in respectively Latin "odium = hatred" and English "to hate". Many scholars see a common origin "*od-" for these two words, but we consider this doubtful.
The original meaning of the Germanic words, English "to hate" and its sisters, seems to have been that of persecution. The Hebrew root of this entry gives some characteristic results of persecution, on the side of the haunted person. Another quite different Hebrew root links "hatred" to "enemy", in the words "ש נ א , sané = to hate" and "ש ו נ א, soné = enemy". In Middle Dutch we can still find both sides of the, ugly, medal. There need not be much doubt about the common origin of the Germanic and Hebrew roots.

 

We again refer to entry E 0425 (Hebrew 0412) , "hot, hatat" . Very probably both roots, one beginning with "H" and one with the stronger, strengthened or emphasized version, the consonant "GH" have a common origin. Or rather "ghatat" comes after "hatat". Both move along the path of terror, but the messages of "ghatat" are perhaps a step further on that road.

 

Sometimes to the verb "hatat" is given a more "soft" translation, like "to rush upon, fall upon", but in the context of Ps. 62:4 the concept of continuity is evident, so that the most appropriate translation remains "to persecute".

 

 

Note:
  • Hebrew has also a couple of other roots that begin with "GH T" and talk about violent action. "GH T P" says "to rob", "GH T R = to break in", "GH T H = to demolish". This confirms the possibility of an original double meaning, active and passive, of "GH T" that in the passive meaning has become "GH T T".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. This root is seen in Akkadian "ghattu = terror" and Ugaritic and may well have been used in Proto-Semitic, but the indications are rather few for a hypothesis that yet may be quite realistic for a Proto-Semitic "*ח ת ת , GH T T" and then of course also an earlier "*ח ת , GH T".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. There is a hypothesis "*GH A T-". This looks attractive if we see also in Hebrew an initial "GH". But there is a sister word in Hebrew that has an initial "H", seen in entry E 0425 (Hebrew 0412) . This indicates a possible diversification, through which the words with "H" remain with an active meaning and the words with "GH" a passive meaning, that of undergoing the action and the resulting feelings.

     

    Anyhow all Germanic words, from Gothic "hatis, hatjan" and Old Norse "hatr" have an initial "H", that in the basic verb is followed by a vowel "Ā". In complex verbs as Old Saxon "hettian" and nominal forms as Old English "hete" besides "hatian" a vowel "E" may appear. The second consonant is nearly always "T". A rather common exception lies in German "hassen" and its predecessor "hazzen". Therefore Proto-Germanic probably had "*H Ā T-"

     

    In Old Norse there is a word that is sometimes considered related: "atal = unpleasant, disturbing, horrbile, troublesome". The meanings are too far off though and do not comprehend "hateful". Also Old English "atol, though carrying among its many messages also "terrible" and perhaps "horror", seems of different origin with its range : "dire, terrible, ugly, deformed, repulsive, unchaste".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European There are just a few interesting further indications.

     

    Armenian "ateam = I hate" seems to have abolished the "H" of an older ""*hateam". "To hate" is then linked to "enemy" in ateli = full of hate, hostile".

     

    Hittite with the word "hatuka = terrible, fearful" seems to be related.

     

    Greek has a word "οδωδυσται, ododustai = to get irritated, to be galled, to hate". This verb has the initial "OD-" doubled in a rather common Greek praxis. It is to be seen as related to Latin "odium = hatred, (strong) dislike".

     

     

    Indo European. It has been tried to link together English "to hate" and Latin "odium" and to consider in "*OD-" a common origin. This is not impossible, as the ways of languages can be complicated, but it remains improbable. Indo-European more probably had two independent forms: "*H Ā T-" for a concept of "to hate" linked with "terror, violence" and "*O D-" for a concept of "hate" linked with "rage, dislike".

 

 

 
"...the town, to which was given the name Babel, because it was there that the Lord confused the language of all the world on the face of which He dispersed them. GENESIS 11,9"
 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 28/10/2012 at 11.41.49