From the Nile to the Euphrates / מִנְּהַר מִצְרַיִם עַד הַנָּהָר הַגָּדֹל נְהַר פְּרָת

Study of vocabulary from the book Genesis verse 15.18

15.18 בְּרֵאשִׁית
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כָּרַת יְהוָה אֶת אַבְרָם בְּרִית לֵאמֹר לְזַרְעֲךָ נָתַתִּי אֶת הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת מִנְּהַר מִצְרַיִם עַד הַנָּהָר הַגָּדֹל נְהַר פְּרָת
In this day the Eternal made a covenant with Abram, saying : "Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates".

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Syntax


בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא arabic بِيومَ هوَ : adverbial clause of time, strictly same arabic vocabulary.
- בַּ ba or بِ bi : preposition, archetyp of the Acces with meaning of introducing, or bringing, something;
- יּוֹם yom or يوم yum, day : noun singular masculine;
- הַ ha or هذا ha-Dhaa : singular masculine demonstrative pronoun;
- הוּא hua or هوَ hua : 3rd masculine singular pronoun

כָּרַת יְהוָה אֶת אַבְרָם בְּרִית it is a verbal sentence, beginning with the verb. Let's analyze the vocabulary here.

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Morphosemantic


כָּרַת kaarat or كارَت and root כרת or كرت : according to arabic morphology, the pattern used is form IV, which indicates a face to face, which involves 2 parties.
The hebrew traditional meaning for this verb is to cut off. With this form IV, we have the concept of a contract in which each party takes its part.

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Etymology

כרת or كرت and its etyma כר or كر KR, which brings the meaning of a Repetition, duplication. The K is the archetyp of the Similarity, and the R the Tension, here with the meaning of a feedback.

26.102 الشعراء
فَلَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةًۭ فَنَكُونَ مِنَ ٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ
Then if we only had a return [to the world] and could be of the believers... "

We find in hebrew כֹּר with meaning of a measure, carrying the meaning of duplication.

45.14 יְחֶזְקֵאל
וְחֹק הַשֶּׁמֶן הַבַּת הַשֶּׁמֶן מַעְשַׂר הַבַּת מִן הַכֹּר עֲשֶׂרֶת הַבַּתִּים חֹמֶר כִּי עֲשֶׂרֶת הַבַּתִּים חֹמֶר
and the set portion of oil, the bath of oil, shall be the tithe of the bath out of the cor, which is ten baths, even a homer; for ten baths are a homer;

The final ת or ت t, when ending a root takes the meaning of something that is stopped, closed, a cycle completed, like in Shabbat (cease of an activity) or Mat (death).

There is no verb كرت in arabic, but كرى karaa with closed meaning to hire, a contract as well.
For the root كرت we find the word كَرِيتٌ coming supposedly as qualifying, but probably a derivation for the root كرى as due date.

Study of vocabulary from the book Genesis verse 15.18

15.18 בְּרֵאשִׁית
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא כָּרַת יְהוָה אֶת אַבְרָם בְּרִית לֵאמֹר לְזַרְעֲךָ נָתַתִּי אֶת הָאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת מִנְּהַר מִצְרַיִם עַד הַנָּהָר הַגָּדֹל נְהַר פְּרָת
In this day the Eternal made a covenant with Abram, saying : "Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates".

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Syntax



כָּרַת יְהוָה אֶת אַבְרָם בְּרִית it is a verbal sentence:
- כָּרַת יְהוָה or كارَت يهوه : transitive verb followed by its doers 3rd person masculine singular;
- אֶת אַבְרָם or إِت أَبرام : particle אֶת pointing to אַבְרָם the noun (here a proper noun) which will receive the action of the verb;
- בְּרִית or برِيت : object of the verb, feminine singular noun.

The particle אֶת carries the meaning of the arabic particle إِلى toward or to but with a reflexive meaning due to the אֶת.

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Morphosemantic


We saw previously its meaning of כָּרַת; follow the link for יְהוָה (article in french);  follow the link for אַבְרָם (article in french).

Let's analyse this word בְּרִית or برِيت.
The final ת or ت indicates the feminine gender, and so, considered as an object, something without intelligence. Thus the root should be ברי or ברא and ברה or ברו, in arabic بري or برى or برو, since the consonnant י is sister with the ו and the א which is also in some case the ה.
Again, arabic could give precision, semantical one and morphological one:

- ברה or برى and برو, yes, the ה play the role of a long A when ending a root. The hebrew lexicography associates ברה with ברי and like in arabic برى and برو it's about a cutting, but the arabic meaning seems to follow the hebrew tradition, this one coming from the meaning of the בְּרִית מִילָה brit milah, concept linked to the circumcision, cutting the foreskin ? But there is a strong anomaly here, showing that the meaning of the word is a late interpretation. It's clear enought the verse 15.18 is not about a circumcision, not now, but later on in the Torah.

- ברא or برء, yes, the hebrew א is the arabic ء and not a long A. This verb is used in genesis 1.1 and translated-interpretated by the early grec and christian by create. If it's about creation, it's the one done by a separation, a removal as explained in arabic. Thus, we still don't have the meaning expressed in the verse 15.18.

Then we have to come back to the root ברה and ברי in arabic برى and برو. These words indicates a diminution, a withdrawal of something, what still does not make sense in the context of verse 15.18.
The arabic برى or برو gives also as meaning to pare and then it's not anymore a diminution, but an increase. The meaning could fit with the verse 15.18.

Now we could see if the meaning fits with the archetyps found in the word ברי.

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Etymology

First, we said the ى long A and و Wa, and ي Y are sisters, and indicates each one the stage in a time, the A performed and Past, the Y active and Present, and the W passive and Potentiality (conditional and futur).

برى or برو associated with بري so ברי.
بري and ברי indicates an activity, thus something maintained through time, something endless.

The etyma (archaic root) could be بر so בר or ري so רי :
- بر or בר : to transit, to transmit, to cross;
- ري or רי : we have the root روى which is related to water, but also to be restored, pleased, back in a good state, and interesting, to keep in mind, to recite by heart, which fits with the verse 15.18.


The archetyps found in ברי or بري :
- ב or ب : the Acces, and used as particle expressing the means;
- ר or ر : the Tension, and used to express the feedback;
- י or ي : the Eternal Present, active mood, the maintaining.

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Conclusion


What was the contract between Allah and Abram? (Abram was previously the name of Abraham). Is בְּרִית an object we recieve, or a duty ?
- בְּרִית carrying the meaning found in etyma BR, it's about transmission, tradition, through generations;
- בְּרִית carrying etyma RA (and RY), it's about something to keep in mind, by heart.

53.37 النجم
وَإِبْرَاهِيمَ الَّذِي وَفَّى
And [of] Abraham, who fulfilled [his obligations],