A Comparative Lexical Study of Qur?anic Arabic

DIACHRONIC SEMANTIC OBSERVATIONS 541
Ixxviii. Arab, malaka (cf. also Ge.) - 4: 3 "... but if ye fear that
ye shall not be able to deal justly (with them), then only one [woman],
or (a captive) that your right hands possess.": ESA, NWS, Ug.,
Akk.: Arab, and Ge. retained the original sense 'to possess', 73 although
they were not immune from North Semitic influences which were
responsible for the development of the sense 'to rule' and the forms
derived therefrom meaning 'king, kingdom, dominion', etc. 74 According
to Zimmern, however, the sense 'to rule' originated in Akkadian and
spread over to NWS and Arab., giving rise to denominative forms,
including Arab, and Ge. 'to possess'. 75
Ixxix. Arab, yanbu (cf. also ESA, Syr., Aram., Heb., Akk.) - 17:
90 ". . . until thou cause a spring to gush forth for us from the
earth.": Ge. 3 anbe c a: Here, the Common Semitic primary sense 'to
flow (water)' became restricted to 'the flowing of tears'.
Ixxx. Arab, nasaha (cf. also Ge., ESA) - 7: 79 "... I gave you
good counsel, but ye love not good counsellors."; 9: 91 "... or who
find no resources to spend (on the Cause), if they are sincere (in
duty) to Allah and His Messenger. . . .": NWS: The basic sense
retained in Arab, and SS 'to be clean, pure; sincere, faithful; give
counsel' became specialized in NWS meaning 'to be distinguished,
pre-eminent > conquer'.
Ixxxi. Arab, nafaha (Ge., Syr., Aram., Heb., Ug., Akk.) - 32: 9
"But He fashioned him in due proportion, and breathed into him
something of His spirit.": ESA mnfht: The Common Semitic primary
sense 'to blow, breathe' in ESA became specialized and restricted
to 'pumping (water)'. 76
Ixxxii. Arab, nafara (cf. also Syr., Ug.) - 9: 122 "Nor should the
Believers all go forth together: if a contingent from every expedition
remained behind. . . .": Ge. nafara: CDG suggests the semantic
development 'to jump, fly > to boil, bubble'. 77
73 Lane 3023.
74 See CDG 344 and AHw 594.
75 1917: 7.
/b The roots NFH/H are definitely closely related.
" 1987: 389. Brockelmann (1908: 595) connects Arab, nafara with Ge. wafara ('rus
ire, in agros exire, excurrere').