Page 188 - Foundations

Each image, such as the ox head of the Aleph bore a meaning associated with the image. For example,
Benner suggests that the ox represented strength, power, or a leader. When a person was combining
letters they were actually combining the thoughts or ideas associated with the letters, in order to form
a word. The word for shepherd was formed by combining the letter resh which resembled the image
of a man’s head, with the letter ayin that looked like a man’s eye. Since a shepherd is someone who
“watches” over the flock, the image of a man and an eye conveyed the idea of a man watching.

Shepherd Written in Paleo-Hebrew
(Hebrew is read from right to left)

I read several of Jeff Benner’s books, and I believe his underlying thesis regarding the origin of the
Hebrew language is correct. I believe each letter in the Paleo-Hebrew alphabet is a picture that
conveys a meaning. By combining pictures a person forms more complex thoughts which become
words. Putting words together allows for very complex ideas to be conveyed through written or oral
speech.

What Frances Rolleston seems to be suggesting is that specific sounds in man’s original language
were linked to ideas. This concept fits very well with Jeff Benner’s premise. As an example, the letter
ayin which is written as an image of a human eye is pronounced “ah.” Jeff Benner suggests that it
conveys an idea of watchfulness. If Yahweh instilled in the first man an innate knowledge of a
primeval alphabet and speech, linking sounds with thoughts, then one can well imagine the process
Adam went through when Yahweh brought all the animals before him to see what the man would call
them.

Perhaps Adam studied each animal and observed characteristics of it. In a lion he might observe that
it was swift and strong, or graceful and glorious, and combined sounds together that conveyed those
ideas to form the name of the animal. I have no problem envisioning such a scenario occurring. I am
not convinced, however, that Hebrew was man’s first language. I am also unable to substantiate Miss
Rolleston’s suggestion that at the tower of Babel, when God confused the languages of man, that the
words and roots of words were not changed, that only the pronunciation was changed.

To clarify what Miss Rolleston seems to be suggesting, consider that the Hebrew letter ayin signifies
watchfulness and is produced “ah.” According to her theory, or belief, all that changed at Babel was
the pronunciation. Instead of saying “ah” one man might say “eesh,” and another “oke.” They would
retain the same basic building blocks of vocabulary, but they would no longer be able to understand
one another.

I am reminded of when I returned to Georgia when I was around fifteen years of age after having
spent the previous 14 years in Oregon in America’s Pacific Northwest. People in the Southern states
such as Georgia are renowned for their accented speech. It is at times difficult for someone from a
Northern state to understand the speech of someone in the South, even though they are speaking the
same words. The pronunciation has changed.