Do
you know of any written references to a form of writing known as Noahic
Script?
I
am afraid I have never heard of “Noahic Script” and I have
no idea what that would mean. The Bible teaches that Hebrew was the original
language and even before Jewish history begins with Genesis 12, all names
are Hebraic names and all word plays are Hebrew word plays. Noah’s
language would have been Hebrew and he would have written in Hebrew.
There is a difference between ancient Hebrew script and what is now referred to as modem Hebrew script because what is not called Hebrew is actually Aramaic script. Biblical Hebrew script was quite different, but the Jews adopted the Aramaic script during the Babylonian Captivity and used it to write the Hebrew language in the same way that the Latin alphabet is used to write English, French, Spanish, and other languages. Copies of the original Hebrew script are found in most Hebrew grammars. While the script changed with the Babylonian Captivity, the Hebrew language itself is the same and I do not know of anything that is distinctive and called Noahic Script that is different from the original Hebrew script.
I’m
studying biblical Hebrew and Greek and wonder if you could give me some
tips on understanding the Hebrew “roots,” in particular. For example,
what is an “unused” root?
As
far as a study on Hebrew roots is concerned, probably the best work available
in English right now is entitled, The Theological Word Book of the
Old Testament. However, it is very hard to properly study Hebrew
roots unless you know a bit of the Hebrew language and how to look up
specific words.
What is meant by “unused” root is that though the root of the word has a specific meaning, you will not find that root meaning in literature. Only its derived meanings will be found. Knowing the root meaning of a word, then, is only the first step. The root meaning of a word may be exactly as it says, but that root may not even be used in biblical literature. Only derived meanings might be used, and, therefore, you must learn to distinguish between the root meaning and its derived meanings.
For example, the root meaning of the Greek word parazeilao is “to boil, to seethe, to flame, to make red hot.” This root meaning, however, is never found in the New Testament. But its three derived meanings are “to be envious,” “to be jealous,” and, “to be zealous.” Thus, in Romans 11:11-14 parazeilao is translated in its derived meaning – “to provoke to jealousy.” Getting at the root of the word will help to expand its meaning, but the final issue really is: How is the word used?