E 0088          BEHOOVE

The word " behoove " is of Germanic origin .

H 0460         ב ו ח

Concept of root : to must

Hebrew word

pronunciation

English meanings

ב ו ח

ghov

to owe, must

Related English words

behoove

Comparison between European words and Hebrew

Languages

Words

Pronunciation

English meanings

Similarity in roots

Hebrew

 ב ו ח

ghov

to owe, must

gh . v

Middle Dutch

(be)hoven, (be)hoeven

(be)hoven, (be)huven

to must, need, behoove

h . v

Old English

behofian

to require, need, must

h . f

English

behoove

to behoove

h . v

Swedish

behöva ; hövas

behöva ; hövas

to must;

to befit

h . v

 

 

Hebrew GHOV < Proto-Semitic *GHOB/V --- *HOV- Proto-Germanic

 

 

The Hebrew word is especially , but not exclusively, used for economic obligations, such as financial debts. Originally it also covers the field of guilt. This is the same way of cultural thinking we find in Germanic languages, where the same word, such as German "Schuld, shuld" and Dutch "schuld, sghәlt" are used for "guilt" as well as "debt". In old thinking the not paying of a debt was also considered everywhere in Europe a penal offence and punished with imprisonment. And in Hebrew a "GHOV" stood for guilt of debt , combined like in Germanic.

 

Note:
  • Proto-Semitic. This root is seen in Aramaic and Syriac "ח ו ב , GH W B, to be guilty ". Perhaps there is the same root in Arabic "ghaba= to be unsuccesful, fail". The basis for a hypothesis is narrow, but Proto-Semitic may have used the root "*ח ו ב , GH W B" .

     

    Regarding the pronunciation of the final consonant there is a question mark. We see in Hebrew only " V ", in many derivated words. But the perhaps related words Arabic "ghaub = sin " have a final " B ". This must have been present in Proto-Semitic, but an early change into " V " as found in the North West, can not be fully excluded. The odd thing remains anyhow that we see a similarirty between Hebrew and Germanic that may be or not present between Germanic and Proto-Semitic.

 

Note:
  • English "to behoove" has shifted away towards its actual meaning of "as one should do". And be-" is a prefix, that was already found in Old English " behofian " that meant " to require " as well as " to need " and " to have to, must ".

 

Note:
  • Dutch in modern language has accentuated the aspect of need and necessity, whereas that of obligation is limited to negative use : "dat hoeft niet" says "that is not obligatory".

 

Note:
  • North-Germanic. Some Nordic sister words of "behoove" have developed their message in the same way as English "behoove". Swedish "hövas" which is a passive verb, stands for "to befit, to be becoming, proper, seemly, fit". But "behöva" is "to need, to must".

 

Note:
  • Proto-Germanic. The basic form "H O V", that in Nordic developed also into "H Ö V" and in Middle Dutch into "H OE V(huv)", has ceded its place to the complex verb, that is a verb with a prefix : "BEH O V". It is quite probable, but not certain that such a development had begun in Proto-Germanic that thus had "*H O V-" and "*BEH O V-".

 

Note:
  • Indo-European. Indications from other Indo-European groups of languages for cognates lack. The comparison remains between Semitic and Germanic.

 

 

 

 
Created: Tuesday 6 November 2007 at 22.30.54 Updated: 24/01/2013 at 16.28.17