أبابيل

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See also: ابابیل

Arabic

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Etymology

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Natively derived from ء ب ل (ʔ-b-l) pertaining to great bundles or collections, by extension camel herding and in general flocks, bevies, and droves. The plural pattern فَعَاعِيل (faʕāʕīl) is rare, but attested in other examples such as دَنَانِير (danānīr) and عَبَابِيد (ʕabābīd). Associated connotations of putting into commotion as well as scattered or disunited separate groups or waves connects it also to ب ل ب ل (b-l-b-l).

Adjective

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أَبَابِيل (ʔabābīl) (plural only, hapax)

  1. The meaning of this term is uncertain. Possibilities include:
    • 609–632 CE, Qur'an, 105:3-4:
      وَأَرْسَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ طَيْرًا أَبَابِيلَ / تَرْمِيهِمْ بِحِجَارَةٍ مِنْ سِجِّيلٍ
      waʔarsala ʕalayhim ṭayran ʔabābīla / tarmīhim biḥijāratin min sijjīlin
      And He sent upon them birds in flocks; afflicting them with stones of hardness (baked clay)
    1. successive, in waves, in droves, flock after flock
    2. many, numerous
    3. flocks, companies, divisions
    4. as a myriad of Babylonians (numerous, destructive, agents of divine retribution)

References

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  1. ^ Leonid Kogan, Alexander Militarev (2004) “New Etymologies for Common Semitic Animal Names”, in Werner Vycichl and Gábor Takács, editors, Egyptian and Semito-Hamitic (Afro-Asiatic) Studies: In Memoriam W. Vycichl, Brill, pages 148–149
  2. ^ Daniel Beck (2018), page 9, Anti-Sasanian_Apocalypse_And_The_Early_Qurān_Why_Muḥammad_Began_His_Career_As_A_Prophet_Who_Genuinely_Prophesied.
  3. ^ Marijn van Putten (2019), tweet, https://twitter.com/PhDniX/status/1080930784482074625.