The conclusion to which we are thus led
is that Gish-bil(or b?l)-ga-mesh is a play upon the genuine name,
to convey to those to whom the real name, as that of a foreigner,
would suggest no meaning an interpretation _fitting in with his
character_. In other words, Gish-bil-ga-mesh is a "Sumerianized"
form of the name, introduced into the Sumerian version of the tale
which became a folk-possession in the Euphrates Valley. Such plays
upon names to suggest the character of an individual or some incident
are familiar to us from the narratives in Genesis. [58] They do not
constitute genuine etymologies and are rarely of use in leading to a
correct etymology. Reuben, e.g., certainly does not mean "Yahweh has
seen my affliction," which the mother is supposed to have exclaimed
at the birth (Genesis 29, 32), with a play upon _ben_ and _be'onyi_,
any more than Judah means "I praise Yahweh" (v. 35), though it does
contain the divine name (_Ye_h?) as an element. The play on the
name may be close or remote, as long as it fulfills its function of
_suggesting_ an etymology that is complimentary or appropriate.
In this way, an artificial division and at the same time a
distortion of a foreign name like Gilgamesh into several elements,
Gish-bil-ga-mesh, is no more violent than, for example, the explanation
of Issachar or rather Issaschar as "God has given my hire" (Genesis
30, 18) with a play upon the element _se_char, and as though the
name were to be divided into _Yah_ ("God") and _se_char ("hire");
or the popular name of Alexander among the Arabs as _Zu'l Karnaini_,
"the possessor of the two horns.
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