The origins of the word “Torah”

Before I analyze the etymology of the word Torah, which in the common dictionary meaning is said to come from the Proto-Semitic for “teach” or “instruct” and sometimes, “the law,” I would like to direct anyone interested to an excellent book that will add to everyone’s historical understanding and chronological spacial reasoning:

Book Recommendation

Anthony, David (2007) The Horse, the Wheel, and Language: How Bronze-Age Riders from the Eurasian Steppes Shaped the Modern World, Princeton University Press, →ISBN, page 147

The word for the Torah comes from the same root as the word for Tauron, or Bull, in Canaan and Proto-Semitic *tawr- for bull or ox.

Interestingly, it appears as one of the earliest words in the Proto-Indo-European also, so this is likely one of those words which both languages retained from the predecessor language that they possibly both evolved from.

It would make sense. The Age of Taurus would have begun in the Great Precession of the Equinoxes around 4300 BCE, so a very long time ago.

Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/táwros

Etymology

Borrowed from or into Proto-Semitic *ṯawr- (“bull, ox”), or both originated from a common unknown source. (The unconditioned /a/ suggests a non-Indo-European etymon.)

Noun

*táwros m^[1]^[2]^[3]

wild bull, aurochs

Inflection

Thematic
	singular
nominative	*táwros
genitive	*táwrosyo

Descendants

Proto-Albanian: *taura (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Balto-Slavic: *taurás (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Germanic: *steuraz, *þeuraz (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Celtic: *tarwos (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Hellenic: *táuros (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Indo-Iranian: *stáwras (see there for further descendants)
Proto-Italic: *tauros (see there for further descendants)
- Lusitanian: taurom

Reconstruction:Proto-Semitic/ṯawr-

Etymology

Compare Proto-Indo-European *táwros; may be borrowed from or into, or possibly both from a common unknown source.

Noun

*ṯawr- m

bull, ox

Declension of *ṯawr-

Descendants

East Semitic:
- Akkadian: 𒋗𒌑𒊒 (šūrum)
- Eblaite: 𒄞𒌉 (GU₄.TUR /šu-lum/)
West Semitic:
- Central Semitic:
  - Arabic: ثَوْر‎ (ṯawr)
    - Egyptian Arabic: تور‎ (tōr)
    - Gulf Arabic: ثور‎ (ṯōr)
    - Hijazi Arabic: ثور‎ (tōr, ṯōr)
    - South Levantine Arabic: تور‎ (tōr)
    - Moroccan Arabic: تور‎ (tūr, tawr)
  - Northwest Semitic:
    - Aramaic: תַּוְרָא‎ (tawrā) / ܬܱ݁ܘܪܳܐ‎ (tawrā)
      - → Middle Persian:
        
        Manichaean: [Manichaean needed] (twwr /*tawar/, “bull, ox”)
        
        Persian: تاول‎ (tāvel, “bull, ox”) (obsolete)
        
        → Armenian: տավար (tavar, “beef”)
      - → Old Uyghur: [script needed] (tʾβʾr, “livestock, goods”)
    - Canaanite:
      - Hebrew: שׁוֹר‎ (shor, šôr)
      - Phoenician: 𐤔𐤓‎ (šr /šōr/)
        
        Punic: 𐤔𐤓‎ (šr /šūr/)
    - Ugaritic: 𐎘𐎗 (ṯr)
  - Old South Arabian:
    - Minaean: 𐩻𐩥𐩧‎ (ṯwr)
    - Qatabanian: 𐩻𐩥𐩧‎ (ṯwr)
    - Sabaean: 𐩻𐩥𐩧‎ (ṯwr), 𐩻𐩧‎ (ṯr)
- Ethiopian Semitic:
  - Ge’ez: ሶር (sor)
  - Tigrinya: ሶር (sor)
  - Tigre: ሶር (sor)

Now, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to connect similarly sounding words, and the mythology that is connected to them, if one understands that these are all inspired by star lore and the observation of the stars and constellations.

So, we discover that Taurus constellation is likely connected to the word Torah, but we also discover that the word Thor, for the Germanic equivalent of Jehovah is also related, as is therefore Thursday. Given that Thor is the Roman Jupiter, and Greek Zeus, it’s unsurprising both are said to bring thunder and storms onto the earth, such as Hadad, god of Thunder and Storms, and thus unsuprisingly, we have the word thunder also.

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