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Deliu Hu

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I am a researcher deeply interested in the etymology and historical linguistics of Biblical Hebrew and Classical Chinese. My work explores these two foundational languages' cultural and philosophical frameworks. By comparing the linguistic roots and textual traditions of ancient Israel and China, I aim to foster cross-cultural dialogue between two of the world's most influential civilizations. Through philological analysis, semantic reconstruction, and historical contextualization, I hope to illuminate shared patterns of meaning and divergent worldviews expressed in their sacred and classical texts.

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Papers by Deliu Hu

From ‫בטן‬ to ‫:טוב‬ The Womb as the Origin of Goodness in Biblical Thought

From ‫בטן‬ to ‫:טוב‬ The Womb as the Origin of Goodness in Biblical Thought

The Symbolic Semantics of ‫ַם‬ ‫ַﬠ‬ ‫פּ‬ (paʿam): From Footprint to Time

This study investigates the Hebrew noun ‫ַם‬ ‫ַע‬ ‫פּ‬ (paʿam), tracing its semantic development f... more This study investigates the Hebrew noun ‫ַם‬ ‫ַע‬ ‫פּ‬ (paʿam), tracing its semantic development from the concrete notion of a footprint or step to its abstract usage as "time, occurrence." The analysis draws upon cognates in Arabic (notably ‫وع‬ ُ ‫ب‬ būʿ, "distance of a pace"), comparative pictographic elements within the Hebrew script, and parallels in Chinese writing (步 bù, "step"). By reading 1 Kings 7:4 as an architectural description that preserves the most concrete meaning of paʿam, we see how physical imagery of "steps" becomes a key metaphor for measuring both space and time in Biblical Hebrew thought.

"Remembering the Covenant unto Salvation": ‫ַר‬ ‫ָכ‬ ‫ז‬ (zākhar) and ἀνάμνησις (anamnesis) in Biblical and Patristic Theology

This paper explores the theological semantics of the Hebrew ‫ַר‬ ‫ָכ‬ ‫ז‬ (zākhar, to remember) a... more This paper explores the theological semantics of the Hebrew ‫ַר‬ ‫ָכ‬ ‫ז‬ (zākhar, to remember) and its Greek counterparts μνημονεύειν and ἀνάμνησις as developed in Scripture and the early Church. It argues that biblical "remembrance" is not passive recall but an act of covenantal participation. In the Old Covenant, zākhar sustains Israel's identity through ritual and obedience. In the New Covenant, Christ's command, "Do this in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19), institutes the Eucharist as a sacramental participation in His once-for-all sacrifice. This theology of remembrance is amplified in Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Augustine, who affirm that in the Eucharist, memory becomes salvific participation. Thus, zākhar / anamnesis reaches fullness when rite and life converge in the New and Everlasting Covenant.

Davar ‫)דבר(‬ and the Theology of the Logos

The Hebrew root ‫דבר‬ (d-b-r) encompasses meanings ranging from "word" and "speech" to "commandme... more The Hebrew root ‫דבר‬ (d-b-r) encompasses meanings ranging from "word" and "speech" to "commandment," "story," and "event." This article explores the philological breadth of ‫דבר‬ in the Hebrew Bible, situating it within its pictographic-symbolic origins as "what a human delivers from the heart." Particular attention is given to the theological trajectory that leads from the ‫דבר-יהוה‬ ("word of YHWH") to the Λόγος (Logos) in the Gospel of John.

Composite Compounds Across Cultures: From Chinese 會意字 to Hebrew Two-Consonant Roots

This article argues that Biblical Hebrew roots can be understood as composite compounds of letter... more This article argues that Biblical Hebrew roots can be understood as composite compounds of letters, in parallel with the Chinese principle of 合體為字 (hé tǐ wéi zì), "characters formed by combining elements into a semantic whole." Just as Chinese characters like 明 (bright) are formed from the combination of ⽇ (sun) and ⽉ (moon), Hebrew words often emerge from the combination of two consonants that form a composite pictorial image. The case of ‫גל‬ (g-l) demonstrates this principle: ‫ג‬ (camel's back/curvature) + ‫ל‬ (staff/lengthy) together form a picture of a wooden log. From this base, Hebrew develops a family of roots ‫ַל(‬ ‫גּ‬ ‫ָה,‬ ‫ֻלּ‬ ‫גּ‬ ‫ִיל,‬ ‫גּ‬ ‫ִיל,‬ ‫ָל‬ ‫גּ‬ ‫ַל,‬ ‫ְגּ‬ ‫ַל‬ ‫גּ‬ ‫ָה,‬ ‫ָל‬ ‫,)גּ‬ each emphasizing a different aspect of the log, with Galilee ‫ִיל(‬ ‫ָל‬ ‫)גּ‬ especially illustrating the role of the wheel at the crossroads of history. This cross-cultural lens shows how language encodes early agrarian and trade life in iconic, pictorial forms, later expanding into abstraction.

Gorge or Basin? Differentiating עמק and‬ גיא‬ in Biblical Hebrew

Biblical Hebrew has two distinct words often translated simply as "valley" עמק ʿēmeq and גיא gay.... more Biblical Hebrew has two distinct words often translated simply as "valley" עמק ʿēmeq and גיא gay. Standard translations flatten their difference. Closer symbolic and geographical study reveals that עמק denotes a broad land basin (盤地), while גיא refers to a narrow gorge or ravine (峽⾕), a pressed route between ridges. This article proposes translating ʿēmeq as "basin" and gay as "gorge", restoring the imagery Hebrew intends and enriching the aesthetic depth of passages such as Psalm 23.

From ‫ַל‬ ‫ָא‬ ‫גּ‬ to ἀπολύτρωσις: The Symbolic and Holistic Meaning of Redemption in Biblical Tradition

The Hebrew root ‫ָאַל‬ ‫גּ‬ (gaʾal), often translated as "redeem," encompasses legal, familial, and... more The Hebrew root ‫ָאַל‬ ‫גּ‬ (gaʾal), often translated as "redeem," encompasses legal, familial, and theological nuances throughout the Hebrew Bible. Traditionally defined as an act of kinship redemption, ransom, or deliverance, the term reveals a deeper symbolic structure at the level of its constituent letters: ‫ג‬ (original status, back/ridge), ‫א‬ (strength, force), and ‫ל‬ (direction, staff). Thus, ‫ָאַל‬ ‫גּ‬ signifies "to restore, by strength and guidance, someone or something to its original status." This article examines the categories of redemption in the Old Testament (personal, national, legal, judicial, economic, theological, and cosmic) and their application in New Testament Christology, where the Greek terms λυτρόω / λυτρωτής / ἀπολύτρωσις articulate Jesus Christ as the ultimate Redeemer. The study argues that the symbolic-pictographic dimension of ‫גאל‬ provides an underlying unity for the doctrine of redemption across Testaments, from Israel's exodus to humanity's eschatological restoration.

The Symbolic Semantics of ‫ע‬ ‫ֶרַ‬ ‫ז‬ in Biblical and Early Christian Literature

The Hebrew root ‫זרע‬ is a fundamental agricultural term whose semantic field extends from litera... more The Hebrew root ‫זרע‬ is a fundamental agricultural term whose semantic field extends from literal seed to figurative notions of offspring, inheritance, and moral causation. This study examines the root's internal morphology and symbolic potential, particularly the decomposition into ‫זר‬ ("to scatter") and ‫ע‬ (Ayin, "eye"/smallness). The proposed symbolism frames ‫ע‬ not merely as an aperture but as the representation of smallness and latent potential, analogous to the "eye of a needle" metaphor found in the New Testament. This reading finds support in Old Testament sowing imagery and genealogical metaphors, and is enriched by cross-cultural analogies such as the Chinese "eye of a needle" idiom for minuteness.

Re-rooting the Lexicon: A Case Study of Psalm 37:35 through Letter-Symbolic Exegesis

This article applies a symbolic-letter-based methodology-analogous to the Chinese system of radic... more This article applies a symbolic-letter-based methodology-analogous to the Chinese system of radical and character composition-to the Hebrew text of Psalm 37:35. It argues that traditional translations, while grammatically correct, often obscure the native thought patterns embedded in the script. By decomposing the word ‫רענן‬ (raʼanān) into its constituent symbols and reconstructing its imagistic logic, this study recovers the verse's original cognitive metaphor: the wicked man is likened not merely to a leafy tree, but to a massive, cloudlike canopy of deceptive grandeur. The approach demonstrates how this methodology can realign translation with ancient Hebrew perception.

The Root ‫ב-ל‬ (BL) and the Multifaceted Letter Model: A Case Study in Semitic Semantic Expansion

This study analyzes the Hebrew biliteral root ‫ב-ל‬ (BL) as a model of the multifaceted symbolic ... more This study analyzes the Hebrew biliteral root ‫ב-ל‬ (BL) as a model of the multifaceted symbolic framework of Semitic letters. By tracing its development from tactile experiences of wear and dissolution into a network of semantic fields-ranging from aging and swallowing to rivers, negation, and cosmic space-we show how each letter, ‫ב‬ or ‫,ל‬ operates symbolically in multiple semantic environments. This model expands the classical acrophonic understanding into a symbolic grammar where letters like ‫ב‬ (Bet: body, house, land) and ‫ל‬ (Lamed: extension, protrusion, direction) adapt fluidly depending on context. The expansion of ‫ב-ל‬ into triliteral roots, through the addition of glides or structural consonants, illustrates how cognitive and sensory metaphors are encoded at the letter level and develop dynamically. The result supports a one-to-many root model, grounded in phenomenology, letter symbolism, and historical language behavior.

The Symbolic Meaning of ‫ַל‬ ‫ט‬ (Dew) in Biblical Hebrew Thought

This essay explores the symbolic meaning of the Hebrew word ‫ַל‬ ‫ט‬ (ṭal, dew) as understood in ... more This essay explores the symbolic meaning of the Hebrew word ‫ַל‬ ‫ט‬ (ṭal, dew) as understood in Biblical Hebrew. While modern science identifies dew as a form of condensation, the ancients perceived it as a gentle gift descending from the heavens-a quiet sign of divine favor. Through a close analysis of its root letters-‫ט‬ and ‫-ל‬this essay demonstrates that ‫ַל‬ ‫ט‬ represents a unique symbolic gesture: the motion of unfolding moisture ‫,)ט(‬ dispersing gently across creation ‫.)ל(‬ The letter ‫,ט‬ originally a pictograph of a basket or womb, is shown to contain both the wrapping and unfolding potentials of hidden blessing. The result is a nuanced image: dew as the soft release of heavenly containment, spread directionally across the earth.

Beyond the Throw-stick and Camel: Why ‫ַב‬ ‫גּ‬ (Back) Is the True Acronym for Gimel ‫)ג

This article challenges the conventional claims that the Hebrew letter ‫ג‬ (Gimel) originated fro... more This article challenges the conventional claims that the Hebrew letter ‫ג‬ (Gimel) originated from a camel (gamal) or a throw-stick (gimlôn). Instead, it presents a more compelling alternative: the Hebrew root ‫ֵו‬ ‫ּג‬ / ‫ַב‬ ‫ּג‬ (back, ridge). By re-evaluating early pictographic inscriptions, comparative morphology, and the semantic field of Biblical Hebrew, this study argues that ‫ַב‬ ‫,ּג‬ denoting the arched back of an animal, offers the most historically plausible and symbolically fertile origin for the letter Gimel. The term appears in the earliest epigraphic records, aligns with observable anatomical experience, and serves as the source for a vast constellation of Hebrew derivatives, making it the superior candidate for Gimel's acrophonic root.

The Radiance Radical: ‫שׁ‬ (Shin) as a Phonosemantic Marker of Luminosity in Biblical Hebrew and Its Egyptian Analogues

This article examines the semantic bond between the Hebrew letter ‫ׁש‬ (shin) and concepts of rad... more This article examines the semantic bond between the Hebrew letter ‫ׁש‬ (shin) and concepts of radiance. Drawing on Middle-Kingdom Egyptian orthography-where the determinative for "copper/bronze" (Gardiner N42) depicts a metal ingot topped with three "spark" strokes that flag a shining surface-we survey Biblical Hebrew lexemes whose initial ‫ׁש‬ encodes luminosity. A lexical-morphological analysis of roots for solar light (šemeš), dawn (šaḥar), flame (šalhévɛt), and blade-like brilliance (šanán) reveals that ‫ׁש‬ functions as a phonosemantic "radical of radiance" in Northwest Semitic. The result parallels Egypt's graphic spark-determinative and suggests a shared Bronze-Age paradigm in which metallurgy, light, and language converge.

From Tent-Peg to Consonant: The Scholarly Case for ‫ו‬ (Vav) as "Hook / Peg"

Alphabet scholars consistently trace the sixth Northwest-Semitic letter-‫ו‬ (vav/waw)-to a pictog... more Alphabet scholars consistently trace the sixth Northwest-Semitic letter-‫ו‬ (vav/waw)-to a pictograph of a hook-peg or toggle pin, the simple wooden or bronze stake that fastened tent-ropes and garments alike. Gardiner first linked the curved Proto-Sinaitic glyph to such a peg; Goldwasser's 2016 synthesis confirms that the Canaanite miners "named the sign vav, meaning 'toggle-pin', and extracted the consonant /w/ (later /v/)". This article assembles the graphic, lexical and symbolic evidence showing that (1) every second-millennium exemplar of the sign is a straight shaft with a tiny lateral notch-exactly a tether-hook; (2) the Northwest-Semitic noun waw/vav "peg, hook" is the only plausible /w/-initial object attested for the period; and (3) the letter's graphic evolution-from the nail-like 𐤅 to Phoenician 𐤅 and square-Hebrew ‫-ו‬retains the stake profile while fixing a gematria of 6. Vav, therefore, still stands in both shape and sound as the alphabet's connecting peg.

From Exclamation to Consonant: The Scholarly Case for ‫ה‬ (He) as "Man Calling 'Hey!'"

Current alphabetic scholarship explains the fifth Northwest-Semitic letter-‫ה‬ (he)-as a stylised... more Current alphabetic scholarship explains the fifth Northwest-Semitic letter-‫ה‬ (he)-as a stylised figure of a person with raised arms uttering an exclamatory "Hey!" Gardiner first linked the Proto-Sinaitic sign to a man in a posture of attention. At the same time, Goldwasser has shown that Canaanite labourers reinterpreted an Egyptian miner-overseer glyph as the gesture and shout they heard in the turquoise quarries. This article reviews (1) the epigraphic trail from Serabit el-Khadim to Wadi el-Ḥôl, where the sign is invariably a stick-figure torso with up-flung arms; (2) the acrophonic logic that turns the Canaanite interjection hēy/hōy into the consonant /h/; and (3) the letter's subsequent linearisation-from the "cheering" Proto-Canaanite 𐤄 to the square-Hebrew ‫ה‬-while fixing a gematria of 5. Thus, he still raises his hands and voice, preserving in both shape and sound the primordial cry of attention.

From Doorway to Consonant: The Scholarly Case for ‫ד‬ (Dalet) as "Door"

Since Gardiner's 1916 decipherment of the Serabit el-Khadim inscriptions, Semitic palaeographers ... more Since Gardiner's 1916 decipherment of the Serabit el-Khadim inscriptions, Semitic palaeographers have agreed that the fourth letter ‫ד‬ (dalet/dalt) originated as a sketch of a door or door-leaf and derived its phoneme /d/ by the acrophonic rule. This article gathers the graphic, lexical, and symbolic arguments that modern scholarship-especially the syntheses of Sass and Goldwasseroffers for that reading. It shows that (1) every second-millennium exemplar of the sign is a rectangle open on one side, echoing a hinged door-leaf; (2) the Northwest-Semitic noun dalt "door" is the lone /d/-initial object that suits that outline and survives into Biblical Hebrew; and (3) the sign's linear evolution-from the floor-plan-like 𐤃 to Phoenician 𐤃 and square-Hebrew ‫-ד‬retains the "opening" motif while anchoring the gematric value 4. Dalet, therefore, still swings, in both shape and sound, as the doorway of the alphabet.

From Throw-stick to Consonant: The Scholarly Case for ‫ג‬ (Gimel) as "Throwstick"

Northwest Semitic palaeography commonly derives the third consonant-‫ג‬ (gimel)-from a pictograph... more Northwest Semitic palaeography commonly derives the third consonant-‫ג‬ (gimel)-from a pictograph of a throw-stick or boomerang-shaped weapon, named in Canaanite gaml / gamlu and reduced acrophonically to the phoneme /g/. Collating the epigraphic dossier discussed by Gardiner, Sass and Goldwasser, this article argues that (1) every securely dated Proto-Sinaitic and early Proto-Canaanite exemplar of the sign is a curved, bifurcated club that parallels Egyptian throw-stick hieroglyphs; (2) the lexeme gaml "throw-stick" is the only /g/-initial object attested (or reconstructed) for the Bronze-Age Semitic lexicon that fits that outline; and (3) the letter's later development-from the boomerang-like 𐤂 to the angular Phoenician 𐤂 and finally to square-Hebrew ‫-ג‬keeps the tool's hooked geometry while fixing the gematria 3. Gimel therefore preserves, in both shape and sound, the ancient image of a hunter's returning club.

From House to Consonant: The Scholarly Case for ‫ב‬ (Bet) as "House"

Virtually every history of the Northwest-Semitic alphabet explains the second letter-‫ב‬ (bet)-as... more Virtually every history of the Northwest-Semitic alphabet explains the second letter-‫ב‬ (bet)-as a stylised drawing of a house whose Canaanite name bayit / bēt yielded the phoneme /b/ by the acrophonic rule. Surveying the epigraphic trail from Proto-Sinaitic reliefs to Phoenician lapidary script, and drawing on the classic readings of Gardiner, Sass and Goldwasser, this article demonstrates that (1) every secure second-millennium exemplar of the sign is a neat quadrilateral or "floor-plan" outline; (2) the lexeme bayit ("house") is the sole /b/-initial noun shared across early Northwest-Semitic dialects that matches that outline; and (3) the letter's later development-from the box-shaped Proto-Canaanite 𐤁 to angular Phoenician 𐤁 and finally square-Hebrew ‫-ב‬retains the architectural frame while fixing its gematria at 2. Thus, still shelters, in form and sound, the primordial dwelling that first gave it life.

From Ox-Head to Consonant: The Scholarly Case for ‫א‬ (Aleph) as "Ox Head"

The opening sign of the Northwest-Semitic alphabet-‫א‬ (ʾālep ̱ /aleph)-is almost universally der... more The opening sign of the Northwest-Semitic alphabet-‫א‬ (ʾālep ̱ /aleph)-is almost universally derived from a pictograph of an ox head and secures its phonemic value /ʾ/ through the acrophonic naming of that image with the Canaanite noun ʾalpu / ʾelef "ox, cattle." Drawing on Gardiner's 1916 decipherment, Sass's palaeographic refinements, and Goldwasser's acrophonic synthesis, this article demonstrates that (1) every securely dated second-millennium exemplar of the sign depicts a horned animal's head viewed frontally or in profile; (2) the Semitic lexeme ʾalp "ox" (and its plural ʾalapim) is the only plausible /ʾ/-initial object in Bronze-Age Canaan; and (3) the letter's graphic evolution-from the horned Proto-Canaanite 𐤀 to Phoenician 𐤀 and finally to square-Hebrew ‫-א‬ preserves the bifurcated-horn silhouette while fixing a gematria of 1. Thus, aleph still carries, in both shape and sound, the primordial "leader of the herd.