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Can somebody help me translate the inscription on this pendant?

I had it for many years but I never found out. I tried to translate myself but, well... you can imagine... I guess it must be a quote from the Bible but it would be nice to know for sure.

Thank you.

picture

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  • I vote to re-open. There is clear reason to believe that the letters form a religious message.
    – Isaac Moses ♦
    Commented Aug 13, 2019 at 23:49
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    You mean the inscription is both the alphabet and a religious message?
    – Marcos G.
    Commented Aug 14, 2019 at 4:34
  • I mean when you asked the question, it was reasonable to expect that the question was about Judaism, and in fact, that's how you framed it.
    – Isaac Moses ♦
    Commented Aug 14, 2019 at 12:58
  • OK, clear. I agree with you, from an outsider it is certainly natural to expect a religious message. Thanks.
    – Marcos G.
    Commented Aug 14, 2019 at 15:41

2 Answers 2

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It is the letters of the Hebrew alphabet (Aleph-bais) in order, but the letter samech (the fifteenth) is damaged, and the gimel (the third letter) looks like a nun, and the heh (fifth letter) looks like a hes.

The first letter, Aleph, is near one of the points of the star, at around 11 o'clock in the photo.

Hebrew Alphabet https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Transparent_Alephbet.png

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    That looks like an old style of writing ה, where the leg touches in the middle of the roof instead of the edge
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Aug 13, 2019 at 19:03
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    probably everywhere before ~1000 years ago. Some north african and middle eastern communities for a bit longer. Go read the dead sea scrolls or the tiberian masoretic codecies
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Aug 13, 2019 at 19:18
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    @DoubleAA The shape of the Lamed is a Vav on top of a Kaf. It is the Lamed of Holy name, Alef-Lamed. The Name parallels initial creation of male & female which absolutely are equal with a value of 26, G-d’s name. And like is expressed in regard to the appearance of one light without a source on day 1 & then the 2 great & equal sources of that light & their ultimate alteration in evaluation, one called greater & one lesser. But who is greater & who lesser according to Torah? Alef is a Yud above, a Yud below & a Vav between, also 26. But man has 248 limbs, while woman has 252. Who is lesser?
    – Yaacov Deane
    Commented Aug 14, 2019 at 2:33
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    @Yaacov that is indeed the way the letter is broken down in kabbalistic thought. I don't dispute that. It just doesn't seem relevant here. We have a vav and kaf in the picture. The kaf is small and the vav is tall. Just like how the letter was traditionally written in old writings. The Gemara calls Lamed מגדל פורח באוויר and the Midrash writes that Lamed has only one leg to stand on like the angels, not sitting on a base אין לו ישוב. Rama"k writes that Lamed is made of three vavs: head, roof, foot, just like in this picture: three lines making a tower in the air.
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Aug 14, 2019 at 2:36
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    This question was worth it just for the comments and the shiur above !
    – mbloch
    Commented Aug 14, 2019 at 4:17
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It’s the Hebrew alphabet, although the tenth letter (י - yud) is attached to the one preceding it and the fifteenth letter (ס - samech) is incomplete.

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  • I'm having trouble seeing the gimel
    – rosends
    Commented Aug 13, 2019 at 19:26
  • Because it looks like a khuf, though I cut the welder some slack bec. of his style.
    – Oliver
    Commented Aug 13, 2019 at 19:53

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