The Bible (Genesis 28:14) relates that when G-d blesses Jacob and
tells him that his descendants’ population will “burst forth” in all
four directions, He uses the following words to refer to those
directions: yam (west), kedem (east), tzafon (north), and negev
(south). However, in another context (Deuteronomy 3:27), when G-d
tells Moses to gaze upon the Holy Land from which he was barred from
entering, He tells Moses to look at all four directions: yam, tzafon,
mizrach (east), and teiman (south). In essence, while the words for
west and north remain the same, the Bible uses two different words to
mean east (kedem and mizrach) and south (negev and teiman). What is
the difference between these synonymous doublets? This matter actually
becomes quite complicated upon the realization that the Hebrew
language has three words for every one of the four directions!
As we shall see below, the different words for the four directions
focus on different aspects of those directions and are generally based
on either the movements of the sun or certain topographical
characteristics of the Holy Land.
Rabbeinu Bachaya explains that the word yam literally means “sea”, and
is also used to refer to the west because the Mediterranean Sea lies
at the west side of the Holy Land. The west is also called ma’arav
because as the sun sets, the shapes of shadows become mixed up
(me’urav). Thirdly, the word acharon, which literally means “last”,
also means west because it is the last place along the horizon where
the sun is located before setting in evening.
There are three words for east: mizrach, kedem, and panim. Mizrach is
related to the word zarach (shine) and refers to the direction from
which the sun first shines in the morning, while kedem is related to
the word kodem (early or forward) and refers to the fact that the
rising-sun first shines from the east. The word panim (literally,
“facewards”) also means east because when Adam was created the front
of his bodyfaced eastward.
As mentioned above, the common Hebrew word for north is tzafon. The
commentators offer several explanations for the etymology of this
word: Some compare the word tzafon to tzafun which means “hidden”
because in the northern parts of the world (i.e. the Arctic zone) the
influence of the sun is “hidden”, as the cold temperatures there
obscure the sun’s warmth. Alternatively, because the sun generally
remains south of the celestial equator, the north side is considered
“hidden” from the sun’s presence. Others claim that tzafon is related
to the word tzifiya (gazing) and refers to the fact that one can
determine north by gazing towards the Heavens and following the
Northern Star. Another approach argues that the word tzafon refers to
Mount Tzafon (identified by scholars as Jebel Aqra on the border
between modern-day Turkey and Syria, a mountain mentioned in the Bible
which lies due north of the Holy Land.
The Talmud sometimes uses the Aramaic word estan to mean north (e.g.
Ketubot 23a). Rabbeinu Bachaya (1255-1340) proposes that the word
estan may be related to the Aramaic word asuta, which means “health”,
and alludes to the fact that the north-wind possesses certain healing
properties (see Yevamot 72a). In fact, some people have a custom of
exclaiming “Asuta!”(“Gesundheit!”in Yiddish) when hearing another
sneeze, so as to bless him with good health.
The word darom means south, and the commentaries explain that darom is
a portmanteau of the words derech yom (“the path of the day”), because
the sun generally remains in the southern hemisphere of the celestial
map during the day. The south is also called negev (literally, “dry”)
because the southern part of the Holy Land is a dry and arid
desert-land.
There are two more words for north and south which you might be
familiar with from another context: teiman/yemin (right) and smol
(left). The Bible uses the words right and left to refer to the south
and north, respectively. This understanding presupposes that eastwards
is one’s frame of reference, because, as we mentioned above, Adam was
created facing eastwards. Therefore, because one facing eastwards
encounters north to his left and south to his right, the very words
for north and south can be left and right. In an interesting
geographical anomaly, the Hebrew words for left and right are found in
place-names near the Gulf of Aden between Africa and Arabia. One
travelling northwards in the Gulf of Aden will approach Yemen (related
to yemin) on his right, and Somalia (related to smol) on his left.
