how to say “agent” in Hebrew
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/סוכן-#.m4a” /]סוֹכֵן
Yesterday we encountered ביטוח לאומי[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/סוכן-#.m4a” /], Israel’s National Insurance agency. Another Israeli government-related institution you may know is הסוכנות היהודית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/סוכן-#.m4a” /] – The Jewish Agency.
סוכנות[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/סוכן-#.m4a” /] derives from the word סוכן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/סוכן-#.m4a” /] meaning agent, as in:
[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/סוכן-#.m4a” /]דוד, יש לך סוכן ביטוח?
David, do you have an insurance agent?
The root of סוכן is ס.כ.נ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/סוכן-#.m4a” /], which looks like the same root as that of סכין[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/סוכן-#.m4a” /] – knife and מסוכן[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/סוכן-#.m4a” /] – dangerous. But in Biblical Hebrew סכין was spelled שׂ.כ.נ[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/סוכן-#.m4a” /], so it’s not related to agent (though it is probably related to מסוכן…).
