אַגַּרְטָל (agartal) — vase
Etymology
The word אַגַּרְטָל appears only once in the entire Bible — and twice in that single verse — in Ezra 1:9, a list of Temple vessels that Nebuchadnezzar had looted and that Cyrus king of Persia returned to the Jews in 538 BCE: "These are the numbers: thirty gold אַגַּרְטְלֵי, a thousand silver אַגַּרְטְלֵי, twenty-nine knives." The meaning of these golden and silver "agartelim" was already unclear to ancient translators. The Septuagint renders it as "psykter" (wine cooler); the Vulgate as "phiala" (shallow bowl); Rashi simply says "they are types of vessels"; Rabbi Jonah Ibn Janach in "Sefer ha-Shorashim" describes them as ewers for hand-washing; the Metzudat Tzion follows with "a vessel in which water is placed for washing hands."
The word clearly lacks a native Hebrew three-letter root, marking it as a loanword. In the 19th century, when Assyriology and comparative Semitics flourished, scholars proposed various origins: the Sumerologist Landersdorfer suggested a Sumerian compound of "a" (water) + "gar" (to pour) + "dal" (wide), though no such word is actually attested in Sumerian. Wilhelm Gesenius proposed derivation from Greek kartalos ("basket"), though baskets of gold and silver are otherwise absent from Temple inventories. A Hittite word "qurtal" (large basket) was also suggested. A purely Hebrew etymology was also entertained: perhaps a compound of אגר (to collect/store) + טל (dew/moisture) — a vessel for storing liquid.
The word was virtually dormant for centuries, appearing only in a single line of a liturgical poem by Saadia Gaon: "אגרטלי חמדי אצף אתותם חשמני." Its modern meaning of "vase" was established in the early 20th century by an unknown coiner. The first written evidence of this new meaning appears in Y.H. Brenner's 1920 novel "Shekhol ve-Khishalon" ("Bereavement and Failure"): "נפל האגרטל... ושבר גדול השברתי" — "the vase fell… and I was greatly broken." Crucially, Brenner uses the word without quotation marks or explanation, suggesting it was already well understood in Tel Aviv circles — meaning the actual coiner predates him. That creative reviver's identity remains unknown: perhaps a clever shopkeeper, perhaps a verbose poet, perhaps a mystery that will never be solved.
Key Quotes
"וְאֵלֶּה מִסְפָּרָם אֲגַרְטְלֵי זָהָב שְׁלֹשִׁים אֲגַרְטְלֵי כֶסֶף אָלֶף מַחֲלָפִים תִּשְׁעָה וְעֶשְׂרִים" — עזרא א׳, ט׳
"נפל האגרטל... ושבר גדול השברתי" — יוסף חיים ברנר, שכול וכישלון, 1920
Timeline
- 538 BCE: Ezra 1:9 records אַגַּרְטְלֵי among Temple vessels returned by Cyrus
- ~400 CE: Jerome translates as "phiala" (bowl) in the Vulgate
- Medieval period: Rashi, Ibn Janach, and Metzudat Tzion offer varied interpretations
- ~10th century: Saadia Gaon uses the word in a single line of liturgical poetry
- 19th century: Comparative philologists debate Sumerian, Greek, and Hittite origins
- Pre-1920: Unknown person revives the word with modern meaning "vase" in early Tel Aviv
- 1920: First written attestation of modern meaning in Brenner's novel "Shekhol ve-Khishalon"
Related Words
- כלי — vessel (general category in biblical Hebrew)
- אגן — basin, bowl (similar vessel type)
- כד — jug, pitcher (common biblical vessel)