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  • From: Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>
  • To: Rolf Furuli <furuli AT online.no>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] shwa
  • Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 12:26:53 +0000

On 15/03/2006 11:17, Rolf Furuli wrote:
Dear Peter,

The Psalm text of Origen's Hexapla is found in Mercati, G (1958 and 1965) "Psalterii Hexapli Reliqviae". A detailed study of the vowels used by Origen is found in Brönno, E. (1943) "Studien über hebräische Morphologie and Vokalismus" Abhandlungen für die Kunde des Morgenlandes xxvii.

Brönno lists 99 examples of gemination in the second column, and he says that after the article the following consonant is always geminated when that is possible (p. 204). ...

Thank you. Is that true, and is gemination considered possible, when the "consonant" is a consonantal iota representing Hebrew yod? If doubling of yod is not considered possible, that would be sufficient to explain the lack of gemination in Psalm 18:48.

... However, there is no example of gemination in any of the WAYYIQTOLs and WEYIQTOLs.

The WEYIQTOL of Psalm 18:47 is written as OUIAROUM and the WAYYIQTOL of 18:48 as OUIEDABBER (note the gemination of the second radical). This means that the two basic differences between WAYYIQTOL and WEYIQTOL (gemination and patah) either did not exist in Origen's Vorlage, or he ignored them.

Clearly in these forms OU represents consonantal vav, iota represents yod, and the intervening vowel has disappeared. Perhaps it stuck in Origen's hands to write OUAIIEDABBER, starting formally with six vowels! I note also that Origen's vocalisation of this word is quite different from the Masoretic vocalisation, suggesting that Origen misread this unusual form WAYYADBER as the very common WAYYEDABBER (however it might have been pronounced at the time), or perhaps as the WEYIQTOL form WIYDABBER with the second sheva not completely lost. The parellel in 2 Samuel 22:48 shows that there is textual uncertainty here.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/





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