Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Ruthy & Baruch" <alster AT comandcom.com>]

Jonathan wrote:
> Can anybody tell me (with perhaps a verse reference) which preposition
would be 
> used in BH for "by" with the word berakh in a phrase such as "I bless you
by YHWH". I 
> am looking at a paleo-Hebrew inscription here which has "brktk lyhwh" but
I would 
> have expected something like "brktk byhwh" because I would think the
preposition 
> would be "be-", such as in the phrase "diber YHWH behoshe'a" (Hos 1,2)
"Adonai 
> spoke through/by Hosea"
> 
> Am I detecting a difference in the language of my inscription and that of
classic BH? 
> Or is "le-" used for "by" in BH too? If not with berakh, then perhaps
with other verbs?

The phrase brk le- Y-WH is used at least 7 times in the HB: Ju 17:2, 1Sam
15:13, 1Sam 23:21; 2Sam 2:5; Ps 115:15; Ru 2:20; Ru 3:10.  Can this be the
phrase in your inscription?

Baruch Alster
Kochav Ya'akov, Israel