Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Ian Hutchesson" <mc2499 AT mclink.it>]

Raymond wrote:

>An inscription from Tel
>Dan (though in Aramaic) mentions the _BYTDWD_ which refers to the house of
>David (see http://members.nbci.com/gathas/teldan.htm for much more
>information).

The TDI still has not been validated. It may not be genuine. See for example
the article by Garbini I translated on the matter at my website
(http://www.geocities.com/Paris/LeftBank/5210/histreli.htm).

If it is genuine one has to deal with the text and not what one wants it to
mean. First is it a place name like Bethel or Beth-Shemesh? Why else is
there no word division between the the two words if they are in fact two
words? Is the dwd derived from David or vice versa (or simply unrelated)?

(I'm sure George has something to say on the matter!)


Ian