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b-hebrew - Re: Hebrew alphabetic system of numeration

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  • From: "Daniel Wagner" <dan.wagner AT netzero.net>
  • To: "Biblical Hebrew" <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
  • Subject: Re: Hebrew alphabetic system of numeration
  • Date: Tue, 15 May 2001 15:04:24 -0400


Good question. A lot of (mostly older?) works talk about textual corruption
in numbers within the Biblical text itself which acclaimedly resulted from
misreadings in a single-letter numerical system, and which they assume to
have been in vogue from a very early date. This system apparently changed to
the word-for-numeral system as used currently in our MT. I'm sure some must
have investigated this issue more than me, and i hope they will respond.

However, my opinion, based primarily on comments i recall from some of my
professors, is that this theory is false, and that numbers (in the text
itself) were always represented by complete words similar to what we have
today. So the alphabetic system (as used for chapters, verses, etc.) is
actually late. Numbers and uncommon proper names are, of course, some of the
easiest things to be lost in textual transmission (since they have little
contextual protection to maintain their semantic stability as most other
words have), so it is no surprise that various theories might have arisen in
the past to try to explain some of the anomalies which exist (either
extraordinary and weird numbers, e.g. 50,070 men killed in Bethshemesh, 1Sam.
6:19; or inconsistencies such as Sam-Kings vs. Chronicles). I assume it would
be difficult to put a date on most of those numeric corruptions in order to
establish a date (assuming the theory were true).

Dan Wagner

----- Original Message -----
From: Fernando Arias <fernando.arias AT lycos.com>
To: Biblical Hebrew <b-hebrew AT franklin.oit.unc.edu>
Sent: Monday, May 14, 2001 8:20 PM
Subject: Hebrew alphabetic system of numeration


> Dear members,
> I read that the use of the Hebrew alphabet for numbers is first found in
> coins of the Maccabean period(second century B.C.E.) after the Jews adopted
> the Greek system of using letters as numerals. Is there any evidence of an
> earlier date? Is there any evidence during the Babylonian captivity?
> Regards,
> Fernando.
>



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