Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

Dear Charles,

>Ian wrote, " ... it is actually the WPA form found in the Amarna letters
>which has the long vowel and not the Mesopotamian sources."
>
>Does it make a difference?  Each region attests its own peculiar vowel
>patterns, and I rather expect "Canaanite" to be different from Mesopotamian
>dialects.  

What we are dealing with is Canaanite use of Akkadian. 
If the second vowel is stressed, it should supply a yod 
in the Hebrew representation. That was my idea.

>The question is whether you believe the "outsiders" that are
>attested all over the ANE for about 1000 years represent two separate
>sociological phenomena or rather different manifestations of the same
>phenomenon--a group that is outside the regularized and recognized "law" or
>"system."  That the Egyptians viewed the slaves among them as outsiders,
>"Hebrews," is hardly remarkable.  The establishment naturally holds a
>pejorative view of such groups.  My position is that several of the groups
>that come to constitute ancient Israel seem to derive from this social
>class.

This may be, but there is no historical evidence for it. 
What is happening is a projection onto the historical 
plane of traditions found in the OT/HB. This gives the 
opportunity for a hypothetical relationship between 
habiru and Hebrew. Without the projection there is no 
relationship at all.

>As to the b/p interchange, there is overlap both in Egyptian and in
>Ugaritic, and I think Liverani and others are correct to note that this is
>not an insurmountable problem.

Each single problem is not insurmountable, but there 
are three phonological problems, the first and second 
consonants and the middle long vowel. We are left with 
only the sure third consonant. This all suggests that 
the data is being stretched to fit the conclusion.


Ian


>Incidentally, if the root is perceived to be (-P-R rather than (-B-R, I
>believe this would point to a derivation from the noun meaning "dust",
>another way of underscoring the low social status of the people so
>described.