Biblical Hebrew Forum

["George Athas" <gathas AT hotkey.net.au>]

> [...]
> The "Akra" in Jerusalem was apparently built during the Selucid period,
that
> is, post-200 BCE. The "Birah" of Nehemiah and of Chronicles refers to the
> administrative center, very likely fortified, during the Persian period.
> [...]
>
> Yigal Levin


Perhaps a supporting point to Yigal's comment here is the evolution of the
dual form of the word "Jerusalem" -- that is, the shift from /Y:ru$alem/ to
/Y:ru$alayim/. It was late enough not to affect the traditional spelling of
Jerusalem. And we can detect the shift away from a singular form with the
Septuagintal shift from singular /Ierousalem/ to plural /Hierosolyma/. The
spread of evidence, especially from the Septuagint, suggests that Jerusalem
became a 'dual entity' in the 2nd century BC. My hunch is that in the 2nd
century BC, Jerusalem was composed of Jerusalem residential and Jerusalem
acropolis/citadel.


Best regards,

GEORGE ATHAS
Lecturer in Biblical Languages
Southern Cross College
Sydney, Australia