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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] yhwh pronunciation

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  • From: Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>
  • To: Uri Hurwitz <uhurwitz AT yahoo.com>
  • Cc: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] yhwh pronunciation
  • Date: Mon, 25 Jul 2005 00:16:28 +0100

On 23/07/2005 15:48, Uri Hurwitz wrote:

In addition to the well known attestation of YHWH, in Mesha, late ninth century, the name is fully written out in several pre-exilic inscriptions: in Kuntillat Ajrud, c. end ninth- early eighth century ; in the Arad ostraca, e.g no. 18, late eighth century; in the Lakhish letters, e.g. no. 2, during the the war mentioned in Jer. 34: 7, that is c.586 BCE. There are other pre-exilic examples.

Thank you, Uri and also Bryan. So, it seems that the final he on the Mesha stele does not predate the first use of he as a mater lectionis. And it seems that none of these other examples are significantly older than than that stele. So, unless someone can provide such an example, I think we can safely conclude that the final he may very well have been a mater lectionis, and so silent.

It is interesting that a spelling YHW on a very early inscription, predating matres lectionis, is likely to be evidence for a pronunciation like Yahwe or Yehowa, whereas the same spelling in a later inscription would probably be intended to be pronounced Yahu or Yaho.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/



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