Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

On 25/10/2005 18:14, Karl Randolph wrote:

> Peter:
>
> But that's just the point. While the number of names that 
> Joel Hoffman presented is small, that the same names 
> have radically different pronunciations calls all the 
> pronunciation schema into question. ...

I don't see why the variations in Greek transliterations, generally made 
by people whose grasp of Hebrew was inadequate, calls into question the 
Tiberian pronunciation of Hebrew.

> ... Further, none of the 
> pronunciation points nor transliterations were extant when 
> there were still native speakers of Biblical Hebrew to 
> interview. The earliest was generations later. Who knows 
> what changed before.
>  

This is not true. There were certainly still mother tongue speakers of 
Hebrew when LXX was translated. But they probably were not in Alexandria 
where it was translated. Josephus is a different matter, as he surely 
knew mother tongue speakers of Hebrew in Jerusalem before it fell.

> And I will add to that that even within the tradition of the 
> Masoretic points, it is demonstrable that some of them are 
> wrong. Remember, I gave an example concerning 
> Proverbs 1:19 a while back.
>  

Well, no human work is perfect. The Masoretic text has a few clear 
errors, although remarkably few considering its size and complexity, and 
the absence of computer checks!

> The probability that after 1000 years of war, upheaval, no 
> native speakers, exiles, foreign accents and so forth, that 
> the MT should accurately preserve Biblical pronunciation 
> is a vanishingly small probability. Hence I can confidently 
> claim that the Masoretic points do not reflect Biblical 
> pronunciations.
>  

I agree that it is highly improbable that the Masoretic text is 100% 
accurate in reflecting "biblical" pronunciations, whatever you might 
mean by that. But that is absolutely no help to us in determining what 
changes might have taken place.

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