Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Harold R. Holmyard III" <hholmyard AT ont.com>]

Dear Bryan,

> Thanks for the discussion!  Here is a review of the "midwives" thread.
> Of course folks are weighing the evidence as they see fit.  Am I
> forgetting amything?  Any more comments?

HH: Yes, on the side favoring the Hebrew midwives you left out the 
fact that the normal and expected use of a gentilic in this position 
following a noun and in agreement with it would be adjectival.

> For Hebrew midwives:
>
> 1a.  the patakh under the first lamed of _lamyalldot_ indicates
> _ha`ibriyyot_ must be an adjective.
> 1b.  We don't like to tamper with the MT.
> 2.  the LXX.
> 3.  other translation tradition.
> 4.  traditional Jewish commentary.
> 5.  the midwives feared God.
> 6.  the names are likely Semitic in origin.


                                Yours,
                                Harold Holmyard