Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Rochelle Altman <willaa AT netvision.net.il>]

At 07:03 PM 1/14/2006, Peter Kirk wrote:

> On 14/01/2006 07:46, Rochelle Altman wrote:
>
> > ...
> >
> > If we are adding a final vowel (CV), then we must add a vowel after each 
> > consonant. We are using ADONAI because that's the only pronunciation we 
> > have. We have the psalm formula for the 96th; we also have the bilingual 
> > to check one against the other.  Note that the addition of final vowels 
> > changes the meter.
> >
> > MT:
> > shiru l'Adonai   shir hadash
> > shiru l'Adonai   kol ha-aretz.
> >
> > Final vowels added to all C:
> > shiru le Adonai shira hadasha
> > shiru le Adonai kola ha-artza
> Surely we would have to add a vowel also to the end of Adonai, for this 
> should really be written Adonay as in Hebrew it ends with a full 
> consonantal yod. But I'm not sure about adding a vowel to the l- prefix, 
> because the alef in l'Adonay is silent in the Masoretic pointing and could 
> already have been silent at the earlier time we are considering, as it 
> surely always was in ro'sh.

Hi, Peter,

That's the point; if it is postulated that CVC did not occur until 
post-exilic times, then we have to add the vowel to "l-" ... It's why I 
included the "l-"    Technically, on the same grounds I should have 
included a vowel for "b" in the 29th.

Weak final vowels had been reduced or lost  before the Monarchial period. 
It is true that the really old songs have more final assonance "rhymes," 
but they have plenty of final close syllables. The songs supply the 
evidence of early vowel loss for Hebrew that we have from inscriptions for 
Aramaic.

The examplesfrom the 96th and 29th are not written in M-C; they 
are  written as pronounced. ADONAI is how it's pronounced. The MT just has 
yhvh with pointing for adonai. And, of course, some sederim have just yy 
with pointing for adonai.

I'll be off-line for several days; I'll be happy to respond to any 
questions when I return from Greece.

Have a goof week,

Rochelle Altman

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