Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Ian Young <ian.young AT arts.usyd.edu.au>]

Hi Jack,

The basic work arguing that the language of these and other texts is archaic 
is:

D. A. Robertson, /Linguistic Evidence in Dating Early Hebrew Poetry/ 
(Missoula, Mont.: Scholars Press, 1972).

For a brief summary of why I think the argument doesn't work (despite the 
quality of Robertson's book), see my:

"Biblical Texts Cannot be Dated Linguistically" /Hebrew Studies/ 46, 2005, 
p.341-351 esp. p.342-343 [the title gives a tiny hint as to where I'm going...!].

In the pipeline, one of my PhD students is writing on the question, and there 
is a chapter in the book I am writing with Robert Rezetko, Linguistic Dating 
of Biblical Texts..., but in the meantime, the Hebrew Studies article is the 
best I can offer.  If you, or anyone else, can't get it easily, contact me 
off-list and I will send you a pdf.

-Ian Young
University of Sydney


Message: 3
Date: Tue, 7 Nov 2006 21:53:12 -0800
From: <tladatsi AT charter.net>
Subject: [b-hebrew] Song of Deborah / Song of the Sea
To: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <110368449.1162965193044.JavaMail.root@fepweb12>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=utf-8

Hello,

I have read any number of times in various venues and by various authors how 
both the Song of Deborah and the Song of the Sea appear to be the oldest 
parts of the Bible.  However, the various writers more or less take this 
assertion for granted and move on.  They never make any argument to support 
it and I have yet to find one.  So, is there some basis for this claim, 
archaic grammar or vocabulary?  Any thoughts would be appriciated.

--
Jack Tladatsi