Biblical Hebrew Forum

[dwashbur AT nyx.net]

On 29 Oct 2007 at 17:14, K Randolph wrote:

> Dear Bryant:
> 
> On 10/29/07, Bryant J. Williams III <bjwvmw AT com-pair.net> wrote:
> > Dear Dave,
> >
> > ... Furthermore, it appears
> > from Ruth that she understood and spoke Hebrew. Just from the 
> > conversations with
> > Naomi and her husband, her deceased husband, Boaz, etc.
> >
> > Rev. Bryant J. Williams III
> >
> Ruth is a bad example, for a couple reasons:
> 
> 1) she lived about 700 years before Ezra and Nehemiah, or over a
> thousand years before Mishnaic Hebrew
> 
> 2) she spoke Moabite, a language that even at the time of Mesha of the
> Mesha Stele, the written evidence shows probably less difference
> between Moabite than, let's say, Chicago and Mobile, or BBC English
> and Cockney. So Ruth may not have had to learn Hebrew in order to
> understand it. Or put in another way, there was less difference
> between Moabite and Hebrew of her day, than the Hebrew of her day and
> Mishnaic Hebrew.

I would add that since she was marrying a Hebrew, she would naturally have 
learned his 
language.  So I'm not sure her knowing Hebrew is anything significant.

Dave Washburn
Why do it right when you can do it again?