Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Oun Kwon" <kwonbbl AT gmail.com>]

On Fri, Oct 31, 2008 at 11:51 PM, Bryant J. Williams III
<bjwvmw AT com-pair.net> wrote:
>
> Dear Dave and Karl,
>
> Thanks for your responses.
>
> What really bothers me about the article is that it immediately thinks that
> Hebrew developed from a "proto-Canaanite" language (no such language as ever
> been produced as far as is known other than through supposition; like "Q" in
> Synoptic Studies). This indicates at least three presuppositions.
>
<clipped>
>
> Rev. Bryant J. Williams III
>
>

May I bring a question not related epigraphics? Is it plausible that
Jesus was able to communicate with Syrophoenician woman speaking in
Phoenican language with no need of Greek  (though she might have been
Greek-speaking)? Somewhere I read these two languages were close
enough.

A different statement I read in recent BAR. Here, quoting  from his
article: "My study of Northwest Semitic languages in the last few
years, especially of the significant epigraphic discoveries made in
the late 20th century has firmly convinced me that Hebrew has more
affinities with Transjordanian languages (such as Aramaic and Moabite)
than with Phoenician (that is, coastal Canaanite)." He asserts that
earliest Israelites moved to hill country of Canaan  from Trans-Jordan
rather than Canaanites in the coastal plain.

 Ref. BAR 34:06, Nov/Dec 2008 Inside, Outside - Where Did the Early
Israelites Come From? by Anson Rainey

Oun Kwon.