Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Yitzhak Sapir <yitzhaksapir AT gmail.com>]

On Tue, May 11, 2010 at 10:32 PM, K Randolph wrote:

>> Yitzhak does raise a valid point about the shape of the aleph though.
>>
>
> Yes, there is. But if this were a waw, there would be a wiggle in the waw
> that is not found in other examples on this MMS. Further, this would be the
> only example where two letters impinged on each other in this scrap. With
> the fact that the ink apparently bled over time, that could cause an
> apparent wiggle in the aleph when one originally may not have existed.

I have no idea what you are talking about in regards to the wiggle.  The
leg of the waw completes the arc of the waw perfectly as in the other
(clearer) waw's in the fragment.

Also, this is not the only case when one letter touches another.  You have
a similar case with the lower legs of the ayin and pe in (PR and in the waw
and mem in (CMWTY.  These are cases that are visible without magnification.
This is not an exclusive list and in case  there are additional cases which 
are
close and perhaps do touch as well.

> So it’s really somewhat of a judgement call, and people can disagree.

This is not a judgement call.

You have a reading that doesn't make sense in Hebrew and which does not
match the photo of the fragment.

I don't even understand why you'd want to read it this way and what it gains
you over other possibilities.

Yitzhak Sapir