Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Yitzhak Sapir <yitzhaksapir AT gmail.com>]

On Mon, May 17, 2010 at 4:47 AM, K Randolph wrote:

> So you are talking about cognate languages, which I do not accept as valid
> when talking about Hebrew.

Karl, most of the people on the list, as well as most of the scholars of
Hebrew (whether extended to amateurs or not), accept the value of
cognate languages to the study of Hebrew.  In any case, if you do not
accept them as valid, that is your problem.  They are still relevant and
valid evidence.

>> You use the term etymological fallacy without understanding what it means.
>> The word season in English derives from the time of sowing of crops, and
>> there
>> is no reason why the word in Hebrew does not similarly derive from the time
>> of
>> fertilization of crops.  What we do know is that there was a Nun in the
>> word,
>> because it is present in the Ugaritic cognate.
>
> We’ll let the other on this list answer you, but when you claim that
> derivatives of the root in cognate languages have a meaning connected with
> fertility, therefore the word in Hebrew from the same root must have a
> meaning connected with fertility. That sounds like the etymological error to
> me.

You don't understand the term "etymological fallacy."   Anyway, Ugaritic (NT
means "now" just like Biblical Hebrew (TH.  This is also true of Aramaic,
which has K(N, K(NT.  So we know that Hebrew (T/(TH have the gemination
because of the radical N.

>> Well, for one thing, the spelling hyt is never found in the Pentateuch
>
> Other than seven times in Exodus, three times in Leviticus and once each in
> 1 Samuel and 1 Kings.

I refered to the spelling in 2 Kings.  What instances in Exodus,
Leviticus, 1 Sam,
or 1 Kings have the 3fs perfect form of HYH spelled HYT?

>> and is
>> apparently only once found in the entire Bible, despite the many occurences
>> of the verb.  Other spellings common in pre-exilic inscriptions such as h)
>> for
>> pronouns simply never appear in the Bible.
>
> Hebrew or cognate languages? Are they online? Where can we see them?

I am speaking of Hebrew.  They may be online.  However, if you want to make
statements of epigraphic Hebrew, I think it is requisite that you
first study them
yourself, rather than expect someone to give them to you simply because you
made a statement about them without actually knowing how they read.

Since you are lacking of additional examples, I will include in
addition to H) for
the pronoun, the use of -M for the plural masculine (rather than Biblical 
-YM),
and the use of (T for Biblical Hebrew (TH.  Yes, sometimes you might see -M
(no -Y-) in the Bible, just like once you have HYT rather than HYTH, but the
common forms of the Bible that include HW), HY), (TH, -YM and HYTH are
simply not found at all in epigraphic Hebrew.  If you would actually
get yourself
a book of epigraphic inscriptions you will clearly see that the spelling is
consistently defective in a way that even the Pentateuch isn't.

> For this discussion, you need to refer either to examples that can be viewed
> online, or if they are offline, e.g. in books, scan them and send them as
> attachments so that we can see them.

No, I don't.   You need to get yourself a handbook of inscriptions before
contesting claims made by those who have studied them in all kinds of varied
sources.  Karl, I have a handbook of inscriptions, and notes and photocopies
from having reviewed others, the publications of the Arad and Lachish
inscriptions, copies of pages from A Grammar of Epigraphic Hebrew, and
from a whole bunch of articles relevant to the subject, such as orthography
and the like.  So when I make a claim about epigraphic Hebrew, I think I
have the relevant evidence at hand to make the statement or to discuss
them with others in case others disagree.  If you barely have the Siloam
inscription, and expect others to scan photos for you in order to see
additional ones, then you are not in a position to contest my position.  You
simply know too little about the subject.

Furthermore, a month or so ago, in the context of a discussion with you,
I went to the trouble of attaching high quality photos of the inscriptions at
hand to help you out.  You simply didn't respond.  So, now you expect me to
go to the trouble of scanning and uploading photos?  Karl, you don't have to
 a month or so ago, but you didn't respond at all.

Yitzhak Sapir