Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Randall Buth <randallbuth AT gmail.com>]

this is coming from qaaliforniyah, so too late for Yigael, today.

On Ruth dating, Ruth 4.7 needs mention.
leqayyem is a pattern that is common for 'hollow roots' after the
exile. Before the exile the polel pattern was common for 'hollow'
roots (y,w in middle root position). Of course, this verse is not
really part of the story and could have been added later as an
explanation.
A second dating puzzle is the venatan verb. In First Temple
Hebrew that form would imply 'and he used to give'. That is a
possible reading here, since strings of habitual actions can be
preceded with an 'aoristic' starting example (shalaf in this text).
However, it is also possible to read venatan as aoristic itself,
which is a growing Second Temple phenomenon and normal
in mishnaic Hebrew.
For pattern of aoristic start to a habitual description, compare:
Cf Num 21.9 (vehaya) im nashax aorististic
example/condition, followed by habitual veqatal ... vehebiT
... vaHay. Nu 11.8 two examples of "aoristic example plus
habitual string"  shaTu aoristic example followed by habituals
... velaqeTu veTaHanu; and daxu aoristic start followed by
habituals uvishelu ... ve`asu ... vehaya.
Ex 16.21 for vayyiqtol aoristic initial vayyilqeTu
followed by habituals ... veHam . . . venamas.
Nu 10:35-36 vayyomer . . . habitual yomar.
1Sm 17.35 vayyaqom ... habituals veheHezaqti ...
vehikkitiv vahamitiv.

so venatan can be read either way, either as a 'classical'
habitual following an exemplary aorist, or as Late Biblical
/Mishaic 'and he gave'.

-- 
Randall Buth, PhD
www.biblicalulpan.org
randallbuth AT gmail.com
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