Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Randall Buth <randallbuth AT gmail.com>]

Yitzhaq katav
> The statement that one would say yiltaHem (perhaps the hypothesized form
> should have been yitlaHem?) and another would say yillaHem is doubtful.

Actually, Moabite yiltaHem is correct, two times if I remember.
Just like in Phoenician, too. The consonantal 't'is after the first root
consonant. It's meaning is middle. The binyan occurs in Arabic, too,
where the 'n' binyan also occurs.

> For the word nlHm - attacked -- this suggests that in this case the 
> etymology
> might be useful.  The original meaning might have been nuanced as the more
> passive viewpoint of the battle -- defended against.

middle is the nuance. If you want to capture this in english, then
'joined themselves in fighting against'

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