Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>]

1. YAAKOB had 12 sons who grew up into adulthood.
2. They moved into neighboring territories, carrying with them their  
language, but got eventually disconnected from the main body of the  
nation of Israel.

 Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Nov 25, 2010, at 1:49 PM, Arnaud Fournet wrote:

> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Isaac Fried" <if AT math.bu.edu>
> To: "Yigal Levin" <leviny1 AT mail.biu.ac.il>
> Cc: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
> Sent: Thursday, November 25, 2010 6:50 PM
> Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] cognate alphabet
>
>
> > Some relevant mathematics.
> > Assume that at the end of the exodus out of Egypt some 50,000   
> > Israelites entered their promised land. Assume, conservatively,  
> > that  they had a rate of growth of 1/2% per annum.
> ***
> This is not "conservative".
> Unless there is more food or the initial population accretes  
> outsiders, there is no reason it should grow.
> Pre-modern populations were entirely dependent on food, wars and  
> epidemics.
>
> A.
> ***
>
>
> They lived upon their
> > land for some 800 years until the destruction of the first  
> > temple,  and the ensuing deportation into exile. At that time  
> > there should  have been in the land of Israel some 50,000(1.005) 
> > ^800= 2,700,000  Hebrew speakers, or am I wrong.
> ***
> And how much is the surface fit for agricultural use?
> How do you feed those numbers?
>
> Arnaud Fournet
> ***