Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Chavoux Luyt <chavoux AT gmail.com>]

Shalom Jim

I am not going to respond to your whole hypothesis here but just want
to mention one aspect that I find problematic.
>
> 2.  L-XY sounds like LKY, when the kaf/K has no dagesh.
This is only true in the modern azkenazi-influenced pronunciation. In
the Hebrew pronunciation as used in most of the Middle East, there is
a clear distinction between the two pronunciations (chet is in the
back of the throat while chaf is more like the typical European
pronunciation) and there is very little (if any?) evidence that the
two sounds were ever considered equivalent in Biblical Hebrew. (The
same distinction existed between alef and ayin which is also not heard
in "standard" modern Hebrew, but can sometimes be heard with sephardic
Jews of Middle-Eastern origin)

>In describing the
> world-famous wells at Lachish/L-KY-$ where Isaac sojourns for many years,
> the early Hebrew author is making a nifty pun, with no misspellings being
> involved.  The author of Judges makes a pun on L-KY-$ as well, punning on 
> LXY.
I'm just not sure that the pun would have worked with the ancient
Hebrew pronunciation.

Regards
Chavoux Luyt