Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

b-hebrew - [b-hebrew] Early Biblical Hebrew (EBH or SBH - Standard) & Late Biblical Hebrew (LBH)

b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Biblical Hebrew Forum

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Uri Hurwitz <uhurwitz AT yahoo.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [b-hebrew] Early Biblical Hebrew (EBH or SBH - Standard) & Late Biblical Hebrew (LBH)
  • Date: Sat, 14 May 2011 10:48:07 -0700 (PDT)

 
   Those who are interested in evidence for diachronic
development  of the language of the Hebrew bible may
wish  to check the following paper.


Names in the Study of Biblical History: David, YHWH Names,
and the Role
of Personal Names
by Francis I. Andersen and Richard S. Hess
Buried History Monographs - BHM 2
Australian Institute of Archaeology, 2007




   From Charles Halton's blog Awilum.com  December 7, 2007:         


  "It is a grand total of 20 pages but it is packed
with information and very valuable bibliography–they
provide extensive bibliography for personal names
in the languages/geographic areas Akkadian, Ammonite,
Amurrite, Aramaic, Ebla, Emar, Hebrew, Hittite,
Hurrian, Phoenician, 2nd Millennium names from
Palestine and vicinity, Ugaritic, and other West
Semitic names.

   In this monograph Andersen and Hess survey the
historical and literary distribution of the spellings
of YHWH elements in names as well as the spelling of David.

 [2 statistical charts omitted; see http://awilum.com/?p=458]

   
   Although there are supporting supplementary comments,
here is their conclusion:

'The books of the Old Testament present accurately the
changing fashions in Hebrew names.  The long forms of
names ending with the name of God (-yhw) were prominen
t during the monarchy, and were completely replaced
by -yh forms after the Exile.  The short spelling
of David was in vogue before the Exile, the longer
form after.  The Bible and the archaeological evidence
are the same.  If the material in Genesis-Kings was
largely concocted after the Exile, as some scholars now
claim, and the invented characters were given the names
current in their own day, we would expect the
popular -yh names to be used throughout.  Genesis-Kings
accurately preserves the changes in Hebrew names
corresponding to linguistic and cultural changes
in the Israelite communities.  The authenticity of
the Bible in this specific matter is established by
external evidence.' "

   What should be emphasized is the correspondence
between the biblical and extra-biblical evidence in this
case.

    Uri Hurwitz                         Great Neck, NY
   













Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page