Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Uri Hurwitz <uhurwitz AT yahoo.com>]

   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