Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Chavoux Luyt <chavoux AT gmail.com>]

Shalom David & Karl
--------- Forwarded message ----------
>From: David Kolinsky <hadeesh AT sbcglobal.net>
>To: B-Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
>Cc:
>Date: Mon, 3 Dec 2012 14:05:36 -0800 (PST)
>Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Fw: Job 38:8 ??
>
>Karl,
>I am not convinced that the Sin and the Shin were pronounced the same in 
>Biblical times.  >Clearly the same written letter was used and the two 
>different sounds were considered to
>be similar enough that they didn't feel the need for an additional letter.  
>But there is >reasonable evidence that the letter for Het was used for two 
>different sounds (Het and Chet) >and that the letter for Ayin (Ayin and 
>Gayin) also (ex: Gamorra and Gaza).  I believe that
>the Shin probably was for "Sh" and that when it was pronounced Sin that that 
>was very >similar to a voiceless alveolar lateral fricative.
It would appear from Judges 12: 5-6 that at least some Israelites (the
Ephraimites) pronounced Shin/Sin the same as samech, at least for some
words (and this was still in the time of the judges, long before the
"standard" biblical Hebrew of the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel). This
would imply that Shin and Samech could not have been too different.
What do you think are the implications for your idea of a voiceless
alveolar lateral fricative?
וַיִּלְכֹּד גִּלְעָד אֶֽת־מַעְבְּרֹות הַיַּרְדֵּן לְאֶפְרָיִם וְֽהָיָה
כִּי יֹאמְרוּ פְּלִיטֵי אֶפְרַיִם אֶעֱבֹרָה וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֹו
אַנְשֵֽׁי־גִלְעָד הַֽאֶפְרָתִי אַתָּה וַיֹּאמֶֽר לֹֽא׃
וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֹו אֱמָר־נָא שִׁבֹּלֶת וַיֹּאמֶר סִבֹּלֶת וְלֹא יָכִין
לְדַבֵּר כֵּן וַיֹּאחֲזוּ אֹותֹו וַיִּשְׁחָטוּהוּ אֶל־מַעְבְּרֹות
הַיַּרְדֵּן וַיִּפֹּל בָּעֵת הַהִיא מֵֽאֶפְרַיִם אַרְבָּעִים
וּשְׁנַיִם אָֽלֶף׃

Regards
Chavoux Luyt