Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Nir cohen - Prof. Mat." <nir AT ccet.ufrn.br>]

jim,

considering your #7, for akkadian UBIL, its declension and the initial U/WA see e.g. caplice-snell p 74-75:

http://books.google.com.br/books?id=E4QP2wKp-NIC&pg=PA75&lpg=PA75&dq=ubil+akkadian&source=bl&ots=R8qwIp5GOa&sig=9lkERcV2qg4lrCxKvJzLjTIW2s4&hl=pt-BR&sa=X&ei=frK-UKK_Koji8gT79IGoDA&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=ubil%20akkadian&f=false

according to them, the akkadian biconsonant root bil, $ib (carry, sit) appear in the imperative,
but otherwise the prefix wa/u then indicates action.

it seems that this is well reflected in the hebrew cognate irregular verb Y$B: imp. $EB but otherwise YA-$AB.
ubil/ubal is similarly reflected by BH HOBYL/HUBAL.

similarly, aramean BLW may be connected with akkadian balu: say, products SENT to the local governor.
or a caravan SENT to the distant ruling city.

so, at the bottom line, you insist, is it hebrew or not?
#7 seems quite akkadian to me.

i think the paper you have just sent us is very good, and has a clear message: one cannot
attach simple labels to complex processes. your question "is it hebrew" is just too simplistic.

nir cohen

On Tue, 4 Dec 2012 19:51:48 -0500 (EST), jimstinehart wrote
> 7.  u-bi-li-mi; u-bi-il.  “I sent as gifts to the king, my lord, x prisoners, 5,000…, and 318 porters/u-bi-li-mi for the caravans of the king….”  Amarna Letter EA 287: 53-57.  “Look, I am a friend of the king, and a tribute-bearer/u-bi-il of the king, I am.”  Amarna Letter EA 288: 11-12.  “porters” ???   Cf. the Aramaic word BLW, meaning “tribute”, at Ezra 4: 13??  [Does that word in Amarna Letter EA 287 actually refer to the “taxpayers” of Jerusalem, who are “tribute-bearers” in the sense that they have funded the “tribute” for IR-Heba’s caravan that is being sent to Egypt?  Or by contrast is the reference, as conventionally thought, to “[captive] porters” who are slaves being sent to Egypt as “tribute” as part of the caravan?   Cf. also the Hebrew word BLH in the form BLTY at Genesis 18: 12, though the meaning does not seem to fit too well???]