Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Chavoux Luyt <chavoux AT gmail.com>]

Shalom everybody

While I found this discussion interesting, I must say that I do not see conclusive evidence one way or the other.

1. Did most Jews replace YHWH with Adonai already by the first century CE? Even if most did, there are evidence that not all of them did and some late evidence from the Talmud that at least the minim (probably Jewish Christians) of the first century did indeed pronounce the Name.

2. Did the Jewish authors of the New Testament use YHWH or IAO in their Greek quotations of the Tanach, however? Did diaspora Greek-speaking Jews (using the LXX) still pronounce YHWH or use Kurios instead? When exactly did they start using KS instead of YHWH in manuscripts (and did the pronunciation only change then or was this simply writing down what they already said normally)?

One possible piece of evidence I find missing in the discussion (maybe there are no early manuscripts?) is the Aramaic Targums... what did they do with regards to the Name? Would they not give a better indication to how Palestinian Jews pronounced the Name than the LXX?

Regards

Chavoux Luyt