THE VALIDITY OF THE MASORETIC TEXT AS A BASIS FOR DIACHRONIC LINGUISTIC ANALYSIS OF BIBLICAL TEXTS: EVIDENCE FROM MASORETIC VOCALISATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25159/1013-8471/2569Abstract
The last decade has witnessed a lively scholarly debate regarding the diachrony of biblical Hebrew and the validity of the differentiation between CBH and LBH. Lately, two of the prominent challengers of the traditional views have criticised the diachronic school from a new perspective, arguing against the use of the Masoretic Text as a basis for the linguistic discussion. This paper seeks to establish the validity of the Masoretic Text as a basis for diachronic linguistic analysis from the angle of Tiberian vocalisation. Three case studies from the Book of Qoheleth are examined, each involving an LBH component whose existence in the text is revealed to us only through Masoretic vocalisation. The case studies include the assimilation of third aleph with third he participles; the use of the abstract nominal pattern qitlôn; and the feminine demonstrative ז ֹה .The case studies show that the Masoretes had preserved the difference between CBH and LBH pronunciations, although they were probably unaware of the historical nature of these different pronunciations and of their diachronic dimension. These findings testify to a strong and stable oral Masoretic tradition which accompanied the written one. Both were transmitted for many centuries, and they were, in many cases, precise to the extant they could reflect dialectological differences within Biblical Hebrew. The paper concludes with a comment regarding Masoretic anachronisms and their place in the overall picture of Masoretic traditions.Metrics
References
Andersen, F I and Forbes, A D. 1986. Spelling in the Hebrew Bible. Rome: Biblical Institute
Press.
Ausloos, H, Lemmelijn, B and Trebolle Barrera, J (eds) 2012. After Qumran: old and modern
editions of the biblical texts—the historical books. BETL 246. Leuven: Uitgeverij
Peeters.
Bacher, W 1895. Die Anfänge der hebräischen Grammatik, ZDMG 49:13–20.
Balentine, S E and Barton, J (eds) 1994. Language, theology, and the Bible: essays in honour
of James Barr. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Bar-Asher, M 2009. Studies in Mishnaic Hebrew. Vol. II. Jerusalem: Bialik Inst.
Bar-Asher, M and Florentin, M (eds) 2005. Samaritan, Hebrew and Aramaic Studies Presented DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789047405320
to Professor Abraham Tal. Jerusalem: Bialik Inst.
Barr, J 1987. Comparative philology and the text of the Old Testament: with additions and
corrections. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.
Ben-Hayyim, Z 1985. The historical unity of the Hebrew language and its periodization,
Studies in Language 1:3–24. (Hebrew)
Ben-Zvi, E, Edelman, D V and Polak, F (eds) 2009. A palimpsest: rhetoric, ideology, stylistics,
and language relating to Persian Israel. Piscataway: Gorgias Press
Bergsträsser, G 1918. Hebräische Grammatik. Leipzig: Vogel.
______ 1924. Mitteilungen zur hebräischen Grammatik 4: Ist die tiberiensische Vokalisation
eine Rekonstruktion?", Orientalische Literaturzeitung 26:582–586
Blau, J 2010. The phonology and morphology of Biblical Hebrew. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781575066011
Brockelmann, C 1908. Grundriss der vergleichenden Grammatik der semitischen Sprachen.
Vol. 1. Berlin: Reuther & Reichard.
Buhl, F 1892. Canon and text of the Old Testament. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark.
Burney, C F 1903. Notes on the Hebrew text of the book of Kings. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Davies, P R 2003. Biblical Hebrew and the history of ancient Judah: typology, chronology and
common sense, in Young (ed.) 2003:150‒163.
Delitzsch, F 1891. Commentary on the Song of Songs and Ecclesiastes. Grand Rapids: T. & T.
Clark.
Ehrensvӓrd, M 2003. Linguistic dating of biblical texts, in Young (ed.) 2003:164–188.
______ 2006. Why biblical texts cannot be dated linguistically, HS 47:177‒189. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/hbr.2006.0039
______ 2012. Discerning diachronic change in the Biblical Hebrew verbal system, in MillerNaude
and Zevit 2012:181‒192.
Forbes, A D and Andersen, F I 2012. Dwelling on spelling, in Miller-Naudé and Zevit 2012: DOI: https://doi.org/10.5325/j.ctv18r6r7n.11
–145.
Fredericks, D C 1988. Qohelet's language: reevaluating its nature and date. ANETS 3.
Lewiston: Mellen.
Freedman, D N, Forbes, A D Andersen, F I (eds) 1992. Studies in Hebrew and Aramaic
orthography. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.
Gesenius, W, Kautzsch, E F (ed.), & Cowley, A E (trans.) 1910. Gesenius Hebrew grammar.
Oxford: Oxford University Press. (GKC)
Ginsberg, H L 1934. From behind the Massorah, Tarbiz 5: 208–223. (Hebrew)
______ 1935. From behind the Massorah (with addenda), Tarbiz 6:534. (Hebrew)
______ 1961. Koheleth. Tel Aviv and Jerusalem: Neuman. (Hebrew)
Ginsburg, D 1906. Biblia Hebraica: Massoretico-critical text of the Hebrew Bible carefully
revised according to the Masorah and the early printed editions of the Hebrew Bible
with the variations and marginal annotations of the ancient manuscripts and targums.
nd. ed. London: Society for the Circulation of Uncorrupted Versions of the Word of
God.
Gordis, R 1968. Koheleth, the man and his world: a study of Ecclesiastes. New York:
Schocken.
Gross, B-Z 1993. The nominal 0atterns פעלון and פעלן in Biblical and Mishnaic Hebrew.
Jerusalem: The Academy of Hebrew Language. (Hebrew)
Herzberg, H W 1963. Der Prediger – das Buch Esther. KAT 17. Gütersloh: G. Mohn.
Hornkohl, A 2014. Characteristically late spellings in the Hebrew Bible: with special reference
to the plene spelling of the o-vowel in the qal infinitive construct, JAOS 134:643–671.
Hughes, J 1994. Post-biblical features of Biblical Hebrew vocalization, in Balentine and Barton
:67–80.
Hurvitz, A 1968. Eqron, Amqar(r)una = ΑκκαÏοον, Leshonenu 33: 20–21. (Hebrew)
______ 2006. The recent debate on Late Biblical Hebrew: solid data, experts' opinions, and
inconclusive arguments, HS 47:191‒210.
______ 2014. A concise lexicon of Late Biblical Hebrew. Linguistic innovations in the writings
of the Second Temple Period. VTSup 160. Leiden: Brill.
Isaksson, B 1987. Studies in the language of Qoheleth with special emphasis on the verbal
system. Uppsala: Almqvist & Wiksell International.
Joosten, J 2012. Textual developments and historical linguistics, in Ausloos, Lemmelijn and
Trebolle Barrera 2012:21–31.
______ 2005. The distinction between Classical and Late Biblical Hebrew as reflected in
syntax, HS 46:327–339.
Joüon, P 2006. A grammar of Biblical Hebrew. Translated and revised by T Muraoka. Subsidia
biblica 27. 2nd ed. Rome: Pontifical Biblical Institute.
Kahle, P E 1959. The Cairo Geniza. Oxford: Blackwell.
Khan, G 2013. A short introduction to the Tiberian Masoretic Bible and its reading tradition.
Piscataway: Gorgias Press.
Kutscher, E Y 1959. The language and linguistic background of the Isaiah Scroll. Jerusalem:
Magnes. (Hebrew)
______ 1965. Contemporary studies in North-Western Semitic, JSS 10:24–51. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jss/10.1.21
Miller-Naude, C and Zevit, C (eds.) 2012. Diachrony in Biblical Hebrew. LSAWS 8. Winona DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9781575066837
Lake: Eisenbrauns.
Mizrahi, N 2015. Textual history through the prism of historical linguistics: the case of Biblical DOI: https://doi.org/10.5325/j.ctv1bxh05v.19
Hebrew z-m-r, in Werman 2015:201–222.
Morag, S 1968. Vocalization, Encyclopedia Biblica 1968/5:cols. 840–841. (Hebrew)
______ 1974. On the historical validity of the vocalization of the Hebrew Bible, JAOS 94:307– 315. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/600065
Porath, E 1938. Mishnaic Hebrew as vocalised in the early manuscripts of the Babylonian
Jews. Jerusalem: Bialik Inst. (Hebrew)
Rendsburg, G A 1990. Linguistic evidence for the northern origin of selected Psalms. Atlanta:
Scholars Press.
Rezetko, R 2003. Dating Biblical Hebrew: evidence from Samuel-Kings and Chronicles, in
Young (ed.) 2003:215–50. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2958.2002.03111.x-i1
______ 2009. What happened to the Book of Samuel in the Persian period and beyond?, in Zvi,
Edelman and Polak 2009:237–252.
Rezetko, R & Young, I 2014. Historical linguistics and Biblical Hebrew: steps toward an DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctt14bs6gc
integrated approach. ANEM 9. Atlanta: SBL.
Rofe, A and Zakovitch, Y (eds) 1983. Isaac Leo Seeligmann Volume: Essays on the Bible and
the Ancient World. Volume 1. Jerusalem: Rubinstein.
Schoors, A 2004. The preacher sought to find pleasing words: a study of the language of
Qoheleth. Vol. 1. Leuven: Peeters Publishers.
Segal, M H 1927. A grammar of Mishnaic Hebrew. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Seow, C L 1997. Ecclesiastes: a new translation with introduction and commentary. AB 18C. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5040/9780300261295
New York: Doubleday.
Talshir, D 2005. 'ahot in the plural and 'edot in the singular in ancient Hebrew, in Bar-Asher
and Florentin 2005:159–175. (Hebrew)
Werman, C (ed.) 2015. From author to copyist: essays on the composition, redaction, and DOI: https://doi.org/10.5325/j.ctv1bxh05v
transmission of the Hebrew Bible in honor of Zipi Talshir. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.
Whitley, C F 1979. Koheleth: his language and thought. Berlin and New-York: de Gruyter. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110865172
Young, I 1995. The ‘Northernisms’ of the Israelite narratives in Kings, ZAH 8:63–70.
_______ 2003. Late Biblical Hebrew and Hebrew inscriptions, in Young (ed.) 2003:276‒311.
______ 2005. Biblical texts cannot be dated linguistically, HS 46:341‒351. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/hbr.2005.0038
______ 2006. What a difference a year makes: can biblical texts be dated linguistically?, HS
:83‒91.
______ 2009a. Is the Prose Tale of Job in Late Biblical Hebrew?, VT 59:606–629. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1163/004249309X12493729132673
______ 2009b. What is Late Biblical Hebrew?, in Zvi, Edelman and Polal 2009:253–268. DOI: https://doi.org/10.31826/9781463216740-013
Young, I (ed.) 2003. Biblical Hebrew: studies in chronology and typology. London: T. & T. Clark.
Young, I, Rezetko, R and Ehrensvärd, M 2008. Linguistic dating of biblical texts: an introduction to approaches and problems. 2 vols. London: Equinox Publishing.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
