The syntax of cardinal numerals in Judges, Amos, Esther, and 1QM

The studies currently available on the syntax of cardinal numerals are either too narrow, too brief, or significantly dated. In this study, I establish a new methodology for considering cardinal numerals and provide a preliminary description of numeral syntax based on evidence in Judges, Amos, Esther, and 1QM. I also explore the potential for identifying diachronic change in Ancient Hebrew on the basis of numeral syntax

Is rewriting translation? Chronicles and jubilees in light of intralingual translation

This study considers the process of rewriting under a lens provided by the field of Translation Studies. One subset of translation, called “intralingual translation,” is translation within the same language. This concept provides a new paradigm in which to analyze “rewritten” texts, such as Chronicles and Jubilees. These texts contain changes that can be categorized within the paradigm of intralingual translation, showing that translation overlaps with rewriting and shedding significant light on the latter

A new approach to using the old Greek in Hebrew bible textual criticism

Emanuel Tov’s published methodology for using the Old Greek in textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible has been the gold standard for all such methods. I present a new approach by building on Tov’s methodology. Although Tov accounts for the reality of Hebrew variants within the mind of the translator, he explores the idea only with regards to scribal errors, leaving most changes stemming from “contextual exegesis” to be categorized as inner-translational and inadmissible in the text critical endeavor. I argue for an extension of Tov’s method by considering other ways in which a scribe working in Hebrew could have made the changes commonly attributed to the translator. In contrast to Tov’s method, I suggest we center our use of the Old Greek in textual criticism around one main criterion: if Hebrew can be reconstructed on the basis of clear translation patterns, the evidence should be used in textual criticism

The syntax of cardinal numerals in Judges, Amos, Esther, and 1QM

The studies currently available on the syntax of cardinal numerals are either too narrow, too brief, or significantly dated. In this study, I establish a new methodology for considering cardinal numerals and provide a preliminary description of numeral syntax based on evidence in Judges, Amos, Esther, and 1QM. I also explore the potential for identifying diachronic change in Ancient Hebrew on the basis of numeral syntax

The syntax of complex adding numerals and Hebrew diachrony

The syntax of complex adding numerals and its apparent development in Ancient Hebrew contribute several new pieces to the puzzle of Hebrew diachrony and, consequently, to the dating of biblical texts. I describe undiscussed aspects of the structure of adding numerals and analyze the distribution of structural types according to diachrony. I also provide a diachronic analysis of the order of adding numerals that challenges the traditional position. The syntactical phenomena of adding numerals confirm the idea that the Hebrew in the biblical texts changed over time. Although the diachronic progression of adding-numeral syntax argues against a strict periodization of Hebrew into two stages, the evidence of adding numerals is compatible with the traditional model of Hebrew diachrony

Some oddities of Ancient Hebrew numeral syntax

This study considers two oddities of the syntax of Ancient Hebrew cardinal numerals: first, numerals participate to greater or lesser extent—depending on the numeral—in both adjectival and nominal syntax; second, some nouns appear in the singular when quantified by numerals with the value eleven or higher, though there are exceptions with the very same nouns. Are numerals adjectives or nouns, and why does each numeral behave in different ways? Numerals in Hebrew—as in most or all languages—are properties of sets, and as such they behave both like adjectives and like nouns. Their underlying semantics result in a diversity of morpho-syntactic and syntactic features. Why do some nouns usually appear in the singular with numerals eleven and higher, and why are there exceptions? The use of the singular with numerals eleven and higher is a feature from older Hebrew. In our extant evidence, it is found only with high-use phrases, where the older feature is preserved. Exceptions arise because old features sometimes occur even after they are replaced, because high use phrases—not high use nouns—preserve the earlier feature, and because the structure of complex adding numerals sometimes precludes analysis of the noun as quantified by the entire adding numeral

Horizons in textual criticism: New approaches and new questions

On 10–11 May 2017, we convened a colloquium, “Horizons in Textual Criticism,” at the University of Oxford. The colloquium brought together an international cohort of text-critics, in conversation on new methodologies and perspectives in textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible and related texts. Focusing on engagement and discussion, the colloquium maximized opportunity for feedback, including key input from senior scholars in the field: Ron Hendel, Jan Joosten, Michael Segal, Alison Salvesen, and Hugh Williamson. Five of the papers from that colloquium are presented in this section of Textus

Horizons in textual criticism: New approaches and new questions

On 10–11 May 2017, we convened a colloquium, “Horizons in Textual Criticism,” at the University of Oxford. The colloquium brought together an international cohort of text-critics, in conversation on new methodologies and perspectives in textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible and related texts. Focusing on engagement and discussion, the colloquium maximized opportunity for feedback, including key input from senior scholars in the field: Ron Hendel, Jan Joosten, Michael Segal, Alison Salvesen, and Hugh Williamson. Five of the papers from that colloquium are presented in this section of Textus