Preliminary Material / T. Muraoka --Preface / T. Muraoka --On Transliteration / T. Muraoka --Introduction / T. Muraoka --Word-Order / T. Muraoka --Personal Pronoun with Verbum Finitum / T. Muraoka --Personal Pronoun (cont.) / T. Muraoka --Pronominal Copula / T. Muraoka --Infinitive Absolute / T. Muraoka --Casus Pendens / T. Muraoka --Particles / T. Muraoka --Some Concluding Remarks / T. Muraoka --Abbreviations / T. Muraoka --Bibliography / T. Muraoka --Index of Biblical Passages / T. Muraoka.

During the past century, numerous books and articles have appeared on the verbal system of Semitic languages. Thanks to the discovery of Ugaritic texts, Akkadian tablets, Canaanite letters found at Tell el-Amarna in Egypt, Hebrew and Aramaic inscriptions, and the Dead Sea Scrolls, our understanding of the phonology, morphology, and syntax of the Semitic languages has increased substantially. Dallaire focuses primarily on prose texts in Biblical Hebrew and Amarna Canaanite in which the verbal system (morphemes, syntax) expresses nuances of wishes, desires, requests, and commands. According to her, volitional concepts are found in every language and are expressed through verbal morphemes, syntagmas, intonation, syntax, and other linguistic means. The Syntax of Volitives in Biblical Hebrew and Amarna Canaanite Prose attempts to answer the following questions: Do volitives function in a similar way in Biblical Hebrew and Amarna Canaanite? Where and why is there overlap in morphology and syntax between these two languages? What morphological and syntactical differences exist between the volitional expressions of the languages? In attempting to answer these questions, the author bears in mind the fact that, within each of these two languages, scribes from different areas used specific dialectal and scribal traditions (for example, northern versus southern, peripheral versus central).

This book addresses the problem of temporal interpretation within narrative of the biblical Hebrew verb, thus exploring the broader issue of the expression of time in language and the ways in which we can attempt to understand and represent it. Tal Goldfajn offers a summary of this controversy, which has been argued over since at least the tenth century, presenting previous scholarly opinions and theories. She argues that one possible way of understanding the fundamental meanings of the Hebrew verbs is by examining the role played in ordering time by the four main verb forms used in biblical Hebrew narrative. Accordingly, emphasis is given to the intersentential use of these forms and the variety of interesting ways in which they establish the order of events.

Analysis of text structures has been a dominant feature in Biblical studies for quite some time. More recently, scholars have focused on rhetorical strategies that have been employed in Biblical texts. In this volume, rhetorical as well as structural approaches to the Hebrew Bible have been brought together. It contains studies on a range of topics and on a good many texts and textual corpuses. Interpretation culminates in translation. The contributors to this volume have discussed the implications of their findings for Bible translators. Many of these translational implications have been put together in an epilogue. The volume thus not only intends to show the present state of our knowledge of literary and rhetorical techniques employed in the Bible; on these points it aims to be a selective guide to translators as well. The volume has been edited by Lenart de Regt, Jan de Waard (both of the Free University of Amsterdam), and Jan Fokkelman (Leiden University).

Meeting the need for a textbook for classroom use after first year Hebrew grammar, Waltke and O'Connor integrate the results of modern linguistic study of Hebrew and years of experience teaching the subject in this book. In addition to functioning as a teaching grammar, this work will also be widely used for reference and self-guided instruction in Hebrew beyond the first formal year. Extensive discussion and explanation of grammatical points help to sort out points blurred in introductory books. More than 3,500 Biblical Hebrew examples illustrate the points of grammar under discussion. Four indexes (Scripture, Authorities cited, Hebrew words, and Topics) provide ready access to the vast array of information found in the 40 chapters. Destined to become a classic work, this long-awaited book fills a major gap among modern publications on Biblical Hebrew.

This is a publication of papers presented and discussed at the first international congress on the Hebrew language of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the book of Ben Sira held in Leiden in December, 1995. The papers deal with various aspects of the grammar, syntax, and lexicon of the Hebrew of the post-biblical texts.