The essays in this volume arose out of the Society of Biblical Literature section on linguistics and Biblical Hebrew and have been selected to provide a summary and statement of the state of the question with regard to a number of areas of investigation. The sixteen articles are organized into sections on phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, discourse analysis, historical/comparative linguistics, and graphemics.

Based on papers presented at the 16th World Congress of Jewish Studies.

Modern linguistics is a relative newcomer in the scientific world, and text-linguistics, or discourse analysis, is one of its youngest disciplines. This fact has inclined many toward scepticism of its value for the Hebraist, yet much benefit is thereby overlooked. In this work, the author examines recent contributions to Hebrew text-linguistics by Niccacci, Andersen, Eskhult, Khan, and Longacre, evaluating them against a twofold standard of theoretical and methodological integrity, and clarity of communication. An extensive introduction to one particularly promising model of text analysis (from Longacre's tagmemic school) is given, and a step-by-step methodology is presented. Analyses according to this model and methodology are given of seven extended text samples, each building on the findings of the previous analyses: Judg. 2; Lev. 14.1-32; Lev. 6.1-7.37; parallel instructions and historical reports about the building of the Tabernacle, from Exodus 25-40; Judg. 10.6-12.7; and the book of Ruth in its entirety. Considerable attention is given to the question of text-linguistics and reported speech.

Many linguistic tools and methods are applied to biblical texts in order to gain meaning from them. Such applications do not always take into account the perspective of the investigators, the presuppositions of the method used and the nature of the material to which it is applied. These are all factors that influence the meaning obtained from the text. Sue Groom takes us through the pitfalls and limitations of the various methods available and considers textual transmission, diachronic and dialectical variation and the impact these have on the relationship between reader, author and text. Combining a critical account of long established approaches to Hebrew meanings with a lucid introduction to newer and more recent methods such as lexical semantics and text linguistics, this illuminating read will be of interest to those who have previously studied Hebrew as well as those who know no Hebrew or would like to start somewhere.

We rarely think about the way languages work because communicating in our native tongue comes so naturally to us. The Bible was written in ancient Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek—languages no modern reader can claim to have a native understanding of. A better understanding of how language works should help us understand the Bible better as we seek to discern the original intent and meaning of each biblical author. In this book, you will get a basic introduction to the field of linguistics—its history, its key concepts, its major schools of thought, and how its insights can shed light on various problems in biblical Hebrew and Greek. Numerous examples illustrate linguistic concepts, and technical terminology is clearly defined. Learn how the study of language can enhance your Bible study.

!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" html meta content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1" http-equiv="content-type" body A philologically robust approach to the history of ancient Hebrew In this book the authors work toward constructing an approach to the history of ancient Hebrew that overcomes the chasm of academic specialization. The authors illustrate how cross-textual variable analysis and variation analysis advance research on Biblical Hebrew and correct theories based on extra-linguistic assumptions, intuitions, and ideologies by focusing on variation of forms/uses in the Masoretic text and variation between the Masoretic text and other textual traditions. Features: A unique approach that examines the nature of the sources and the description of their language together Extensive bibliography for further research Tables of linguistic variables and parallels

Advances in the Study of Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic by Benjamin J. Noonan examines issues of interest in the current world of Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic scholarship and their impact on understanding the Old Testament; it provides an accessible introduction for students, pastors, professors, and commentators to understand these important issues.