Table Of ContentBEYOND BABEL
Resources for Biblical Study
Steven L. McKenzie
Editor
Number 42
BEYOND BABEL
A Handbook for Biblical Hebrew and Related Languages
BEYOND BABEL
A Handbook for Biblical Hebrew
and Related Languages
Edited by
John Kaltner and Steven L. McKenzie
Society of Biblical Literature
Atlanta
BEYOND BABEL
A Handbook for Biblical Hebrew and Related Languages
Copyright © 2002 by the Society of Biblical Literature
All rights reserved.No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by
any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by means of
any information storage or retrieval system, except as may be expressly permitted by the 1976
Copyright Act or in writing from the publisher. Requests for permission should be addressed
in writing to the Rights and Permissions Office, Society of Biblical Literature, 825 Houston Mill
Road, Atlanta, GA 30329 USA.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Beyond Babel : a handbook for biblical Hebrew and related languages / edited by Steven
McKenzie & John Kaltner.
p. cm. — (Resources for biblical study ; no. 42)
ISBN 1-58983-035-0
1. Middle Eastern philology. 2. Semitic philology. 3. Middle East—Languages—
Grammar, Comparative. 4. Middle Eastern literature—Relation to the Old Testament
5. Bible. O.T.—Criticism, interpretation, etc. I. McKenzie, Steven L., 1953- II. Kaltner, John,
1954- III. Series.
PJ25 .B54 2002b
492—dc21 2002011759
10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
CONTENTS
Preface ..........................................................................................................vii
Abbreviations..................................................................................................ix
Introduction ....................................................................................................1
John Huehnergard, Harvard University
Akkadian........................................................................................................19
David Marcus, Jewish Theological Seminary of America
Ammonite, Edomite, and Moabite ..............................................................43
Simon B. Parker, Boston University
Arabic ............................................................................................................61
John Kaltner, Rhodes College
Aramaic..........................................................................................................93
Frederick E. Greenspahn, University of Denver
Egyptian ......................................................................................................109
Donald B. Redford, Pennsylvania State University
Hebrew (Biblical and Epigraphic)..............................................................139
Jo Ann Hackett, Harvard University
Hebrew (Postbiblical)..................................................................................157
Baruch A. Levine, New York University
Hittite............................................................................................................183
Harry A. Hoffner Jr., The University of Chicago
Phoenician ..................................................................................................207
Charles R. Krahmalkov, The University of Michigan
Ugaritic ........................................................................................................223
Peggy L. Day, University of Winnipeg
PREFACE
The intent behind this book is to provide a general orientation to the
languages of importance for the study of the Hebrew Bible for readers who
have not had detailed exposure to those languages. We hope that the book
will be particularly useful to students who are just beginning their aca-
demic careers in the study of the Hebrew Bible. But it should also find an
audience among those who have not had detailed exposure to one or
more of the languages discussed here and who would like to cultivate at
least a rudimentary acquaintance with it or them. The chapters do presup-
pose familiarity with biblical Hebrew, although we have included a chapter
on biblical and inscriptional Hebrew that situates this material within its
broader linguistic context. Indeed, many readers may find it helpful to
begin with this chapter before moving to less-familiar territory.
The languages treated here are those that, in our estimation, are the
most significant for the study of the Hebrew Bible for purposes of com-
parative grammar and lexicography or for comparative history and
literature, or both. Other languages might have been included. We consid-
ered including a chapter on Sumerian but ultimately decided that, given
our readership, the linguistic and literary connections with the Hebrew
Bible were not strong enough to warrant a separate chapter. Greek litera-
ture is increasingly cited in recent Hebrew Bible scholarship for its
comparative value. However, we deemed it most appropriate to reserve
it—along with other languages that are especially important in textual crit-
icism (Syriac included)—for treatment in a potential companion volume
dealing with the New Testament. Failing such a volume, and granted a sec-
ond chance (or edition) of the present work, the addition of Greek and
Sumerian, and possibly other languages, may be appropriate.
As authors for each chapter we sought specialists with proven records
of publication in the language that is the subject of the chapter. We were
most gratified by the gracious acceptance of those whom we contacted
and are deeply grateful for their generosity and excellent work. In an
effort to provide consistency between chapters, we proposed a three-part
format for authors to follow: an overview of the language, its significance
for the study of the Bible, and ancient sources and modern resources for
study of the language and its literature. It will be immediately evident that
this format is less suitable for some languages included in this volume
than for others. Again we are most grateful to the contributors both for
viii PREFACE
their adherence to the format where possible and for their creativity in
adapting it to the needs of their subject languages.
Finally, we are grateful to the Society of Biblical Literature for pub-
lishing this volume in the Society of Biblical Literature Resources for
Biblical Study series, to Rex Matthews and Leigh Andersen for shepherd-
ing it especially through the transition process from Scholars Press to SBL,
and to Bob Buller for his copy editing and typesetting. We are particularly
delighted that a simultaneous hardback edition published by Brill will
make this volume easily available to a European readership.
ABBREVIATIONS
GENERAL
acc. accusative
Akk Akkadian
BH biblical Hebrew
C consonant
CA Classical Arabic
com. common
fem. feminine
gen. genitive
Heb. Hebrew
LBH Late Biblical Hebrew
LXX Septuagint
MA Middle Arabic
masc. masculine
MH MMiisshhnnaaiicc HHeebbrreeww
MMTT Masoretic Text
NH New Hittite
nom. nominative
NS New Script
OH Old Hittite
OS Old Script
OSA Old South Arabian
PBEH postbiblical epigraphic Hebrew
PBH postbiblical Hebrew
PIE (Proto) Indo-European
pl. plural
PN personal name
PS Proto-Semitic
SBH Standard Biblical Hebrew
sg. singular
V vowel
PRIMARY SOURCES
Ant. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities
b. Babylonian Talmud
B. Bat. Baba Batra
x ABBREVIATIONS
B. Qam. Baba Qamma
Ber. Berakot
Bik. Bikkurim
(Ed. (Eduyyot
Git.† Gitt†i†n
Sot†. Sot†ah
Gen. Rab. Genesis Rabbah
m. Mishnah
Sanh. Sanhedrin
t. Tosefta
y. Jerusalem Talmud
SECONDARY SOURCES
ÄAT Ägypten und Altes Testament
ABD Anchor Bible Dictionary.Edited by D. N. Freedman. 6 vols.
New York:Doubleday, 1992.
AcOr Acta orientalia
ADPV Abhandlungen des deutschen Palästinavereins
AfO Archiv für Orientforschung
AfOB Archiv für Orientforschung: Beiheft
AION Annali dell’Istituto Orientale di Napoli
AJSL American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literature
ANET Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament.
Edited by J. B. Pritchard. 3d ed. Princeton, N.J.:Princeton
University Press, 1969.
AnOr Analecta orientalia
AnSt Anatolian Studies
AOAT Alter Orient und Altes Testament
AoF Altorientalische Forschungen
AOS American Oriental Series
ArOr Archiv Orientální
AUSS Andrews University Seminary Studies
BA Biblical Archaeologist
BaghM Baghdader Mitteilungen
BAR Biblical Archaeology Review
BASOR Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research
BDB Brown, F., S. R. Driver, and C. A. Briggs, A Hebrew and
English Lexicon of the Old Testament. Oxford: Oxford
University Press, 1907.
BHS Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. Edited by K. Elliger and
W. Rudolph. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 1983.
Bib Biblica
