Abstract
For two centuries, scholars have pointed to consistent differences in the Hebrew of certain biblical texts and interpreted these differences as reflecting the date of composition of the texts. Until the 1980s, this was quite uncontroversial as the linguistic findings largely confirmed the chronology of the texts established by other means: the Hebrew of Genesis-2 Kings was judged to be early and that of Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Chronicles to be late. In the current debate where revisionists have questioned the traditional dating, linguistic arguments in the dating of texts have come more into focus. The study critically examines some linguistic arguments adduced to support the traditional position, and reviewing the arguments it points to weaknesses in the linguistic dating of EBH texts to pre-exilic times. When viewing the linguistic evidence in isolation it will be clear that a post-exilic date for the (final linguistic form of the) EBH texts is more likely.
| Translated title of the contribution | Linguistic Dating of Biblical Texts |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Title of host publication | Biblical Hebrew: Studies in Chronology and Typology |
| Editors | Ian Young |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Publisher | T & T Clark |
| Publication date | 2003 |
| Pages | 164-88 |
| Publication status | Published - 2003 |