Zechariah and the Dating of Biblical Hebrew

Martin Gustaf Ehrensvärd

Zechariah and the Dating of Biblical Hebrew

Section of Biblical Exegesis

Abstract

The data presented in the article indicate clearly that the ability to write proper EBH did not end with the exile; but when did it end? In the course of the fifth century, or the fourth century, or even later? This is difficult to resolve, on linguistic grounds. On linguistic grounds, can we say that P and parts of Jeremiah are unlikely to stem from, say, the fifth century? No. On linguistic grounds, can we say that redactors and scribes are unlikely to have revised and expanded EBH texts in the centuries following the exile? No. To say that they did not do so would contradict the conventional conclusions of most biblical scholars.
Considering only linguistic data, texts in EBH could have been composed after the exile. Other, non-linguistic considerations can make this unlikely, but we can raise no objections from a linguistic viewpoint to such a dating.

Translated title of the contribution	Zechariah and the Dating of Biblical Hebrew
Original language	English
Journal	Hebrew Studies
Volume	47
Pages (from-to)	78-89
Number of pages	12
ISSN	0146-4094
Publication status	Published - 2006

Cite this

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title = "Zechariah and the Dating of Biblical Hebrew",

abstract = "The data presented in the article indicate clearly that the ability to write proper EBH did not end with the exile; but when did it end? In the course of the fifth century, or the fourth century, or even later? This is difficult to resolve, on linguistic grounds. On linguistic grounds, can we say that P and parts of Jeremiah are unlikely to stem from, say, the fifth century? No. On linguistic grounds, can we say that redactors and scribes are unlikely to have revised and expanded EBH texts in the centuries following the exile? No. To say that they did not do so would contradict the conventional conclusions of most biblical scholars. Considering only linguistic data, texts in EBH could have been composed after the exile. Other, non-linguistic considerations can make this unlikely, but we can raise no objections from a linguistic viewpoint to such a dating. ",

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AB - The data presented in the article indicate clearly that the ability to write proper EBH did not end with the exile; but when did it end? In the course of the fifth century, or the fourth century, or even later? This is difficult to resolve, on linguistic grounds. On linguistic grounds, can we say that P and parts of Jeremiah are unlikely to stem from, say, the fifth century? No. On linguistic grounds, can we say that redactors and scribes are unlikely to have revised and expanded EBH texts in the centuries following the exile? No. To say that they did not do so would contradict the conventional conclusions of most biblical scholars. Considering only linguistic data, texts in EBH could have been composed after the exile. Other, non-linguistic considerations can make this unlikely, but we can raise no objections from a linguistic viewpoint to such a dating.

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VL - 47

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EP - 89

JO - Hebrew Studies

JF - Hebrew Studies

ER -