Basic HTML Version
A number of texts from various parts of the Near East contain West Semitic words
and phrases. The most important of these are the tablets from the ancient Egyptian city of
Amarna. These tablets were written by the petty rulers of the Egyptian colonies of Syria-
Palestine and by their overlord, the pharaoh. The tablets from the minor princes were
written in Babylonian; but when the correspondent’s scribe did not know the proper
Babylonian word to express a certain idea, he substituted a Canaanite "gloss." These
glosses tell us much about the words and spellings that were used in Palestine during the
time when Paleo-Hebrew emerged as a distinct language.
The Hebrew language probably came into existence during the patriarchal period,
about 2000 B.C. The language was reduced to writing in about 1250 B.C., and the earliest
extant Hebrew inscription dates from about 1000 B. C. These early inscriptions were
carved on stone; the oldest known Hebrew scrolls were found in the Qumran caves near
the Dead Sea, and they date from the third century B.C. While some secular Hebrew texts
have survived, the primary source for our knowledge of classical Hebrew is the Old
Testament itself.
B. The Origin of the Hebrew Writing System.
Greek tradition claims that
Phoenicians invented the alphabet. Actually, this is only partially true, since the
Phoenician writing system was not an alphabet as we know it today. It was a simplified
syllabary
system-in other words, its various symbols represent syllables rather than
separate vocal components. The Hebrew writing system grew out of the Phoenician
system.
The Hebrew writing system gradually changed over the centuries. From 1000 to 200
B.C., a rounded script (Old Phoenician style) was used. This script was last used for
copying the biblical text and may be seen in the Dead Sea Scrolls. But after the Jews
returned from their Babylonian Captivity, they began to use the square script of the
Aramaic language, which was the official language of the Persian Empire. Jewish scribes
adopted the Aramaic book hand, a more precise form of the script. When Jesus
mentioned the "jot" and "little" of the Mosaic Law, He was referring to manuscripts in
the square script. The book hand is used in all printed editions of the Hebrew Bible.
C. A Concise History of the Hebrew Bible.
Undoubtedly the text of the Hebrew
Bible was updated and revised several times in antiquity, and there was more than one
textual tradition. Many archaic words in the Pentateuch suggest that Moses used early
cuneiform documents in compiling his account of history. Scribes of the royal court
under David and Solomon probably revised the text and updated obscure expressions.
Apparently certain historical books, such as First and Second Kings and First and Second
Chronicles, represent the official annals of the kingdom. These books represent the
historical tradition of the priestly class.
The message of the prophets was probably written down sometime after the prophets
delivered their message. There is a variety of writing styles among the prophetic books;
and several, such as Amos and Hosea, seem to be closer to colloquial speech.
The text of the Old Testament was probably revised again during the time of King
Josiah after the Book of Law was rediscovered (Second Kings 22-27; Second Chronicles
24-35). This would have taken place about 620 B.C. The next two centuries, which
brought the Babylonian Captivity, were the most momentous times in the history of
Israel. When the Jews began to rebuild Jerusalem under Ezra and Nehemiah in 450 B.C.,
their common speech was the Aramaic language of the Persian court. This language