Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew

by Walter R. Bodine

Publisher:

Eisenbrauns

, 1992

Overview

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 research in this area. The sixteen articles are organized into sections on phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, discourse analysis, historical/comparative linguistics, and graphemics.

Contents

Introduction

• Walter R. Bodine - The Study of Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew

Phonology: Structural

• Monica S. Devens - What Descriptive Phonologists Do: One Approach to the Study of Language, with Particular Attention to Biblical Hebrew
• E. J. Revell - The Development of Segol in an Open Syllable as a Reflex of a: An Exercise in Descriptive Phonology

Phonology: Generative

• Edward L. Greenstein - An Introduction to a Generative Phonology of Biblical Hebrew
• Gregory Enos - Phonological Considerations in the Study of Hebrew Phonetics: An Introductory Discussion

Morphology

• W. Randall Garr - The Linguistic Study of Morphology
• Gary A. Rendsburg - Morphological Evidence for Regional Dialects in Ancient Hebrew

Syntax

• Walter R. Bodine - How Linguists Study Syntax
• Barry L. Bandstra - Word Order and Emphasis in Biblical Hebrew Narrative: Syntactic Observations on Genesis 22 from a Discourse Perspective

Semantics

• Harold P. Scanlin - The Study of Semantics in General Linguistics
• James Barr - Hebrew Lexicography: Informal Thoughts

Discourse Analysis

• Peter J. MacDonald - Discourse Analysis and Biblical Interpretation
• R. E. Longacre - Discourse Perspective on the Hebrew Verb: Affirmation and Restatement

Historical/Comparative Linguistics

• Alice Faber - Innovation, Retention, and Language Comparison: An Introduction to Historical/Comparative Linguistics
• John Huehnergard - Historical Phonology and the Hebrew Piel

Graphemics

• M. O'Connor - Writing Systems and Native-Speaker Analyses
• Stephen J. Lieberman - Toward a Graphemics of the Tiberian Bible

Top Highlights

“meaning is not a possession; it is a set of relations for which a verbal symbol is a sign.” (Page 127)

“meaning exists only where systematic sets of contrasts exist” (Page 127)

“there exists a universal set of semantic features of which every language has a subset” (Page 128)

“The fundamental question, then, is, ‘What is meaning?’” (Page 127)

“The perfect makes possible the inclusion of participant-oriented actions or backgrounded actions which are one or two steps removed from the primary storyline, which is carried by the preterite.” (Pages 178–179)

Praise for the Print Edition

The authors, editor, and publisher are to be congratulated for a handsomely produced volume which introduces philologists and biblical scholars to linguistics through accessible, jargon-free definitions and explanations of linguistic theory. The introductory essays...provide helpful introductions to the basic areas of linguistic inquiry; those on morphology, discourse analysis, and graphemics are classics.

– Cynthia L. Miller, North Carolina State University
in Hebrew Studies (Vol. XXXVI, 1995

Bodine's assemblage is broad and impressive...Careful reading of this book will make the reader more appreciative of the contributions and promise that linguistics holds for biblical studies, particularly in the area of Biblical Hebrew.

– Robert D. Bergen, Hannibal-LaGrange College
in Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society (June 1996)

...represents a valuable addition to the literature on classical Hebrew. Linguistic and Biblical Hebrew then concludes with a useful, though selective bibliography. The book itself if neatly typeset, securely bound, and reasonbly priced.

– Richard L. Goerwitz, The University of Chicago
in Journal of Near Eastern Studies (Vol. 55, No. 3, 1996)

Neither the philologist nor the linguist will put this anthology down without having learned something useful and significant.

– Brian M. Sietsema, Merriam-Webster, Inc., and Westfield State College
in  Language (Vol. 70, No. 3, 1994)

Product Details

• Title: Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew
• Author: Walter R. Bodine
• Publisher: Eisenbrauns
• Print Publication Date: 1992
• Logos Release Date: 2005
• Era: era:contemporary
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
• Subjects: Linguistics; Bible. O.T. › Language, style; Hebrew language › Grammar
• ISBNs: 9780931464553, 0931464552
• Resource ID: LLS:LNGSTBIBHEB
• Resource Type: Grammar
• Metadata Last Updated: 2026-01-08T16:16:16Z