The Significance of Linguistic Diversity in the Hebrew Bible: Language and Boundaries of Self and Other (Forschungen Zum Alten Testament)

Cover
Title
Preface
Table of Contents
List of Abbreviations
Chapter 1: Introduction
	I. Overview
	II. History of Research
	III. Methodological Considerations: Sociolinguistics
	IV. Contributions
		A. Sociolinguistics and the Study of the Hebrew Bible
		B. The Topic of Language across the Ancient Near East
		C. Hebrew’s Emerging Significance in the Late Second Temple Period and Beyond
	V. Outline of the Study
Chapter 2: The Language of Languages in the Hebrew Bible
	I. Words Meaning “a Language” in the Hebrew Bible
		A. לשׁון (Heb.), “Tongue; Speech, Talk; a Language”
			1a. לשׁון as "Linguistic Community"
			2a. לשׁון as "a Language": Uncertain Cases
		B.לשׁן  (Aram.), “Linguistic Community”
		C.שׁפה  (Heb.), “Lip; Speech; Language”
		D. Words for Languages: Summary
	II. Naming Languages: Glottonymy in the Hebrew Bible
		A. Sociolinguistic Considerations
		B. The Glottonyms of the Hebrew Bible
			1. Glottonyms with Suffix -ît: Form and Syntax
			2. Glottonyms of the Form “Language of X”
			3. Glottonyms Synthesis: Language and Peoplehood, and the Question of Kinds of Language Variety
	III. Expressing Foreign Language: לעז , “Speaking Unintelligibly” (Ps 114:1)
		A. Meaning of לעז
		B. The Use of לעז in Ps 114
		C. The Egyptian Language in Ps 114 and Elsewhere
	IV. Chapter Summary
Chapter 3: The Past and Future of Linguistic Diversity
	I. The Origins of Linguistic Diversity
		A. The Table of Nations (Gen 10): Language, Clan, Land, and Nation
			1a. 
ללשׁכתם, “By their languages”: Language and Ethnic Boundaries
			2. Accounting for and Evaluating Linguistic Diversity in Gen 10
		B. The Tower of Babel Episode (Gen 11:1–9)
			1. Text and Context
			2. Form: The Unity of Gen 11:1–9
			3. “The Spell of Nudimmud”: A Sumerian Parallel to Gen 11:1–9?
			4. “Language” in Gen 11:1–9: Terminology
			5. The Ills of Linguistic Unity: The Question of Anti-Imperialism in Gen 11:1–9
			6. The Ills of Linguistic Diversity: Confusion as Punishment or Foiling?
			7. Language and Languages in Gen 11:1–9
		C. Relationship between Gen 10 and Gen 11:1–9
	II. The Future of Language: Linguistic Diversity and the Religious Community of Yahweh
		A. “Purified Speech”: Zeph 3:9
			1. Text and Context
			2a. 
שׁפה כדזדה , “Purified Speech”
			3. Relationship to Gen 11:1–9
			4. Hebrew as the Purified Speech?
		B. The Language of Canaan in Five Cities of Egypt: Isa 19:18
			1. Text and Context
			2. Interpretation
		C. Ten Men from All the Linguistic Communities: Zech 8:23
		D. Summary
	III. A Divine Language? The Unknown Speech of Ps 81:6
		A. Text and Context
		B. Interpretation of  שׁפה לא ידעחי אשׁמע
			1. The Speaker of Ps 81:6c
			2. Meaning and Referent of שׁפה
			3. The Syntax of  שׁפה לא ידעחי
			C. General Assessment
	IV. Chapter Summary
Chapter 4: The Representation of Linguistic Difference through Style-Switching
	I. Style and Switching in Sociolinguistics
	II. Style-Switching in the Hebrew Bible to Represent Linguistic Difference
		A. Methodological Difficulties
		B. Procedural Controls
			1. Distribution
			2. Opposition
			3. Concentration
			4. Attestation in Non-Hebrew Sources
			5. The “Foreign” Factor
	III. Case Studies
		A. Genesis 31
		B. Exodus 18
		C. Judges 12:6
			1. The Shibboleth Incident
			2. Nature of the Sound Difference Indicated
		D. Isaiah 21:11–12
		E. Ruth
	IV. Style-Switching and the Conceptualization of Linguistic Diversity
		A. Recognizing the Specifics of Linguistic Diversity
		B. Increasing Our Understanding of Israel’s Linguistic Map
		C. Israelite Distinctiveness
			1. Claim 1: Style-Switching is a Distinctively Israelite Device
			2. Claim 2: Through Style-Switching the Biblical Authors were Attempting to Demonstrate Israel’s Distinctiveness among the Nations
	V. Chapter Summary
Chapter 5: Code-Switching: Jeremiah’s Message to the Idolaters and the Rabshakeh Episode
	I. Jeremiah 10:11: An Aramaic Message for Idolaters
		A. Text and Context
		B. Date
		C. Code-Switching in Jer 10:1–16
		D. Summary
	II. Code-Switching, Aramaic, and Judaean in the Speech of the Rabshakeh (2 Kgs 18//Isa 36)
		A. 2 Kgs 18:26–28 (//Isa 36:11–13): Text, Context, and Date
		B. The Judaean Officials’ Request to Code-Switch, and the Rabshakeh’s Refusal
		C. The Rabshakeh’s Knowledge of Judaean
	III. Sennacherib’s Message in 2 Chronicles 32
	IV. Chapter Summary
Chapter 6: The Invasion of the Alloglot Nation
	I. Jer 5:15
		A. Text and Context
		B. Interpretation
	II. Deut 28:49
		A. Text and Context
		B. Interpretation
		C. Relationship to Jer 5:15–17
		D. Parallels in Other Ancient Near Eastern Literature
	III. Isa 28:11
		A. Text and Context
		B. Meaning of the Root לעכ in כלעכי שׁפה (Isa 28:11) and כלעי לשׁזך (Isa 33:19)
		C. Interpretation
		D. Verse 11
	IV. Isa 33:19
		A. Text and Context
		B. Interpretation
		C.  כןעזּ
		D. Structure
	V. Ezek 3:5–6
		A. Text and Context
		B. Understanding עמקי שׁפה and  כברי לשׁזך
		C. Relation to Passages Already Examined
	VI. The Alloglot-Invader Theme in Narrative? The Case of the Rabshakeh
	VII. Dynamics of the Alloglot-Invader Theme
	VIII. History of the Tradition
	IX. Barbarity
	X. Chapter Summary
Chapter 7: Translation, Bilingualism, and Normative Language Ideology in the Books of Esther, Daniel, and Ezra-Nehemiah
	I. High Relative Frequency of References to Linguistic Diversity in Esther, Daniel, and Ezra-Nehemiah
	II. Translation and Interpretation
		A. Gen 42:23
			1. Context
			2. Interpretation: מליץ
			3. Narrative Function
		B. Translation and the Royal Edicts in the Book of Esther
		C. Translation in Ezra 4:7
			1. Interpretation
			2. The Role of Translation in Ezra 4
		D. The Interpretation of the Book of the Law of God (Neh 8:8)
		E. Translation in these Texts
	III. Bilingualism in Daniel and Ezra
		A. Dan 1:3–4
			1. Interpretation
			2a. ספר ולשּׁון כשׂדים : Literature (or Writing) and Language of the Chaldeans
		B. The Bilingual Book of Daniel
		C. The Bilingual Book of Ezra
		D. The Linguistic Situation of the Judaeans in the Persian Period
	IV. Normative Language Ideology
		A. Synecdoche in the Use of לשׁך  and  לשׁזך
		B. Potential Indications of Normative Language Ideology in Esther
			1. Esth 1:22
			2. Esth 8:9
		C. Normative Language Ideology in Neh 13
			1. Text and Context
			2. The Identity of  אשׁרזריח
			3. Explaining Nehemiah’s Reaction
		D. Summary of Normative Language Ideology
	V. Chapter Summary
Chapter 8: Conclusion
	I. Diachronic Considerations
	II. The Encounter with Empire
	III. The Biblical Authors’ Understanding of Their Own Language
	IV. The Significance of Linguistic Diversity in the Hebrew Bible
	V. Avenues for Future Research
Bibliography
Index of References
Index of Modern Authors
Index of Subjects