A Thousand Times, No: ʾlf does not Mean 'Contingent' in the Deuteronomistic History
One solution regularly offered to the problem of historically implausible numbers in Joshua - 2 Kings is that the term ʾlf, normally translated 'thousand', actually refers to a 'contingent of armed men'. This article argues that 'contingent' is not a plausible translati...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Peeters
[2018]
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| In: |
Biblica
Year: 2018, Volume: 99, Issue: 4, Pages: 484-506 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Old Testament
/ Hebrew language
/ Number
/ ʾlf
/ Translation
|
| IxTheo Classification: | HB Old Testament |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | One solution regularly offered to the problem of historically implausible numbers in Joshua - 2 Kings is that the term ʾlf, normally translated 'thousand', actually refers to a 'contingent of armed men'. This article argues that 'contingent' is not a plausible translation for ʾlf in the Deuteronomistic History. The argument focuses on grammatical evidence, as there are several unique ways that the term ʾlf behaves grammatically like a numeral when it is used in conjunction with other numerals, and comparative evidence, as other ANE battle narratives do not enumerate numbers of contingents when reporting numbers of troops and casualties. |
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| ISSN: | 2385-2062 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Biblica
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2143/BIB.99.4.3285660 |