Keywords
Comparative Method of Moshe Held
Aramaic
Hebrew
Akkadian
How to Cite
Abstract
This article investigates two probable cases of Akkadian linguistic influence in Isa 50 and asks why the prophet employs Akkadian attested phraseology where standard biblical alternatives were available. Using the comparative Semitic philological approach associated with Moshe Held—prioritising semantic correspondences in context over etymology alone—the study compares the Hebrew expressions in Isa 50:8 (בעל משפט, “holder/master of judgment”) and Isa 50:10 (הלך חשכים, “to walk in darkness”) with their Akkadian parallels (ekliš/iklētu alāku and bēl dîni, alongside related legal formulas). The analysis argues that both expressions fit Akkadian prophetic and legal settings and are best explained as borrowings (direct or mediated) from the Babylonian linguistic environment, subsequently refunctionalised within Isaiah
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).