The Significance of Multi-lingualism and of the Canaanite Melting Pot on Shaping Late Biblical Hebrew

Abstract

This paper centers on the multilingual situation in the southern and central parts of Palestine during the Persian period, which significantly contributes to our understanding of Late Biblical Hebrew. It utilizes a variety of sources and lines of inquiry, including linguistic evidence from epigraphy concerning various morpho-syntactic constructions, to emphasize the influence of colloquial Canaanite dialects, particularly the Phoenician, on LBH. The primary aim of this paper is to demonstrate that a comprehensive understanding of the historical characterization of the Hebrew language during the Persian period necessitates an interdisciplinary approach.