Talk:Murašû Archive

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Ancient Near East

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Pronunciation of Yahwistic Names

The Murašû tablets present evidence of Jews living in Nippur (Babylonia) during the 5th century BCE, contemporaries of Ezra and Nehemiah, who never returned to Judah. These documents were almost 1200 to 1500 years older than the Masoretic text of the Tenach, and about 200 years older than the pre- Masoretic text (Nash Papyrus). The Murašu tablets contain many Jewish names, with pronunciation different from how they are vowel pointed in the Masoretic text of the Tenach. For instance, all Yahwistic names in the Masoretic text, starting with Yehô-, such as Yehonathan, Yehozabad and Yeholakim are rather rendered in these older manuscripts as Yahûnathan, Yahûzabad and Yahûlakim. Many other Yahwistic names also appear in these manuscripts that are not in the Tenach. Another example is Yahûlanu, meaning Yahûeh is with us.

The researchers of these documents (1) say, that all Yahwistic names were pronounced Yahû- (Yahoo) by the end of the 5th century BCE, but was later changed by the Massoretes to Yehô-. This pronunciation corresponds with the Elephantine Papyri, 175 manuscripts that also date back 500 years BCE, found in Egypt.

(1) See ‘West Semitic Personal Names in the Murašû Documents’, by Michael David Coogan 14.137.47.233 (talk) 18:43, 2 January 2023 (UTC)[reply]