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Hebrew Studies 31 (1990) 122 Reviews It is a considerable advantage to be able to study the various features in which the Babylonian tradition differs from the Tiberian in a continuous context (or as much of one as is available). These works are not perfect, but their few lapses cannot weigh heavily against the great difficulty of publishing material of this sort. The work of these two scholars has created valuable tools for the study of the biblical text and the Hebrew language. E. J. Revell University of Toronto Toronto, Ontario M5S lAl TEXT AND CONTEXT: OLD TESTAMENT AND SEMITIC STUDIES FOR F. C. FENSHAM. W. Claassen, ed. JSOT Supp 48. Pp. 321. Sheffield: JSOT, 1988. Cloth. This volume of twenty-two essays dedicated to Professor F. C. Fensham presents a wide range of topics and methodological issues. Some contributors focus on specific grammatical matters, as in Walter Gross's "Satzgrenzen bei Pendenskonstruktionen-Der Pendenssatz," and Antoon Schoors' "A Third Masculine Singular taqtu/ in Biblical Hebrew?" Others focus on particular words in specific biblical texts, as in Paul A. Kruger's ''The Symbolic Significance of the Hem (kinif) in I Samuel 15.27" and M. J. Mulder's "pacam as a Measure of Length in 1 Kings 7.4 and KAI 80.1." The scope of other essays is quite broad, as in Johann Cook's "New Horizons in Textual Criticism" and Walter T. Claassen's "Computerassisted Methods and the Text and Language of the Old Testament-An Overview." Specific historical issues are treated in A. Malamat's "The Kingdom of Judah between Egypt and Babylon: A Small State within a Great Power Confrontation," and P. A. Verhoef's "Notes on the Dates in the Book of Haggai." J. A. Soggin's "Ancient Israel: An Attempt at a Social and Economic Analysis of the Available Data" assesses the usefulness of the available sources for reconstructing the social and economic structures of ancient Israel, while L.M. Muntingh's "Second Thoughts on Ebla and the Old Testament" calls for a systematic reassessment of the relevance of the Ebla texts for the study of the ~T. A more delimited archaeological issue is treated in J. A. Emerton's "A Consideration of Two Recent Theories about Bethso in Josephus's Description of Jerusalem and a Passage in the Temple Hebrew Studies 31 (1990) 123 Reviews Scroll." Theological topics are examined in Ferdinand E. Deist's "Paral leIs and Reinterpretation in the Book of Joel: A Theology of the Yom Yahweh?" and Philip Nel's "Psalm 132 and Covenant Theology." While the variety of topics is remarkable even for a volume of collected essays, this diversity exemplifies the scholarship of Professor Fensham. As the editors note: The title of this Festschrift reflects...Fensham's comprehensive approach to and understanding of the Old Testament in its World. He has mastered a variety of topics with such resilience, skill and resourcefulness that he truly merits the qualification as an all-rounder-hard to find in these days of intensive specialization (p. 1). These words, and the volume they introduce, are a fine tribute to Fensham's broad scope of vision in OT studies which is clearly in evidence in the appended bibliography of Fensham's works. Since one cannot comment substantively on all twenty-two essays, I have chosen three samples. Muntingh's brief survey of scholarship on the Ebla texts shows the diversity of conclusions which can be drawn from these intriguing documents. Since the study of Eblaite necessitates the use of cognate languages, a key issue is the relationship of Eblaite to those languages. I. J. Gelb finds a close relationship with Old Akkadian and Amorite, while M. J. Dahood argues that Eblaite's closest relationship is with late secondand first-millennium Biblical Hebrew. Muntingh is especially critical of Dahood's position, stating, "One gets the impression ... of a preconceived position, as if Eblaite's closest kin should be Biblical Hebrew (pp. 160161 )." This mirrors Muntingh's more general warning to scholars to exercise caution when searching for links between Ebla and the QT. Regarding attempts to determine whether a god Ya(w) is to be found in the Ebla texts, Muntingh cites positions...

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