JSS current issue

THE JOURNAL OF SEMITIC STUDIES has a few articles of interest in its current issue (57.1, Spring 2012):

Yoo-Ki Kim

The Origin of the Biblical Hebrew Infinitive Construct
J Semitic Studies (Spring 2012) 57(1): 25-35 doi:10.1093/jss/fgr031

Grammarians have long assumed that the Biblical Hebrew inf. cst. has an origin different from that of the inf. abs. They generally suppose that the inf. cst. has come down from the same origin as the imperative and imperfect, while seeking the origin of the inf. abs. in a verbal noun. This article looks into this traditional hypothesis held by most scholars along with the alternative hypothesis that posits shared origin of the inf. cst. and inf. abs. For internal evidence, it will concentrate on morphological features of the Biblical Hebrew inf. cst., while examining other Semitic infinitives for comparative evidence. Based on these examinations, I will show that Hebrew originally knew only one infinitive and that the inf. cst. is an innovation through conditioned phonological change and subsequent analogy.

Zeyad Al-Salameen and
Hani Falahat

Two New Nabataean Inscriptions from Wādī Mūsā, with Discussion of Gaia and the Marzēaḥ
J Semitic Studies (Spring 2012) 57(1): 37-51 doi:10.1093/jss/fgr032

This paper presents two new Nabataean inscriptions, which have come to light from Wādī Mūsā near Petra. They were found accidentally in September 2009 by the writers of the article. Both mention the ancient Nabataean name of Wādī Mūsā and one of them refers to the existence of a rb mrzḥ', ‘Head of the Symposium’, there during the Nabataean period. The texts may be considered an important addition to the small gazetteer of Nabataean remains in Wādī Mūsā, whose most important Nabataean remains are hidden beneath the modern village.
Select this article

J.N. Ford and
Dan Levene

‘For Aḥata-de-'abuh daughter of Imma’, Two Aramaic Incantation Bowls in the Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin (VA 2414 and VA 2426)
J Semitic Studies (Spring 2012) 57(1): 53-67 doi:10.1093/jss/fgr033

This article comprises a new edition of two incantation bowls in the Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin originally published by J. Wohlstein in 1894. The bowls were written for the same client and appear to have originally been bound together. Both are directed against various types of malevolent forces, but each formula is otherwise distinct. The bowls contain a number of non-standard phonetic spellings, including אתאדאבה for אחתאדבוה ‘A.ata-de-'abuh’, ארדי for ערדי ‘wild asses’, בסי for בסים ‘savoury’, שקוה for שבקוה ‘leave her alone’, and ודלאת for ודלא את ‘and that are not’. Both elements of the phrase זיפו ואזיפו ‘be exorcized and rebuked’ appear to derive from the root זו″ף / זע″ף ‘to be angry; to threaten, rebuke’. VA 2414 is remarkable in that the demon is told to leave the client in favour of the flesh and blood of gazelles and wild asses and, surprisingly, flesh-eating maggots.

UPDATE: There are some relevant reviews too, so be sure and have a look at them. James McGrath notes one on a book on Neo-Mandaic here.