בשולי ספר בן-סירא

The Book of Ben-Sira is one of the few existing documents reflecting the Hebrew language of the post-Biblical period before the time of Mishnaic Hebrew sources. This article deals with certain verses from the Book of Ben-Sira, in order either to clarify them or to make use of them in clarifying phenomena found in Mishnaic Hebrew. The verses considered are in the main: 1) 3:11 — 'קלל' — 'ביזה' (in Mishnaic Hebrew as well; cf. Ex 21:13 — Mark 10:10 ff.); 2) 3:11 — 'צחבי 'צהב' = 'סחב' (found in Mishnaic Hebrew and in Palestinian Christian Aramaic); 3) 10:14 — Cf. with this formula 'תהתפך כסא מלכה' in the Aḥiram inscription. 'גאים' = perhaps hints at this meaning at the time of the author of the Greek translation. A similar meaning has been noted in Mishnaic Hebrew; 4) 11:2 —'מעזב' — ugly. Cf.: (עצב) 'עזב' — be ugly — in Mishnaic Hebrew; 5) 11:33 — 'מום עולם' — Cf. "The War of the Sons of Light and the Sons of Darkness" 7, 4-6, Y. Yadin, IEJ ix, p. 96 1959 (this phenomenon as found in these sources is considered in the footnotes); 6) 12:13-14, 30:19, 13:17-19, 38:25-31, 11:32; 38:23 — the construction,"מה-אף... / כן" common in Mishnaic Hebrew, is first found and used in this book. Verses 38:24-31 are reinterpreted accordingly; 7) 28:7 — quotations of this verse in Hebrew literature; 8) 28:17 — דאב — 'דוב' = sorrow (Cf. the Septuagint to Proverbs 17:12); 9) 39:32 — 'בכתב הנחת' — perhaps clarifies the Mishnaic Hebrew technical termבעברו = בעבורו ; 10) כותב בעברו = when he dies; 11) 40:29 — 'עגל'.'געל' = 'עלג' in this sense is found in the Aramaic of the Targum and in Mishnaic Hebrew, and this is its first occurrence; an attempt is made to give a novel explanation for verses 29-30; 12) 41:4 — 'קץ' = a fixed portion; 13) 42:7 — 'שואה ותת' the first appearance of 'משא ומתן' in Hebrew; the meaning of the phrase is considered; 14) 42:12 — 'מבאת סבבת' = 'מבוא סביב' in an Ammonite inscription; cf. 2 Kings 16, 18; 15) 43:2,8 — 'כלי' (regarding the sun and stars) — cf. 5:44; 16)'מאני שמיא' — the alternation of 'קו' (the Mesada scroll) and 'חוק' (ms. B from the Geniza) is discussed in light of the Judean Desert Scrolls; 17) 46:11 — 'נשא' — The Greek translation read 'שנה' = to fornicate; 18) 47:7 — 'ערים' vengeance. Cf. Syriac 'עיראי' and Mishnaic Hebrew עירות. Quotations from Ben-Sira in the Talmud are discussed as well, and also the evidence they provide concerning the formulation of the text. There are also analyses of ancient texts influenced by Ben-Sira, and attention is also paid to the rhyming paraphrases of material from this Book, found in the Geniza.