Chapter 3 Early or Classical Biblical Hebrew

26.

What are Psalms? They were originally intended as songs of praise ,in Hebrew they are called T’hilim תהילים meaning “praises”. These praises were often meant to be sung with instruments as songs of praise and these are often called a מִזְמוֹר mizmor (meaning song). The T’hilim or Psalms are divided into 5 books with 150 total Psalms in Tanakh (The Old Testament). Although other Psalms have been discovered ,Psalm 151 was found in the Dead Sea Scrolls.There are 4 more Psalms in the Peshitta, a Syriac Aramaic translation of the Bible and 18 more psalms attributed to King Solomon.

Most of the 150 Biblical Psalms or T’hilim are attributed to King David or at least his court and muses.Asaf was a prominent praise writer who is ascribed to Psalm 50 and Psalms 73-83. Asaf’s sons who served the Israeli court for generations.

• Book 1 (Psalms 1–41)
• Book 2 (Psalms 42–72)
• Book 3 (Psalms 73–89)
• Book 4 (Psalms 90–106)
• Book 5 (Psalms 107–150)
• It is not totally clear from a historical perspective how many of the T’hilim were directly from David’s court and how long after David died the Psalms kept being composed.Some have suggested that the Psalter did not close until 100 ce but that is a very secular point of view.It is also not fully known how or when the current ordering was determined ,example it is doubtful Psalm 1 was the first ever composed psalm.They may have been separate songs of praise that were ordered in books later on.

So let us look first at Psalm 2 starting on verse 1

לָמָּה רָֽגְשׁ֣וּ גוֹיִ֑ם וּ֜לְאֻמִּ֗ים יֶהְגּוּ־רִֽיק:

Why do the nations (gentile nations) seethe with emotion and the peoples think empty things.

This word here ragshu רָֽגְשׁ֣וּ is from the root regesh meaning emotion or to feel and many translations yield this different and many as rage.However this word does not mean rage ,I went with seething with emotion. This word here yehgu יֶהְגּוּ ,now this is unusual word but most likely means pondering from the root hagah.

Psalm 2:2

יִֽתְיַצְּב֨וּ | מַלְכֵי־אֶ֗רֶץ וְרֽוֹזְנִ֥ים נֽוֹסְדוּ־יָ֑חַד עַל־יְ֜הֹוָה וְעַל־מְשִׁיחֽוֹ:

And they are stationed the Kings of a land,the Nobility together they take council against the Lord and his anointed.

This word here roznim רֽוֹזְנִ֥ים is a masculine plural of the word rozein which means a ruler below Kings or Princes like a Duke,Earl or Count.This word here nos’du נֽוֹסְדוּ superficially looks like it comes from yesod meaning foundation.However it appears this from the word sod meaning secret so in this context it means they take council.

The word here m’shichu מְשִׁיחֽוֹ meaning his anointed is from the same root as the word mashi’ach (anointed one)and is the word that Messiah and Christ come from.

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Verse 3

נְֽנַתְּקָה אֶת־מֽוֹסְרוֹתֵ֑ימוֹ וְנַשְׁלִ֖יכָה מִמֶּ֣נּוּ עֲבֹתֵֽימוֹ:

Let us break into pieces the bonds and shackles,and cast off their thick ropes from us.

The last word here is interesting avoteimo עֲבֹתֵֽימוֹ means their ropes or cords.This is from this word av עב meaning thick and the word avotot עבותות has its origin in a wooded thicket where vines were tightly wrapped around trees.So pragmatically this word means thick cord,rope or bands.

Verse 4

יוֹשֵׁ֣ב בַּשָּׁמַ֣יִם יִשְׂחָ֑ק אֲ֜דֹנָ֗י יִלְעַג־לָֽמוֹ:

He who dwells (literally sits) in Heaven laughs,The Lord mocks them.

The first word means to sit but also means to dwell yosheiv וֹשֵׁ֣ב from yashav meaning “sit”.

The word yischak יִשְׂחָ֑ק is a unusual form of the word tzachak צָחַק meaning laugh.This is where the name Yitzchak/Isaac came from,meaning laughter.It is not fully known why is some parts of the Bible the verb for to laugh is sometimes spelled צָחַק and others שחק ,it could be different dialects and scribal preference.Sometimes scribes who copied the Torah and Tanakh used a call and write system.The first scribe would call and the second would write and so by ear similar letters like sin/shin and tzadi were confused.

The word laag לעג means ridicule or mockery.

Verse 5

אָ֚ז יְדַבֵּ֣ר אֵלֵ֣ימוֹ בְאַפּ֑וֹ וּבַ֖חֲרוֹנ֥וֹ יְבַֽהֲלֵֽמוֹ:

Since he speaks to them with his anger and when frightening them in profound distress.

This verse is very emphatic almost hinting at the infinitive absolute (which I covered earlier in the book,doubling meaning for emphasis) . So the Lord speaks to them in his anger bafo בְאַפּ֑וֹ. And when frightening them uvacharono וּבַ֖חֲרוֹנ֥וֹ ,in distressing them y’vahaleimo יְבַֽהֲלֵֽמוֹ (literally “he will terrify them).

This phrasing in Biblical Hebrew here is very abstract and impossible to put into English in the literal. The whole phrase is a continuing infinitive absolute for the profound distress and fear the Lord is bringing.This verse is super poetic stuff.

Verse 6

וַֽאֲנִֽי נָסַ֣כְתִּי מַלְכִּ֑י עַל־צִ֜יּ֗וֹן הַר־קָדְשִֽׁי

And I have anointed my King upon the hill of Tzion my Holy (place).

This word nasakhti נָסַ֣כְתִּי which is where the word Nasikh meaning prince comes from.It is from the root nasakh meaning to pour out or pour upon. So this has the same meaning of Mashiach/anointed one except this means “I have poured out upon as opposed to I have anointed but both words still mean Messiah/Mashiach/The anointed King.

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Verse 7

אֲסַפְּרָ֗ה אֶ֫ל חֹ֥ק יְהֹוָ֗ה אָמַ֣ר אֵ֖לַי בְּנִ֣י אַ֑תָּה אֲ֜נִ֗י הַיּ֥וֹם יְלִדְתִּֽיךָ:

I will tell the decree; The Lord said to me; You are my son, this day I have begotten you.

Messianic implications for sure but linguistically straight forward.

Verse 8

שְׁאַ֚ל מִמֶּ֗נִּי וְאֶתְּנָ֣ה ג֖וֹיִם נַֽחֲלָתֶ֑ךָ וַֽ֜אֲחֻזָּֽתְךָ֗ אַפְסֵי־אָֽרֶץ:

Ask from me and I will give you the nations as your endowment,and your possession the ends of the earth.

The first interesting thing is word achuzatekha אֲחֻזָּֽתְךָ֗ (literally your gripping’s) from the root achaz meaning to grip,hold or grasp.In this context it means property or in actuality the term holdings in English is not an uncommon way to say property.Holdings would be the best translations here.

This word is unusual afsei אַפְסֵי (literally zero in plural form) from the word efes meaning zero.This here means ends or extremities and combined with the word eretz אָֽרֶץ meaning earth or land.This is a poetic way of saying “the utter utter ends of planet earth”.

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Verse 9

תְּרֹעֵֽם בְּשֵׁ֣בֶט בַּרְזֶ֑ל כִּכְלִ֖י יוֹצֵ֣ר תְּנַפְּצֵֽם

You shall break them with a rod of iron; like a potter’s vessel you shall shatter them.

This first word here is likely a scribal error t’ro’eim תְּרֹעֵֽם meaning you shall thunder,the intended word was likely rotzetzam רוצצם meaning to “crush them”.Scribal errors are very rare but do occasionally pop up and we must remember the Bible was copied by hand for 3000 years.

The last word is a pi’el verb meaning the intensive verb tanfetzeim תְּנַפְּצֵֽם meaning you shall shatter them.The root is napatz נפץ which means to smash or shatter or explode.The intensive form alters from simply break to shatter.

Verse 10

וְעַתָּה מְלָכִ֣ים הַשְׂכִּ֑ילוּ הִ֜וָּֽסְר֗וּ שֹׁ֣פְטֵי אָֽרֶץ

And now Kings be wise and instructed (you) judges of the earth.

Pretty self explanatory.

Verse 11

עִבְד֣וּ אֶת־יְהֹוָ֣ה בְּיִרְאָ֑ה וְ֜גִ֗ילוּ בִּרְעָדָֽה

Serve the Lord with fear,and rejoice with quaking.

The word used here for “and do rejoice” gil גיל is where the name Abigail or also better pronounced Avigayil comes from ,meaning joy of the Father.

Verse 12

נַשְּׁקוּ־בַ֡ר פֶּן־יֶאֱנַ֚ף | וְתֹ֬אבְדוּ דֶ֗רֶךְ כִּֽי־יִבְעַ֣ר כִּמְעַ֣ט אַפּ֑וֹ אַ֜שְׁרֵ֗י כָּל־ח֥וֹסֵי בֽוֹ:

(will discuss) lest he be angry and you perish in the way,for his anger will burn in a moment; blessed are those who take refuge in him.

The opening is tricky nashku var נַשְּׁקוּ־בַ֡ר and many translations say “kiss the son”.The word nashak נָשַׁק can mean kiss but it can also mean to meet,weapon ,to arm yourself or in very modern Hebrew firearm or gunsmith also.So var בַ֡ר is a deciding factor and is an open pronunciation of the word bar.so translating as kiss the son works but here is an issue,bar as meaning son is not Hebrew but is Jewish Babylonian Aramaic and came into Hebrew post Babylonian exile and most Psalms were written about 1000 bce almost 500 years before the return of the exiles.The most common word for son in the Davidic era would have been bein or ben meaning son of.

The word bar in Biblical Hebrew can mean: Clean or pure,grain or wild.So “kiss the Son” can word here especially if Psalm 2 was written post Babylonian captivity and ordered later on.Let me also give you two other translations that work well especially if Psalm 2 was in the Davidic era and there are translations of the Bible that do translate these ways.

“Arm yourselves in purity”

“Come together in purity”

Both of these translations can work to.I also want to point out that context to is important and verse 2 talks about a Father and Son which gives credence to “kiss the Son” translation but the only thing is the use of bar as son in Davidic times.

30.

Let us look at Psalm 131 starting on verse 1

שִׁ֥יר הַֽמַּֽעֲל֗וֹת לְדָ֫וִ֥ד יְהֹוָ֚ה | לֹֽא־גָבַ֣הּ לִ֖בִּי וְלֹֽא־רָ֣מוּ עֵינַ֑י וְלֹֽא־הִלַּ֓כְתִּי | בִּגְדֹל֖וֹת וּבְנִפְלָא֣וֹת מִמֶּֽנִּי:

A song of ascent by David.Lord,my heart was not high (proud) nor were my eyes raised (looking at high things) and I did not go after things greater and more wonderful than myself.

What is a song of ascent? It was a song or Psalm about traveling from the country or other cities to Yerushalayim (Jerusalem).The word gavah גָבַ֣הּ means high but it strongly implies pride.This final phrase nifla’ot mimeni נִפְלָא֣וֹת מִמֶּֽנִּי meaning literally wonderful or wondrous from me is the meim of comparison.The word mi מִ is a prefix meaning from and mimeni means from me.The meim of comparison does not mean from me in the traditional sense but means “than me”.Hebrew often expresses for example “better than me” as better from me,that is the meim of comparison.

Verse 2

אִם־לֹ֚א שִׁוִּ֨יתִי | וְדוֹמַ֗מְתִּי נַפְשִׁ֗י כְּ֖גָמֻל עֲלֵ֣י אִמּ֑וֹ כַּגָּמֻ֖ל עָלַ֣י נַפְשִֽׁי:

(literally, if I have not) set my soul in quiet (calm) like a weaned child on my mother,like a weaned child was my soul with me.

This is very abstract and poetic,and starts with a unusual phrase “im lo shiviti” אִם־לֹ֚א שִׁוִּ֨יתִי meaning sort of “have I not set”. A question as a statement of emphasis.Now the word gamul גָּמֻ֖ל is often translated as a suckling or infant but actually means a weaned child.However it is unclear in a very abstract poetic context how it was meant and that is why a lot of translations say infant or suckling.The general idea is peace inside ones soul is the point.

Verse 3

יַחֵ֣ל יִ֖שְׂרָאֵל אֶל־יְהֹוָ֑ה מֵֽ֜עַתָּ֗ה וְעַד־עוֹלָֽם

Hope (yes), Yisrael (Israel) to the Lord from now and still to forever.

Yacheil יחל literally meaning to begin is a rare word for hope from the more common kivah or tzipi’ah.This is typical of this very poetic Psalm.

now the next controversy is the word olam עוֹלָֽם and does it mean forever? Here is from a dictionary just to show the broad definition this word carries.

Hebrew-English

עולם

  world, universe, cosmos, creation

  reality, real world, realm

  eternity.

So olam does not always mean eternity or forever but it certainly can mean such,so careful attention to context is important.

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Now for Psalm 74, a Maskil which a intellectual or contemplative Psalm composed by Asaf, so a Davidic era Psalm.

מַשְׂכִּ֗יל לְאָ֫סָ֣ף לָמָ֣ה אֱ֖לֹהִים זָנַ֣חְתָּ לָנֶ֑צַח יֶעְשַּׁ֥ן אַ֜פְּךָ֗ בְּצֹ֣אן מַרְעִיתֶֽךָ:

A contemplation of Asaf; why God have you abandoned forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of you pasture?

This word here zanach זנח means abandoned or cast away is not a super common word.This word here that opens the Psalm maskil מַשְׂכִּ֗יל means intellectual or thoughtful.This word ashan עשן in the phrase smoke of your anger is unusual poetry.

Verse 2

זְכֹ֚ר עֲדָֽתְךָ֨ | קָ֘נִ֚יתָ קֶּ֗דֶם גָּ֖אַלְתָּ שֵׁ֣בֶט נַֽחֲלָתֶ֑ךָ הַר־צִ֜יּ֗וֹן זֶ֚ה | שָׁכַ֬נְתָּ בּֽוֹ:

Remember your congregation which your acquired in ancient times.You redeemed the tribe of your inheritance,Mount Tzion on which you dwelt.

The word kanita קָ֘נִ֚יתָ meaning you acquired is where the name Cain/Kayin came from because Eve/Chavah named him Cain because she had acquired a son.The word kedem קדם means east,ancient and before because the world came from the east.So there is a correlation between east and that which came before and ancient times.

Verse 3

הָרִ֣ימָה פְ֖עָמֶיךָ לְמַשֻּׁא֣וֹת נֶ֑צַח כָּל־הֵרַ֖ע אוֹיֵ֣ב בַּקֹּֽדֶשׁ

Raise your steps to the eternal desolations, for all the evil the enemy did in the sanctuary.

This one is very abstract and almost every English translations phrases this Psalm verse differently.The word pameikha פְ֖עָמֶיךָ meaning your steps in this case comes from the word paam פעם which means like beat,pace or throb but also can mean footstep and also means time ,but time as in one time or occurrence or “this time”.

This word here limashu’ot לְמַשֻּׁא֣וֹת meaning to the desolations or ruins has its root in the word shoah where the modern word for holocaust comes from.The word shoah in very ancient times meant a storm cloud but later came to mean calamity or catastrophe.

Verse 4

שָֽׁאֲג֣וּ צֹֽ֖רְרֶיךָ בְּקֶ֣רֶב מֽוֹעֲדֶ֑ךָ שָׂ֖מוּ אוֹתֹתָ֣ם אֹתֽוֹת

Your oppressors roared in the midst of your meeting house and they placed their symbols (or banners) as signs.

This word here tzorerekha צֹֽ֖רְרֶיךָ means those who caused you trouble.This comes from the root tzarar צרר which means narrow,binding or causing distress and tzarah means distress or trouble.So tzorerekha is often translated as enemies ,I used the word oppressors but it means most literally “your distress causers”.

so the last phrase ototam otot אוֹתֹתָ֣ם אֹתֽוֹת which literally means theirs signs ,signs (no actual and in between). This is often translated as their banners as signs which is likely the best translation of it.In any case like this where in Hebrew two similar words are back to back the infinitive absolute is in play.So could “their horrible signs” be correct? Maybe ,but I checked and no one at all views it that way but that would be a infinitive absolute viewpoint but that does not seem right here.

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Verse 5

יִוָּדַע כְּמֵבִ֣יא לְמָ֑עְלָה בִּסְבָךְ־עֵ֜֗ץ קַרְדֻּמּֽוֹת

May it be known as bringing up (ax blows) in the thicket of trees with axes.

This word here yivada יִוָּדַע is the nifal form of da דע which means to know and the nifal is a passive verb ,so it means “it will be known”. This word here mei’bi’ מֵבִ֣יא is the hifil verb which is causative form of bo meaning come ,so mei’bi means in this case bringing or to bring (to cause to come) .This word here kardumot קַרְדֻּמּֽוֹת is in the feminine plural form of an archaic word for axe.As to why it is phrased in the feminine plural I do not know.

Verse 6

 וְעַתָּה (כתיב וְעַתָּ) פִּתּוּחֶ֣יהָ יָ֑חַד בְּכַשִּׁ֥יל וְ֜כֵֽילַפּ֗וֹת יַֽהֲלֹמֽוּן:

And now, it’s entrances together, with axes and hammers they strike.

First we have another correction in the text if you see the parentheses ata עת was changed to atah with a hei עתה .I cannot say if the original in parentheses was a scribe error or an older form of the word.Without the hei the pronunciation would be eit not ata and would mean time period or season or era.Atah means now or currently or this era at hand.so ata with a kamatz under the tav would mean your era or your time which does not make sense here so I’ll go with a type O ,scribal error.

Here is another interesting thing here ,the word kashil כַשִּׁ֥יל in Biblical Hebrew means axe but means sledgehammer in modern Hebrew.The word keilaf or as it is here keilafot כֵֽילַפּ֗וֹת in the feminine plural means hammer but means hatchet in modern Hebrew.

This last word yahalomun יַֽהֲלֹמֽוּן can mean both strike and also means diamond.This maybe because diamonds came from mining

Verse 7

שִׁלְח֣וּ בָ֖אֵשׁ מִקְדָּשֶׁ֑ךָ לָ֜אָ֗רֶץ חִלְּל֥וּ מִֽשְׁכַּן־שְׁמֶֽךָ

They sent (set on fire) with fire your sanctuary ,to the ground they profaned the dwelling place of your name.

The only thing that is unusual here is the literal phrasing “they sent with fire” שִׁלְח֣וּ בָ֖אֵשׁ ,samu va’eish שםו באש meaning they set in fire would be more logical but I’m not a Psalmist.

Verse 8

אָֽמְר֣וּ בְ֖לִבָּם נִינָ֣ם יָ֑חַד שָֽׂרְפ֖וּ כָל־מֽוֹעֲדֵי־אֵ֣ל בָּאָֽרֶץ

And they said in their hearts (or minds) their descendants together ,they burned every meetinghouses of God in the land.

The word amar אָמַר meaning to say or inn this phrasing “and they said” ,this word amar also means tree tops perhaps because in the wind the tree tops spoke.Ancient semitic words like this often have very basic origins.

This word ninam נִינָ֣ם is unusual and is often translated differently but from my research offspring or descendant is most accurate.This word sarfu שָֽׂרְפ֖וּ meaning they burned is from the word saraf which is where the name the Serafim Angels of Isaiah 6 come from ,meaning burning one or fiery ones.

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Verse 9

אֹֽתוֹתֵ֗ינוּ לֹֽא־רָ֫אִ֥ינוּ אֵֽין־ע֥וֹד נָבִ֑יא וְלֹֽא־אִ֜תָּ֗נוּ יוֹדֵ֥עַ עַד־מָֽה:

Our signs we have not seen ,and still without a prophet ,and none with us knows until how long.

Very to the point. So now verse 10-12

How much longer, God, will the foe jeer at us?
Will the enemy insult your name forever?
¹¹ Why do you hold back your hand?
Draw your right hand from your coat, and finish them off!

¹² God has been my king from earliest times,
acting to save throughout all the earth.

Verse 13

אַתָּ֚ה פוֹרַ֣רְתָּ בְעָזְּךָ֣ יָ֑ם שִׁבַּ֖רְתָּ רָאשֵׁ֥י תַ֜נִּינִ֗ים עַל־הַמָּֽיִם:

You crumbled the sea with your strength,you broke the heads of sea monsters upon the waters.

This word here taninim תַ֜נִּינִ֗ים is the word used in Genesis 1:21 for sea monsters.It is unclear if these are whales .Now modern Hebrew defines tanin (singular ,tananin is plural) as aligator or crocodile.The term used in the book of Jonah in the large sea creature story is dag gadol דג גדול meaning great fish and whales are not fish but are mammals.So it is unclear what actual creature the tanin or taninim are refering to.What is clear is that they are large water dwelling creatures of some type.

Verse 14

אַתָּ֣ה רִ֖צַּצְתָּ רָאשֵׁ֣י לִוְיָתָ֑ן תִּתְּנֶ֥נּוּ מַֽ֜אֲכָ֗ל לְעַ֣ם לְצִיִּֽים

You crushed the head of the liv’yatan (aka Leviathan) ,give it as food to desert dwellers.

Liv’yatan לִוְיָתָ֑ן means intercoiled one and this related to the Israeli tribe name Levi which means joined or attached.A lot of people think this is talking about the Apostle Paul and suspension of Kosher laws upon the Messianic era.The sea monster is obviously unkosher and gentile desert dwellers are eating them.The tzi’im צִיִּֽים (tzi’i would be singular) are desert dwellers usually animals but in this case is talking about people in the desert.

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Verse 15

אַתָּ֣ה בָ֖קַעְתָּ מַעְיָ֣ן וָנָ֑חַל אַתָּ֥ה ה֜וֹבַ֗שְׁתָּ נַֽהֲר֥וֹת אֵיתָֽן:

You split the fountain and the stream ,you dried up mighty rivers.

The last word Eitan אֵיתָֽן meaning strong or translated here as mighty is where the common English name Ethan comes from.

Here is the remainder of Psalm 74 verses 16-23

The day is yours, and the night is yours;
it was you who established light and sun.
¹⁷ It was you who fixed all the limits of the earth,
you made summer and winter.

¹⁸ Remember how the enemy scoffs at Adonai,
how a brutish people insults your name.
¹⁹ Don’t hand over the soul of your dove to wild beasts,
don’t forget forever the life of your poor.

²⁰ Look to the covenant, for the land’s dark places
are full of the haunts of violence.
²¹ Don’t let the oppressed retreat in confusion;
let the poor and needy praise your name.

²² Arise, God, and defend your cause;
remember how brutish men insult you all day.
²³ Don’t forget what your foes are saying,
the ever-rising uproar of your adversaries.

35.

The Book of Job who’s name was really I’yov אִיּ֣וֹב is said by some as one of or maybe the oldest book of the Bible.The name I’yov comes from the word oyiev אויב meaning enemy so Job/I’yov means persecuted.So is Job the oldest or one of oldest books in scripture?I think we can rule out Job as a contemporary of Avraham because it points more to Job being in or around Esav the brother of Jacob who were both grandsons of Avraham.It is also called into question if job was an Edomite at all because the land of Utz was inhabited by the tribe of the Seir the Horite (cave dweller).If we we assume going by Genesis 36 that I’yov was either an Edomite (Descendant of Esav) who took over the area from Seir the Horite.Was Job an Edomite colonist or Seir the Horite aboriginal? Deuteronomy 2:12 states that the Edomites destroyed and displaced the people of Seir ,so that looks Edomite ,however in almost all conquests whether Biblical or not ,not everyone is totally killed off.It is consistent with Deuteronomy 2:12 ,the rest of the bible and human history in general that even most most traumatic conquests leave remainders of old populations.We cannot rule out that Job/I’yov may have been of Seir!

Now this also brings us to Lamentations 4:21

“Rejoice and be glad, Daughter Edom,
    you who live in the land of Uz.
But to you also the cup will be passed;
    you will be drunk and stripped naked”

However this only shows that Edom conquered and controlled Utz but again Job/I’yov as a Seir aboriginal is not excluded from consideration and nowhere does scripture explicitly say I’yov was of Edom.No onto the era of Job ,we know that there was not a land called Utz until after Esav.Utz was a grandson of Seir and Seir a comtemporary of Esav and Esav a grandson of Avraham.So this puts any kingdom of Utz 5 generations after Avraham.So this places Job no where near the Patriachs but more in the era of Tamar and peretz and Zerah or maybe early Egyptian captivity or there abouts.Job must be younger than Utz be be in his kingdom and Utz is the grandson of Seir equal to Esav grandson of Abraham.So Yehudah/Judah had 5 children and Tamar as a daughter inlaw.So chronologically Job/I’yov is about there or a generation later.Where was Utz? We do not know but Edom is in southern Jordan and Mt Seir still exists historically ,that would likely be it,in or around Mt Seir.

Here is Job 1:1

אִ֛ישׁ הָיָ֥ה בְאֶֽרֶץ־ע֖וּץ אִיּ֣וֹב שְׁמ֑וֹ וְהָיָ֣ה | הָאִ֣ישׁ הַה֗וּא תָּ֧ם וְיָשָׁ֛ר וִירֵ֥א אֱלֹהִ֖ים וְסָ֥ר מֵרָֽע:

There was a man in the land of Utz and his name was I’yov ,the man he was innocent and upright,he feared God and turned away from evil.

36.

Why linguistically is Job an early dated book? I will respond below to reasons that others have given.

• 'Eloah (אֱלוֹהַּ): This singular form of the generic Elohim is used frequently throughout Job, but rarely in other parts of the Bible.
• True this a very rare word in Tanakh (Old Testament) the plural Elohim is so much more common.We cannot exclude also that differences in language could simply have that Job was written in a Edomite or Seir’ite Aramaic and not Biblical Hebrew.The story of Job as we have decided already does predate the giving of the Torah on Sinai but much of the Torah predates the giving of the Torah at Sinai.

• El (אֵל): Another ancient, generic term for God. This is not all the exceptional actually ,El as a name for God is not rare overall.

• Shaddai (שַׁדַּי): The pre-Mosaic name, often translated as “Almighty,” used extensively in Job but less frequently elsewhere.Shadai cames from the word Shad meaning breast.So this expresses a God who provides his children with sustenance like a mother feeds an infant with milk.So El Shadai means God who provides.

Aramaic and Arabic Influences: The poet incorporates words that resemble terms from Aramaic, an ancient language of the Transjordan region where Job is set, which colors the dialogue as “foreign” or dialectal and suggests an ancient Eastern setting: 

Agreed here if Job was a Edomite Seir’ite.

• millim or millin (מִלִּין): Used for “words,” an Aramaic loan word, instead of the classic Hebrew term dabar (דָּבָר).
• nehara (נְהָרָה): Used for “day” (Job 3:4), a unique form that might be a Hebrew adaptation of an Aramaic root.
• Sahed (שָׂהֵד): Used for “witness” (Job 16:19). 

Archaic Spelling

The text in Job often uses older, more consistent spelling conventions. For example, words like yom (יוֹם, “day”) may be spelled with a waw (ו) as a vowel marker, which is considered the older, more archaic spelling compared to later biblical texts where it might be omitted

• Geled (גֶּלֶד): A rare word for “skin” (Job 16:15) used instead of or.
• Divra (דִּבְרָה): A unique feminine form of davar (“matter” or “lawsuit”) that reflects ancient Babylonian legal expressions.

So I think this evidence does not support a Patriarch dating of about 1900- 1800 bce but is still consistent with a sons of Jacob dating maybe the Peretz, Zerah and Tamar era dating.The Proto Aramaic linguistics also supports this era also because I do not think it is very likely that there was much linguistic difference in the Semitic (Shemite) language in the time of Abraham.I think Avraham and Aram spoke the same language most likely maybe with small slang unique to each clan but I do not think Hebrew and Aramaic were distinct at that point.We must also remember that much of what was in the Torah itself predated Avraham also and Job may not have been codified into a scroll right around 1500 bce when its events likely occured.I do not think it is proven that the scroll of Job was written pre Torah itself but without question I’yov/Job is one of the oldest books in the Bible.