$148.00

This four-volume reference work deals with the language of the Amarna letters written by scribes who had adopted a peculiar dialect mixture of Akkadian and West Semitic syntax. In addition to the texts from Canaan, a few from Cyprus are included along with the texts from Kamed el-Loz and Taanach. Each of the first three volumes is written as a separate monograph; together they treat the problems of morphology and syntax. The first volume covers writing, pronouns, and nouns (substantives, adjectives, and numerals); the second volume treats the verbal system; and the third volume discusses particles and adverbs with a chapter on word order. The fourth volume includes the bibliography and index to the set. Since these texts are the earliest witness to West Semitic syntax, they are an invaluable source for the historical study of the Northwest Semitic family, including biblical Hebrew.

Anson F. Rainey, Ph.D., is Professor of Ancient Near Eastern Cultures and Semitic Linguistics at Tel Aviv University; he also teaches at Bar-Ilan University and the Institute of Holy Land Studies (Jerusalem). His publications include studies on many aspects of grammar, syntax, and philological interpretation.