If… if… if… We need to deal with evidence, not speculation.Kenneth Greifer wrote: ↑Tue Dec 14, 2021 1:20 pm Karl,
What happens if the only example of the word בעל used to mean "fiance" is in Joel 1:8?'
You have no evidence. The lack of evidence in this case is evidence of lack, because there is evidence contrary to your speculation.Kenneth Greifer wrote: ↑Tue Dec 14, 2021 1:20 pm I don't think any linguist would say based on two quotes that the word בעל was never used to mean "fiance" thousands of years ago.
A linguist has to go on what he has, not what is speculated. When reading Tanakh, there are many words that are used only once. The lexicographer then has to go to all the clues he can find—what is the meaning of the root from which the word is derived, what are the derivation patterns in Hebrew, how is the word used in the sentence, sometimes a cognate language can give a clue but cognate languages must be treated carefully because the meaning in a cognate language can actually be opposite to how it is used in Tanakh, and sometimes just admit that we don’t know what was the word’s meaning during Biblical times.Kenneth Greifer wrote: ↑Tue Dec 14, 2021 1:20 pm You decide the meanings of rarely used words like almah and baal as if there are many quotes with them, so you can be sure of all of their uses.
How is that a sign, because non-virgins get pregnant all the time? How is that special?Kenneth Greifer wrote: ↑Tue Dec 14, 2021 1:20 pm A person could argue that Isaiah 7:14 is an example of almah used for a non-virgin because she is pregnant at the time.
Speculation.Kenneth Greifer wrote: ↑Tue Dec 14, 2021 1:20 pm There are no other examples of this rarely used word used this way, so does that mean this can't be the one and only example of the word used this way?
That’s you, and you can do that for English.Kenneth Greifer wrote: ↑Tue Dec 14, 2021 1:20 pm Somehow, people want at least two examples of every use of every word, but that is not realistic, if you are analyzing a bunch of ancient books. That would be like reading a long book written in English and using that book to understand all of the possible meanings of every English word, as if every word was used in all of it's possible meanings in that book more than once. I have never studied linguistics, but I would not decide word meanings with so few examples of the words used different ways.
Every time you speculate, you admit that you don’t have evidence.
Karl W. Randolph.