בִשְׁתִי Lev. 13:48

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Isaac Fried
Posts: 1783
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:32 pm

בִשְׁתִי Lev. 13:48

Post by Isaac Fried »

We read there
אוֹ בִשְׁתִי אוֹ בְעֵרֶב לַפִּשְׁתִּים וְלַצָּמֶר
KJV: "Whether it be in the warp, or woof; of linen, or of woollen"
But why is the letter T of בִשְׁתִי dageshless? I think that when the dagesh was introduced (a millennium prior to the nikud?) into the biblical text to facilitate the correct reading, the reading of the letter B was not as now with a xireq.

Isaac Fried, Boston University
Isaac Fried
Posts: 1783
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:32 pm

Re: בִשְׁתִי Lev. 13:48

Post by Isaac Fried »

The name שתי from the root שת (assuming that the letter ת is indeed radical and not the PP את) is kindred with the שֵׁת, 'addenda', of Isaiah 20:4
כֵּן יִנְהַג מֶלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר אֶת שְׁבִי מִצְרַיִם וְאֶת גָּלוּת כּוּשׁ נְעָרִים וּזְקֵנִים עָרוֹם וְיָחֵף וַחֲשׂוּפַי שֵׁת עֶרְוַת מִצְרָיִם

Isaac Fried, Boston University
Isaac Fried
Posts: 1783
Joined: Sat Sep 28, 2013 8:32 pm

Re: בִשְׁתִי Lev. 13:48

Post by Isaac Fried »

Also related is the act ישט YA$AT, 'stretch out, extend', as in Esther 4:11
לְבַד מֵאֲשֶׁר יוֹשִׁיט לוֹ הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת שַׁרְבִיט הַזָּהָב
NIV: "unless the king extends the gold scepter to them"

Isaac Fried, Boston University
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