The Preposition Min

After Ernst Jenni's three well known basic volumes dealing with the Hebrew prepositions Beth, Kaph and Lamed a further study of the third most common preposition in Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic was a scholarly desideratum. This study of the preposition Min is presented here. The aim is to advance linguistic research on the Old Testament and to help to clarify a number of linguistic and semantic doubts and translation problems. Some new paths are being taken: The polysemous network that forms Min is systematically presented, the system of Hebrew prepositions is expanded to include an overall theory and the question of the logical subject in passive sentences is answered in a new way. This means that around 80% of all references to prepositions in the Old Testament have now been recorded and analysed.

Martin Staszak OP is professor of Old Testament at École biblique et archéologique française de Jérusalem.