Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 31:121 (Jan 1874)
Article: The Hebrew Tense
Author: A. B. Rich

BSac 31:121 (January 1874) p. 115

The Hebrew Tense

Rev. A. B. Rich

“The whole of antiquity,” said Jerome, “affirms that Hebrew, in which the Old Testament was written, was the beginning of human speech.” This was a prevalent idea down to the seventeenth century. Occasionally, however, a writer was found bold enough to question this belief, and give the honor to some other tongue. For example, Goropius, who published a work at Antwerp, in the year 1580, endeavored to prove that Dutch was the language spoken in Paradise. André Kempre maintained that God spoke to Adam in Swedish, that Adam answered him in Danish, and that the serpent spoke to Eve in French. The Persians have a tradition that the serpent spoke in Arabic, Adam and Eve in Persian, and Gabriel in the Turkish language. In a work published at Madrid, as late as 1814, it was claimed that the Basque was the language spoken by Adam and Eve. The author of this volume did not speak without authority; for a grave, deliberative assembly had decided that on this point no doubt could exist in their minds, and that “it was impossible to bring forward any serious or rational objection.”

It was while these unscientific discussions were going on, during the latter part of the seventeenth century, that Leibnitz, the contemporary and rival of Newton, came upon the stage. He boldly attacked former opinions, and set himself to the task of collecting the materials necessary to a correct decision of the question. “The study of languages,” said he, “must not be conducted according to any other principles than those of the exact sciences. Why begin with the unknown, instead of the known? It stands to reason that we ought to begin with studying the modern languages which are within our reach, in order to compare them with

BSac 31:121 (January 1874) p. 116

one another, to discover their differences and affinities, and then to proceed to those which have preceded them in former ages, in order to show their filiation and origin, and then to ascend, step by step, to the most ancient tongues; the analysis of which must lead us to the most trustworthy conclusions.”1

Pursuing this method, his labors, together with those of his successors, raised the study of comparative philology to the rank of an important science, and demonstrated that we have no more reason to suppose the Hebrew to have been the original language of the race, than the Basque, the Turkish, or the Dutch.2

Nevertheless, this extensive classification of languages, living and dead, and the analysis of their gramma...