On the possible old Persian origin of the Aramaic śjm ṭʻm, "to issue a decree"

The Aramaic formula שים טעם 'to issue a decree,' first occurs in the Imperial Aramaic of Daniel, Ezra, and the Aramaic letters of the 5th century B.C.E. The regular use of this formula in the passive voice with a known agent caused E.Y.Kutscher to suspect Persian interference and argue tha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion
Main Author: Makujina, John ca. Ende 20. Jh./Anfang 21. Jh. (Author)
Format: Print Article
Language:English
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Published: College 1997
In: Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains:B Iran (Antiquity) / History 539 BC-330 BC
RelBib Classification:HB Old Testament
TC Pre-Christian history ; Ancient Near East
Further subjects:B Judiciary
B Aramaic language
Description
Summary:The Aramaic formula שים טעם 'to issue a decree,' first occurs in the Imperial Aramaic of Daniel, Ezra, and the Aramaic letters of the 5th century B.C.E. The regular use of this formula in the passive voice with a known agent caused E.Y.Kutscher to suspect Persian interference and argue that the clause was probably a passivum majestatis of Old Persian origin. Expanding on Kutscher, this article proposes that שים טעם may be a Persian calque involving one of three Old Persian verbs: ništā-, framā-, or θah-. A detailed analysis of the verbs finds all three to be possible, but rates ništā- as the most promising. Old Aramaic and Hebrew parallels to שים טעם offer material that challenges this position; yet a closer examination of all the data reveals that the argument for שים טעם as an Old Persian calque is more convincing and gives a better account of the evidence.
ISSN:0360-9049
Contains:In: Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, Hebrew Union College annual / Jewish Institute of Religion