Nahum 2:14 Text-Critical Notes

Two reading traditions are reflected in the ancient witnesses to Nahum 2:14, which can be referred to as 'masculine' (4Q169) and 'feminine' (MT, T-Jon, P), depending on the implied referent of the suffixes in this verse. It is argued in this contribution that the textual history of Nahum 2:14 and the origins of these two reading traditions can be explained from the relationship between the Hebrew words and, which presumably go back to a common source. This can be taken as evidence that the masculine reading of Nahum 2: 14 is the more original one, whereas the feminine reading is the outcome of textual corruption.