Parameters for stylistic analysis of biblical Hebrew prose texts

Large scale statistical analysis of the frequency of nouns vs. verbs, and of nominal verbal vs. finite forms of the verb, indicates differences between various classes of narrative and legal texts in biblical Hebrew. The present paper seeks to specify the stylistic parameters behind the statistical data, and proposes a sociolinguistic characterization of two different prose styles, viz., the complex-nominal style, manifesting many characteristics of written language, and thus at home at the scribal desk, and the rhythmic-verbal style that is close to spoken language, and thus probably reflects a substrate of oral discourse. In addition we analyse a corpus of 40 samples containing 350 nouns each, representing different genres (narrative, law, cult prescription and covenant), and strata ( "JE", "Dtr," "P", and postexilic prose). This analysis leads to a new hypothesis concerning the development of the Hebrew prose style from the oral style of a spoken society to the scribal style of the official chancellery. A distinction is suggested between the Hebrew chancery of the Judean monarchy and the provincial desk of the Persian era, which used Aramaic for all official purposes.