A Colloquialism in Jer. 5:13 from the Ancestor of Mishnaic Hebrew

Abstract

There is, therefore, every reason to view the occurrence of דבר in Jer. 5:13 as original and intentional. To insist that it is anachronistic and/or fortuitous is to ignore its distribution and to deny the artistry of the text. It is to exert either that Biblical authors did not employ the kind of stylistic cues which are the mark of effective speaking and writing today or that modern readers cannot aspire to be sensitive to them. (from Conclusion).