Is It ‘To Him’ or Is It ‘Not’? Intentional Variation between ‭ול‬ and ‭אל‬ in the Hebrew Bible.

Textual variation between ‭ול‬ and ‭אל‬ occurs throughout the Hebrew Bible about thirty times. The initial impression might be that this is the result of unintentional scribal error, yet the vast majority of these occurrences of variation involve passages wherein both readings work equally well. It is also possible to determine in many cases the linear development from one reading to the other. The present article argues that the similar pronunciation of ‭ול‬ and ‭אל‬ became an occasion to introduce variant readings intentionally. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]