Wednesday, June 28, 2023

I Say Yericho, You Say Yereicho

The city we know of us Jericho is commonly pronounced יְרִחוֹ. This is, in fact, how it is written in נ"ך*. However, in last week's פרשה and this week's, and in all other examples in the תורה it is written יְרֵחוֹ (with a צרי). Anyone have an explanation for the change?

*As per Anonymous' comment: It is written this way in יחושע, שמואל and מלכים (with the exception of מלכים ב כ"ה:ה) but in ירמיהו, עזרא, נחמיה and דברי הימים it is יְרֵחוֹ as well.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

"This is, in fact, how it is written throughout נ"ך".

Technically, it is only written as יְרִחו in Sifrei Yehoshua, Melachim (with one exception), and Shmuel. It is written as יְרֵחוֹ (with a צרי) in the Torah, Yermiyahu, Ezra, Nechemiah, and Divrei Hayamim, as well as one place in Melachim (Melachim 2, 25:5).

Anonymous said...

רב יעקב קמנצקי אמת ליעקב נ״ך ח״ב מלכים א׳ ל״ד ד"ה יריחה