Nehemiah 13:24

spake half in the speech of Ashdod LXX. οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτῶν ἥμισυ λαλοῦσιν Ἀζωτιστί. Vulg. -filii eorum ex media parte loquebantur Azotice," half their words were framed in the dialect of Philistia. This dialect would be very similar to Hebrew, but from accent and the use of peculiar words almost unintelligible to the Jews.

On the relations of the Jews with Ashdod, see on Nehemiah 4:7, and compare Zechariah 9:6.

in the Jews" language i.e. Hebrew (-Yehudîth") LXX. Ἰουδαϊστί. Vulg. -Judaice" as in 2 Kings 18:26; 2 Kings 18:28; Isaiah 36:11; Isaiah 36:13; 2 Chronicles 32:18. The language of Hezekiah's reign was still spoken by the Jews after the Return, as indeed would be abundantly shown by these memorials of Ezra and Nehemiah and by the writings of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi.

On the mistaken idea that during the Captivity the Jews had exchanged Hebrew for Chaldee, i.e. Aramaic, see Introd. § 8.

but according to the language of each people Referring to the Ammonites and Moabites, who represented dialectical varieties.