FS אוה versus אי ִ ה

The Tiberian written tradition of the Pentateuch is notable outlier when it comes to the third-person feminine singular (3FS) independent subject pronoun. Written היא in most of the Masoretic Bible and elsewhere throughout ancient Hebrew sources and traditions, it appears as הוא in the Tiberian Torah. Explanations for the anomaly can be divided into graphic and linguistic categories. Graphic explanations suggest that הוא is a mistake. Linguistic explanations propose various theories about the morphology of the pronouns. One suggestion posits that the Tiberian Torah preserves an epicene 3CS pronoun, which does not appear in other biblical texts, leading to speculation about its historical usage. Alternatively, some researchers propose that the written forms reflect distinct morphological developments for the 3FS pronoun, which later aligned with standard usage in the reading tradition. These linguistic theories suggest a more complex diachronic development of pronouns within the Tiberian Pentateuch, which may have allowed for the preservation of older forms, the realisation of which eventually aligned with later linguistic practices in other biblical texts. Ultimately, all explanations remain speculative, emphasising the need for further research to elucidate the relationship between the written and reading traditions of the Tiberian Torah, as well as the broader implications for the historical evolution of Hebrew pronominal forms.