Word density

I'm sure this is somewhat old hat, but it is interesting to see if some words are more densely used in some books than others. Word density would be the number of occurrences of a stem over the total number of words in the passages being compared. I came across one significant one when doing the 7 different intros to my now 9 volume work on the Hebrew Bible. That is the word for nation, גוי, (goy).

It is more densely used in the latter prophets than in the former by a factor of 8.

This stem גוי, goi, occurs in the Hebrew text 561 times in 23 distinct word forms. In my reading it is always rendered as nation, a word derived from the idea of native, i.e. where you were born. There are 49 occurrences (0. 07% of the words) in the former prophets (just under one fifth of the Bible).  And in the later ones (just over one fifth of the Bible), there are 319 occurrences (0.55% of the words).

What would happen if we looked at other stems? Here's the density of דרך way. Malachi sticks out as do Ezekiel and Job. Leviticus and Qohelet hardly use it at all. There are 769 instances in the Bible in 83 differing word forms (i.e with appendages of articles, prepositions, conjunctions, pronouns, and as both verb and noun).

Usage density of דרך in the books of the Hebrew canon

A closer look at Malachi is not very helpful. The word only occurs 3 times in the book, but the book is so short that it distorts its own measure. Also my translation is inconsistent in its use of the gloss way. I use it for במה in what way. And I don't gloss דרך as way in one of the three cases but as journey. O bother, said Winnie the Pooh. I should probably not make much of single words in a text. (Let that be a lesson!)

In Job I am more consistent but it is a very flexible word. Here is usage in verse 19.

Job 40:15-19 Behemoth