-
Recent Articles
- “Counsel Is Mine” — Exploring the Voice of Wisdom in Proverbs 8:14
- From the Garden to the Ear: Participles and Imperatives in Song of Songs 8:13
- Wisdom’s Self-Introduction: Where Insight Meets Strategy
- Guard Yourself: The Grammar of Memory and Obedience
- Mapping the Syntactic Battlefield
- When Wisdom Speaks Clearly: Syntax and Semantics in Proverbs 8:9
- Sending the Dove: From Loosened Waters to Stilled Waters
- The Mystery of Tomorrow: When Knowledge Meets a Wall
- The Seal of Syntax: Imperatives, Similes, and Poetic Fire in Song of Songs 8:6
- Perpetual Backsliding: Interrogatives, Participles, and the Syntax of Resistance
- Anchored in Syntax: The Resting of the Ark in Genesis 8:4
- Under the Cover of Darkness: The Hebrew Syntax of Ambush in Joshua 8:3
Categories
Archives
Author Archives: Biblical Hebrew
19. Changes of Consonants
Changes of consonants in Biblical Hebrew arise from processes such as commutation, assimilation, rejection, addition, transposition, and softening, all of which reflect the interaction between phonological tendencies and morphological structure. Commutation involves the interchange of similar consonants, often due to shared articulation or historical variation. Assimilation typically affects the consonant נ, which merges into a following consonant and triggers Dageš forte. Rejection, or elision, occurs when weak consonants like נ, ל, א, ה, ו, or י are dropped at the beginning (aphaeresis), middle (syncope), or end (apocope) of a word.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar
Comments Off on 19. Changes of Consonants
17. Of the Qerê and Kethîb. Masora marginalis and finalis
The system of Qerê and Kethîb in the Hebrew Bible reflects a scribal tradition that preserves both the written text (Kethîb, “what is written”) and the preferred oral reading (Qerê, “what is read”). In such cases, the consonants of the Kethîb remain in the text, while the vowels of the Qerê are superimposed, with the full Qerê form noted in the margin. Special categories include Kethîb velo Qerê (written but not read) and Qerê velo Kethîb (read but not written). Some readings, known as Qerê perpetuum, are so common they are assumed without marginal notes (e.g.,… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar, Textual Criticism
Comments Off on 17. Of the Qerê and Kethîb. Masora marginalis and finalis
15. The Accents
The Hebrew accent system, originally developed to guide public reading and later evolving into a complex musical and grammatical notation, serves two primary functions: marking word stress and indicating syntactic structure within verses. Accents are divided into disjunctive (pausal) and conjunctive (connecting) types, forming a hierarchical punctuation system that governs the flow and interpretation of the text. The standard system applies to 21 books, while Psalms, Proverbs, and Job (the אמ”ת books) use a distinct, more musically elaborate system. Accents like Sillûq, ʾAthnâḥ, and Rebhîaʼ mark major and minor divisions, while others like Mehuppākh and Pašṭā serve conjunctive roles.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar
Comments Off on 15. The Accents
13. Dageš Lene
Dageš Lene is a diacritical point used in Biblical Hebrew to indicate the hard (non-aspirated) pronunciation of the six בְּגַדְכְּפַת consonants, typically appearing at the beginning of words or syllables and not following a vowel (which would instead take Dageš Forte). It restores the original plosive articulation of these letters, as seen in contrasts like מֶלֶךְ (mèlĕkh) vs. מַלְכּוֹ (malkô). A special form, known as Dageš Orthophonicum, appears in some manuscripts and editions (e.g., Baer), even outside the Begadkephat group, to prevent misreading or to mark syllabic boundaries (e.g.,… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar
Comments Off on 13. Dageš Lene
12. Dageš in General, and Dageš Forte in Particular
The Dageš is a diacritical point placed within a Hebrew consonant, serving two main functions: Dageš Forte, which strengthens or “fortifies” a consonant (e.g., קִטֵּל qiṭṭēl), and Dageš Lene, which hardens the pronunciation of the six בְּגַדְכְּפַת letters. The term “Dageš” likely derives from the Syriac root meaning “to pierce,” reflecting either the visual mark or its grammatical function of sharpening a sound. Dageš Forte plays a more significant grammatical role, akin to Latin notations for consonant doubling, though it is not marked in unpointed texts.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar
Comments Off on 12. Dageš in General, and Dageš Forte in Particular