The Syntax of Hebrew Accents

270 Pages·2016·2.26 MB·English

by  James D. Price

THE SYNTAX OF MASORETIC

ACCENTS IN THE

HEBREW BIBLE

(Second edition, revised and corrected)

by
James D. Price, Ph.D.
Temple Baptist Seminary
Copyright 1990, 2010
James D. Price
All rights reserved.

ii
DEDICATION

This work is dedicated to my friend and colleague, Dr. Hermann J. Austel,
Academic Dean and Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages at
Northwest Baptist Seminary, Tacoma, Washington. He has been a lifelong exam-
ple of academic and spiritual excellence.

iii
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page

DEDICATION ....................................................................................................... iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................ v
LIST OF TABLES ................................................................................................. xi
PREFACE ............................................................................................................. xv
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................. xvii
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 1
Hebrew's Non-Vowel Marks .............................................................................. 1
Textual Problems ............................................................................................ 1
Masoretic Notes .............................................................................................. 2
Phonetic Union................................................................................................ 2
Accent Marks .................................................................................................. 2
The Study of the Accents .................................................................................... 4
Antiquity of the Accents ..................................................................................... 8
Four Purposes of Primary Accents ..................................................................... 9
Marking Stress ................................................................................................ 9
Marking Syntactic Relationship ...................................................................... 9
Musical Cantillation ...................................................................................... 10
Poetic Structure ............................................................................................. 12
Two Systems of Accentuation .......................................................................... 14
PART I .................................................................................................................. 15
THE SYNTAX OF THE HEBREW ACCENTS.................................................. 15
USED IN THE PENTATEUCH ........................................................................... 15
CHAPTER 1 ......................................................................................................... 17
The Prose Accents Marks ..................................................................................... 17
List of Prose Accents ........................................................................................ 17
Disjunctive Accents ...................................................................................... 18
Conjunctive Accents ..................................................................................... 19
v
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 2 ......................................................................................................... 23
The Prose Laws of Accentuation .......................................................................... 23
The Laws of Hierarchic Governance ................................................................ 23
The Law of Substitution................................................................................ 27
The Law of Conjunctives .............................................................................. 28
The Law of Transformation .............................................................................. 31
The Law of Continuous Dichotomy ................................................................. 32
Unnatural Binary Restraint ........................................................................... 35
Obscure Near Segment ................................................................................. 35
Criteria of Division ....................................................................................... 38
Complexity .................................................................................................... 40
CHAPTER 3 ......................................................................................................... 41
The Prose Accent in Hierarchy I ........................................................................... 41
CHAPTER 4 ......................................................................................................... 45
The Prose Accents in Hierarchy II ........................................................................ 45
Silluq ................................................................................................................. 45
Athnach ............................................................................................................. 49
CHAPTER 5 ......................................................................................................... 55
The Prose Accents in Hierarchy III ...................................................................... 55
Tiphcha ............................................................................................................. 56
Little Zaqeph ..................................................................................................... 61
Great Zaqeph ..................................................................................................... 66
Segolta............................................................................................................... 67
Shalsheleth ........................................................................................................ 71
CHAPTER 6 ......................................................................................................... 73
The Prose Accents in Hierarchy IV ...................................................................... 73
Tebir .................................................................................................................. 74
Pashta ................................................................................................................ 78
Yethib ................................................................................................................ 83
Zarqa ................................................................................................................. 84
vi
Table of Contents `
Rebia ................................................................................................................. 88
CHAPTER 7 ......................................................................................................... 93
The Prose Accents in Hierarchy V........................................................................ 93
Geresh ............................................................................................................... 93
Garshaim ........................................................................................................... 96
Pazer .................................................................................................................. 97
Great Telisha ..................................................................................................... 98
Great Pazer ........................................................................................................ 99
Legarmeh ........................................................................................................ 101
Paseq ............................................................................................................... 102
Pseudo-Legarmeh ........................................................................................... 103
CHAPTER 8 ....................................................................................................... 107
The Prose Conjunctive Accents .......................................................................... 107
Munach ........................................................................................................... 107
Mahpak ........................................................................................................... 109
Mereka ............................................................................................................ 111
Double Mereka................................................................................................ 112
Darga ............................................................................................................... 113
Azla ................................................................................................................. 113
Little Telisha ................................................................................................... 115
Galgal .............................................................................................................. 116
Mayela............................................................................................................. 117
CHAPTER 9 ....................................................................................................... 119
Interpreting the Prose Accents ............................................................................ 119
Interpreting the Conjunctive Accents ............................................................. 119
The Disjunctive Accents ................................................................................. 120
Accents in Hierarchy I and II ...................................................................... 120
Accents in Hierarchy III.............................................................................. 122
Accents in Hierarchy IV ............................................................................. 124
Accents in Hierarchy V ............................................................................... 125
vii
Table of Contents
Influences of Poetic Structure ..................................................................... 125
Interpreting Near Disjunctives .................................................................... 127
The Problem of Altered Accentuation ............................................................ 132
The Problem of Double Accentuation ............................................................ 134
On a Single Word........................................................................................ 134
On a Single Verse ....................................................................................... 134
On the Decalogue ........................................................................................ 135
Interpreting Problem Texts ............................................................................. 136
PART II ............................................................................................................... 139
THE SYNTAX OF THE MASORETIC ACCENTS USED IN ......................... 139
THE THREE BOOKS OF POETRY .................................................................. 139
CHAPTER 10 ..................................................................................................... 141
The Poetic Accents Marks .................................................................................. 141
List of Poetic Accents ..................................................................................... 142
Disjunctive Accents .................................................................................... 142
Conjunctive Accents ................................................................................... 142
CHAPTER 11 ..................................................................................................... 145
The Laws of Poetic Accentuation ....................................................................... 145
The Laws of Hierarchic Governance .............................................................. 145
The Law of Substitution.................................................................................. 146
The Law of Conjunctives ................................................................................ 147
The Law of Transformation ............................................................................ 149
The Law of Continuous Dichotomy ............................................................... 149
CHAPTER 12 ..................................................................................................... 163
The Poetic Accents in Hierarchy I ...................................................................... 163
Silluq ............................................................................................................... 163
CHAPTER 13 ..................................................................................................... 173
Poetic Accents in Hierarchy II ............................................................................ 173
Rebia Mugrash ................................................................................................ 173
Defective Rebia Mugrash ........................................................................... 178
viii
Table of Contents `
Virtual Rebia Mugrash ................................................................................ 181
Great Shalsheleth ............................................................................................ 184
Athnach ........................................................................................................... 186
Ole-WeYored .................................................................................................. 190
CHAPTER 14 ..................................................................................................... 197
The Poetic Accents in Hierarchy III ................................................................... 197
Dechi ............................................................................................................... 197
Virtual Dechi ................................................................................................... 202
Sinnor .............................................................................................................. 206
Little Rebia...................................................................................................... 209
Great Rebia ..................................................................................................... 212
CHAPTER 15 ..................................................................................................... 219
Poetic Accents in Hierarchy IV .......................................................................... 219
Pazer ................................................................................................................ 219
Legarmeh ........................................................................................................ 221
Mahpak-Legarmeh ...................................................................................... 223
Azla-Legarmeh ........................................................................................... 224
Virtual Legarmeh ........................................................................................ 226
Paseq ............................................................................................................... 228
CHAPTER 16 ..................................................................................................... 231
The Poetic Conjunctive Accents ......................................................................... 231
Munach ........................................................................................................... 231
Mereka ............................................................................................................ 232
Illuy ................................................................................................................. 235
Tarcha ............................................................................................................. 236
Galgal .............................................................................................................. 238
Mahpak ........................................................................................................... 238
Azla ................................................................................................................. 239
Little Shalsheleth ............................................................................................ 241
Sinnorit ............................................................................................................ 242
ix
Table of Contents
Sinnorit-Mereka .......................................................................................... 243
Sinnorit-Mahpak ......................................................................................... 244
CHAPTER 17 ..................................................................................................... 246
Interpreting the Poetic Accents ........................................................................... 246
Interpreting Poetic Structure ........................................................................... 246
Interpreting the Disjunctives ........................................................................... 247
Interpreting Virtual Disjunctives .................................................................... 247
Interpreting the Conjunctives .......................................................................... 247
BIBLIOGRAPHY ............................................................................................... 249
Books .............................................................................................................. 249
Journal and Encyclopedia Articles.................................................................. 250

x