[b-hebrew] Survey Question about use of Biblical Hebrew in class
David Hamuel
davidhamuel at sbcglobal.net
Mon Jun 15 13:46:13 EDT 2009
> A survey question.
> How many on this list are learning Biblical Hebrew in a spoken BH classroom?
A spoken BH is one issue, and 'reading' the Bible is another. Let's see one little tiny issue: the word בתים Batim (houses).
What is interesting about the word Batim is that it has attracted a lot of discussions. e.g. Norzi, Radak,ben Asher, ben Naftali. About what? About the dagesh + the letter tav. One might ask why all the discussions? We know that a letter could be rafe, with dagesh kal or hazak, right?
>From Hidayat al-Qari we learn that there is a third dagesh!!! called dagesh gadol (which is not dagesh hazak!!!, or if you want a third way of pronunciation). We know from al-Qari and Kitab al-Khilaf -- variants between ben Asher and ben Naftali -- that there was a hilluf between them almost about every word of Batim, Batehem (their houses) etc. and the dagesh gadol -- excluding maybe two words. And see Daniel 3: 23 (the second tav+dagesh) תְּלָתֵּהוֹן
so, the main question is how to read and pronounce the word בתים? the word תְּלָתֵּהוֹן?
See the Talmud, Rabbi Yohanan: Anyone who reads the Scripture without a melody...of him the Scripture says "Moreover I gave them laws that were not good..." (Ezek 20:25).
That said, you don't read the Bible!!! You have to know the cantillation, how to chant!!!
Best,
David Hamuel
Type Designer
Biblical Hebrew, Grammar & Cantillation Expert
Los Angeles, CA — USA
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