Biblical Hebrew Forum

[decaen AT chass.utoronto.ca (Vincent DeCaen)]

dear friends,

pretend a bright student throws you these curve balls. how would you 
respond?

(1) if there is no metre or musicality of any kind in hebrew poetry, 
what's the basis of the liturgical chant? further, if there is no poetry, 
why is there a *second* system of chant for the three books job, proverbs 
and psalms (less articulated, yet more sensitive to syllables)?

(2) what is the value of metre in any case? does it make a difference 
exegetically? could it make a difference in any way? who cares?

shalom,
V
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Dr Vincent DeCaen
Adjunct Professor
Near & Middle Eastern Civilizations
University of Toronto
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