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b-hebrew - Re: [b-hebrew] Ex 34:7 Karl and the niphal?

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  • From: "Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Ex 34:7 Karl and the niphal?
  • Date: Tue, 12 Apr 2005 09:31:12 -0500

Ah, Chris:

Here is where you err—Hebrew was not the mother tongue of those who invented
the points to preserve the pronunciation tradition that they inherited.
They had to learn Hebrew as a scholarly study, just as we.

If we take the internal datings of those books that have attributions, we
have linguistic patterns that suggest that Hebrew had not been a native
tongue
(learned at a mother’s knee) for close to a millenium by the time the points
were developed. Even those who claim later use of Hebrew as a native
tongue recognize that Hebrew had ceased to be such at least a couple of
centuries before the invention of the points.

Because I presently use an unpointed text, I don’t know if I follow the
points or not. But in the past I have found instances where the points are
clearly
wrong, e.g. Proverbs 1:19. Futher, I noticed instances where the need for a
Ketib/Qere correction was rendered moot by using different points (and I
prefer to change points than the consonental text, even when that change is a
Qere).

So I encourage you not to fear changing the points. Don’t do so willy nilly,
disregarding tradition totally, but only after careful consideration.

Karl W. Randolph.

----- Original Message -----
From: wattswestmaas <wattswestmaas AT eircom.net>
>
> Hallo Karl (and rest) I agree about your statement. Though I do not have
> enough experience to comment further either way, I would be reluctant to
> alter vowel pointing in a way that would say that I knew better than the
> very people whose language this was.
>
> I really do not know.
>
> regards Chris
--
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