Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Albert & Julia Haig <albert_and_julia AT yahoo.com.au>]

> [PK] Yes, the text is fully marked with accents, as in most printed Hebrew 
Bibles. But there is very little explanation of the accents. And that 
was what Herman seemed to be promising to Steve when he wrote:

OK, my misunderstanding! For most practical purposes, it is important to know 
the major accents that affect the pointing, but the more subtle accents you 
can just ignore, unless you want to be able to recite it all perfectly 
accurately. Maybe others will disagree, but in any case my pronounciation is 
no doubt shocking anyway, so I don't see the point in trying to get the finer 
points of recitation sorted out. I just don't see it as having a sufficiently 
high reward for effort ratio. I'd rather spend my time learning another 
ancient language.

> Why do you consider BHS rather than any other good edition essential? 
Is it the apparatus, full of conjectural emendations? Is it the Masora? Is it 
the small textual differences from editions based on the Rabbinic Bible? In 
what other ways is BHS different from other editions?

I was assuming the choice was between BHS and a basic edition without all the 
textual footnotes, such as the one which I was given by the Bible Society 
when I first started studying Hebrew at Theological College. Once I got 
beyond my first year of Hebrew and started doing serious exegesis, that 
edition became fairly useless and I had to buy BHS. But as for BHS versus 
another good edition which provides sufficient information on textual 
variants, I don't have any strong preference. The important thing is not the 
speculations in the footnotes - which sometimes are frankly far-fetched, 
although sometimes are helpful - the main thing, which is very important, is 
being able to know what manuscripts support what readings. BHS is not perfect 
in this regard, especially as regards the more recent information rom the 
Dead Sea Scrolls. I really, truly wish that we had an edition of the Hebrew 
Old Testament that came somewhere close to what the UBS Greek NT does with 
its footnotes.
 Maybe one day ...

All the best,

Albert Haig.


                
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>From peter AT qaya.org  Thu Apr  6 04:44:17 2006
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From: Peter Kirk <peter AT qaya.org>
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On 06/04/2006 02:11, Albert & Julia Haig wrote:
> ...
>> Why do you consider BHS rather than any other good edition essential? =

>>    =20
> Is it the apparatus, full of conjectural emendations? Is it the Masora?=
 Is it the small textual differences from editions based on the Rabbinic =
Bible? In what other ways is BHS different from other editions?
>
> I was assuming the choice was between BHS and a basic edition without a=
ll the textual footnotes, such as the one which I was given by the Bible =
Society when I first started studying Hebrew at Theological College. Once=
 I got beyond my first year of Hebrew and started doing serious exegesis,=
 that edition became fairly useless and I had to buy BHS. But as for BHS =
versus another good edition which provides sufficient information on text=
ual variants, I don't have any strong preference. The important thing is =
not the speculations in the footnotes - which sometimes are frankly far-f=
etched, although sometimes are helpful - the main thing, which is very im=
portant, is being able to know what manuscripts support what readings. BH=
S is not perfect in this regard, especially as regards the more recent in=
formation rom the Dead Sea Scrolls. I really, truly wish that we had an e=
dition of the Hebrew Old Testament that came somewhere close to what the =
UBS Greek NT does with its footnotes.
>  Maybe one day ...
>
>  =20
Thanks for this.

The Bible Societies are working on a new edition to replace and update=20
BHS, called BHQ (Biblia Hebraica Quinta). The first fascicle of this,=20
the Megilloth, has already been published. See for example=20
http://rosetta.reltech.org/TC/vol07/Weis2002.html and=20
http://www.bookreviews.org/pdf/4725_4867.pdf.

--=20
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/