Biblical Hebrew Forum

["JAMES CHRISTIAN READ" <JCR128 AT student.anglia.ac.uk>]

Hi Karl,

sorry for not participating earlier. I've read your 
presentation and your reasoning but, admittedly, haven't 
taken the time to verify your reasoning by examining the 
text in question. If what you say is true, that a noun 
would be expected instead of a verb, then I would put my 
money on your instincts of reading the unpointed text. As 
you have rightly noted the masoretes were demonstrably 
wrong in a number of places and their pointing should, at 
best, be considered a good starting point for beginners 
that can't be bothered learning how to read an 
unpointed text.

This brings us on to another point worthy of discussion  
on this list. I personally, am against pointed text, 
for the reason which you have amply illustrated with 
this example. I have thought about compiling a beginners 
course in biblical hebrew which teaches the reader, from 
the very outset, to read unpointed text in the hopes that 
students will be raised with good instincts and the 
ability to rely on them rather than a pointed text.
Would that be a project you be interested in participating
in Karl?

James Christian Read
BSc Computer Science (thesis: concept driven machine translation using the 
Aleppo codex)
http://www.lamie.org/hebrew
you have rightly noted the masoretes were demonstrably
wrong in a number of places and their pointing should, at
best, be considered a good starting point for beginners
that can't be bothered learning how to read an
unpointed text.

This brings us on to another point worthy of discussion
on this list. I personally, am against pointed text,
for the reason which you have amply illustrated with
this example. I have thought about compiling a beginners
course in biblical hebrew which teaches the reader, from
the very outset, to read unpo