Biblical Hebrew Forum

[David Hamuel <davidhamuel AT sbcglobal.net>]

Yitzhak,

Just quick note(s) (later on I'll post more).

> He quotes from Diqduqe Hateamim:

It is important to read & study the work by Baer & Strack 
Diqduqe Hateamim, but also to be a little bit careful. 
For some reason Baer was sometimes
too creative. Let's see for example page 20, section 19
and the corrections by Strack :
"These are the 'kings', [qamats], [patah], [sere],
[seghol], [holam], [shurek],[hirik], [hataf and qamats],
[hataf and patah], and so too the schewa
if it comes at the beginning of a word will be counted 
as a 'king' but if it comes at the middle or its
end, shall not."

 Nachträge/Supplement by Strack: Der Abschnitt lautet in D.../The section 
reads in D: 
These are the 'kings', qamats, patah, sere, seghol, holam, hirik. 
And so too the schewa if it comes at the beginning of a word will
be counted as a 'king' but if it comes at the middle or its
end will be counted as a 'servant' [mesharet]


> the specific case of vayomru...

...and other words is also a matter of tradition. We have different 
traditions. For example see Deut 1:27 (the first word);
some editions -- there's a gaya under the letter resh; under the gimmel
 —  sheva na. Based on the Yemenite tradition the gaya is under the letter 
tav; under the gimmel — sheva nach!  



Best,

David Hamuel

Type Designer 
Biblical Hebrew, Grammar & Cantillation Expert

Los Angeles, CA — USA