Biblical Hebrew Forum

[David Hamuel <davidhamuel AT sbcglobal.net>]

Kirk, 

> We would expect a conjunctive accent (mahpakh) here instead of a 
> disjunctive (yetiv), which would be very strange.

There are  11 cases where yetiv is followed immediately by pashta. The 
Masorah: 
יא בטע לאחור that said, 11 cases with the accent backwords, or to the right. 
Prof. Yeivin, page 199:
"When yetiv comes immediately before pashta, however, it can easily be taken 
for mehuppak. For this reason the Masorah lists the eleven cases where this 
occurs.
1. Lev 5:2
2. Dt 1:4
3. Is 5:24
4. Is 30:32
5. Jer 16:12
6. Jer 22:30
7. Jer 14:14
8. Dan 2:10
9. Dan 7:27
10. Ezra 6:8
11. Ezra 9:4."

That is why BHS is wrong. JPS is wrong. Compare it to the edition by Prof. 
Dotan & Prof. Breuer. 

> BHS prints it the same way.

There's no doubt that BHS is a great source, but still there're a lot of 
errors, mistakes. For example, Isa. 26:1 -- עז-לנו The circellus is printed 
between the two words (and not above the word עז!!!) and the note: 
ל וחד מן ב זקף קמץ  . See the L Masorah & Ginsburg  — vol 3.  page 382, 
section # 244: 
עז ב' וסימ' ... וכל אתנח' וכל סוף פיס' דכות  .  From where the note  ל וחד מן 
ב זקף קמץ  came from? 

So, I don't worry too much if I "see that the ta'am begins precisely at the 
beginning of the kaf." They didn't have Adobe InDesign ME and Diacritic 
Positioning :^)


Best,

David Hamuel
Type Designer 
Biblical Hebrew, Grammar & Cantillation Expert

Los Angeles, CA — USA