Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Petr Tomasek <tomasek AT etf.cuni.cz>]

On Fri, Jan 01, 2010 at 11:17:27AM -0500, tedbro AT aol.com wrote:
> James:
>  
> In response to your last email, I have three comments and a request.
>  
>  
>  
> In a message dated 12/31/2009 5:25:20 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
> jc.bhebrew AT googlemail.com writes:
> 
> >>  If the default qere is ADONAI is there really any need to vowel point  
> YHWH
> with ADONAI vowel pointing?
> "Is there any need...?" does not seem to be a relevant question. There are  
> many common words that do not need vocalization marks, and certainly do not 
> need  to have each and every vowel marked. Nevertheless the text supplies 
> them.

You are quite wrong :) In older masoretic manuscripts (mainly with the 
palestinian
pointing) only few words are vocalised. And even in the "standard" tiberian
punctuation not everything is written, e.g. the raphe sign is not used 
cosistently
(but we find some manuscripts that use raphe in almost every word...)

P.T.

-- 
Petr Tomasek <http://www.etf.cuni.cz/~tomasek>
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