Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Jerry Shepherd <jshepherd53 AT gmail.com>]

Something you might find of interest about the Leningrad Codex and Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia is that, apparently, when BHS first came out, some of the editing work was based on inferior photographs of the codex.  I was one of a handful of students in the mid to late 80s assisting the late Al Groves on the Westminster Hebrew Computer Project, providing a computerized morphological database for the Hebrew text.  As part of our work, we also checked the BHS text against a facsimile of the codex we had at that time.  What first alerted our attention to the problem was a note in the apparatus for Hos 9:15.  For one of the words, שָׂרֵיהֶ֖ם , BHS had no qamets under the sin, and the apparatus note read, “sic L, mlt Mss Edd ‘שָׂ.”  But our facsimile clearly showed that there was indeed a qames under the שׂ.  We then came to find out that the BHS editors were working from faulty photocopies.  We came to find quite a few additional instances where the editor had a “sic L” note, when in fact our photocopies showed no such error.  I remember we started an errata list, but I don’t know whatever happened with it, or whether our findings were ever incorporated in subsequent BHS printings (my most recent copy was issed in 1984).  I’m sure BHQ has incorporated the corrections.  Perhaps Kirk Lowery can provide additional information on this. 

 

Blessings,

 

Jerry

Jerry Shepherd

Taylor Seminary

Edmonton, Alberta

jshepherd53 AT gmail.com