Biblical Hebrew Forum

[K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Bryant:

On Wed, May 22, 2013 at 9:30 AM, Rev. Bryant J. Williams III <bjwvmw AT com-pair.net> wrote:

Dear List,

It appears that the pointing of the MT is what would be the issue since the DSS does not have the pointing; also would the issue of Weak Verbs and Liquid verbs be an issue for the "apparent" differences?

Rev. Bryant J. Williams III

Why stop at those?

First of all, it’s pretty clear that the pointing of the MT reflects Tiberian Hebrew pronunciation, not Biblical Hebrew.

Secondly, how many of the pointings reflect the grammatical understanding of the Masoretes, seeing as Tiberian Hebrew has a different grammar than Biblical Hebrew? How many of the Kethiv/Qere differences also are based on this grammar difference?

Thirdly, how many of the pointings were chosen to push the Maroretic theology?

Fourthly, how many times do the pointings indicate one understanding, while the context and often even the spelling indicate a different one?

So how much weight should we give the pointing in the MT?

Karl W. Randolph.