@ 2023-01-24 - MORE ON THE HEBREW SYNTAX & GRAMMAR

 To most Hebrew scholars, here is an enduring mystery: why are there more than 20 Masoretic accents, when only six are required to punctuate any biblical verse?

The reason is that the Masoretic accents are primarily a notation of vocal melody, secondarily of punctuation, and finally of rhythm. That said, there is an underlying, purely verbal syntax which the melody brings out.

Here is what I discovered about the Hebrew Bible's syntax (phrase structure) and its implications:

----------

TEXT | TEXT / - Introductory
TEXT | TEXT // - Pivotal
TEXT | TEXT /// - Half-cadential
TEXT | TEXT //// - Parallel
TEXT | TEXT ///// - Conclusive

----------

This layout is consistent everywhere in principle.

Lev 25:4 is a good example; five clauses are present. The underlying syntax explains why the vowel *qamets and the accent *zaeef qaton are connected where the combination is not expected (on "thou shalt sow"):

and in the year | the seventh / (IN)
a sabbath of rest is | to the land // (PI)
a sabbath | to Yehawweh /// (HA)
thy field | thou shalt not sow (PA)
and thy vineyard | thou shalt not prune ///// (CO)

וּבַשָּׁנָ֣ה | הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗ת  /
שַׁבַּ֤ת שַׁבָּתוֹן֙ | יִהְיֶ֣ה לָאָ֔רֶץ //
שַׁבָּ֖ת | לַיהוָ֑ה ///
שָֽׂדְךָ֙ | לֹ֣א תִזְרָ֔ע ////
וְכַרְמְךָ֖ | לֹ֥א תִזְמֹֽר׃ /////

-----------

A clause normally has two phrases. It may have one phrase (even one word), but NEVER three (or more).

This fact is key to understanding Ecc 9:10. The Christian versions have one word division, the Jewish versions another. The Jewish division is based on an incorrect understanding of the Masoretic accents as punctuation. This results in one clause having three phrases and the following clause, one phrase. Even SHV made this error. But take her melodic "key" to the accents in combination with the underlying verbal syntax, and one sees that the Christian division is correct (it makes more inherent sense anyway).

In like manner, Isa 40:3 is mispunctated by the Jewish sources, even SHV. The accentual syntax cannot override the verbal syntax; they must fit hand in glove. Thus the NT division (supported by the LXX) is correct.

-----------------

unfoldingWord

https://uhg.readthedocs.io/en/latest/index.html