§ 17. Of the QereÖ and KethiÖbh. Masora marginalis and finalis.
On QereÖ and KethiÖbh see Ginsburg, Intr., p. 183 ff.
1. The margin of Biblical MSS. and editions exhibits variants of an early date (§ 3 c), called yreq.1 to be read, since, according to the opinion of the Jewish critics, they are to be preferred to the bytiK., i.e. what is written in the text, and are actually to be read instead of it.
On this account the vowels of the marginal reading (the QereÖ) are placed under the consonants of the text, and in order to understand both readings properly, the vowels in the text must be applied to the marginal reading, while for the reading of the text (the KethiÖbh) its own vowels are to be used. Thus in Jer 42:6 W>n:a] occurs in the text, in the margin yrq wnxna. Read Wna] we (or according to Jewish tradition Wna') in the text, in the margin Wnx.n:òa]. A small circle or asterisk in the text always refers to the marginal reading.
2. Words or consonants which are to be passed over in reading, and are therefore left unpointed, are called yreq. aolw> bytiK. (scriptum et non legendum), e.g. ta Jer 38:16, ~a 39:12, $rdy 51:3. Conversely, words not contained in the text, but required by the Masora (as indicated by the insertion of their vowels), are called:bytik. aolw> yreq., e.g. 2 S 8:3, Jer 31:38. See further Strack, Prolegomena Critica, p. 85; Dikduke ha-tÌeamim, §§ 62, 64; Blau, Masoretische Untersuchungen, p. 49 ff.
3. In the case of some very common words, which are always to
be read otherwise than according to the KethiÖbh,
it has not been considered necessary to place the QereÖ in
the margin, but its vowels are simply attached to the word in the text. This QereÖ perpetuum occurs
in the Pentateuch in awhi (QereÖ ayxi)
wherever awh stands for the feminine
(§ 32 l), and in r'[]n); (KethiÖbh r[n, QereÖ hr'[]n);)always,
except in Dt
22:19 (but the Sam. text always has ayhà hr[n).
The ordinary explanation of this supposed archaism, on the analogy of Greek o`
pai/j and h` pai/j, our child,
is inadequate, since there is no trace elsewhere of this epicene use; r[n for hr[n is
rather a survival of a system of orthography in which a final vowel was written
defectively, as in T'l.j;q'; cf. § 2 n.— Other
instances are: rk'XF'yI (Q. rk'F'yI) Gn
30:18 &c., see the Lexicon. and Baer and Delitzsch, Genesis,
p. 84, and below, note to § 47 b; ~li;v'Wr†y> (Q. ~yIl;ñv'Wr†y>),
properly ~lev'Wr†y>È hA'y>;
(Q. yn"doa] the Lord),
or (after yn"doa]) hwIhoy> (Q. ~yhioa/)
properly hw<h.y: Yahwe~ (cf. § 102 m,
and § 135 q, note); on ~ynEv.Ã ~yTev. for ynEv.Ã yTev.,
see § 97 d, end.
4. The masoretic apparatus accompanying the biblical text is divided into (a) Masora marginalis, consisting of (a) Masora (marginalis) magna on the upper and lower margins of MSS.; (b) Masora (marginalis) parva between and on the right and left of the columns; (b) Masora finalis at the end of the several books, counting Samuel, Kings, Minor Prophets, Ezra-Nehemiah, Chronicles, each as one book. On all three varieties see especially Ginsburg, lntrod., p. 423 ff., and the appendices containing (p. 983 ff.) the masoretic treatise from the St. Petersburg MS. of A.D. 1009, and (p. 1000 ff.) specimens of the Masora parva and magna on two chapters.
In nearly all printed editions only the Masora finalis is found, indicating the number of verses, the middle point of the book, &c., and a scanty selection from the Masora parva. The following alphabetical list of technical expressions (some of them Aramaic) and abbreviations, may suffice with the help of the lexicon to elucidate the subject. Further details will be found in the appendix to Teile's edition of the Hebrew O.T., p. 1222 ff.
tAa letter. aL'a, nisi, except. [c;m.a, middle. @¾¾sa= qWsP' @As xn:t.a; in the formula @¾¾sa aoB. withoutÈ AthnahÌ or Soph-pasuq i.e.although noÈ AthnahÌ or Soph-pasuq is written.
B. with, before names of vowels or accents, as @qez"B. #m,q'ñ QamesÌ with Zaqeph used instead ofPathahÌ (§ 29 i). — äb as a numeral = two, as in ~ymi['j. äb two accents. tcqmb, see tc'q.mi` a¾¾nb = an"yrex]a†; ax's.WnB. (Aramaic) in another copy; pl. !n"yrex]a†; !x's.WnB..—a¾¾sb=~yrIxea] ~yrIp's.Bi in other books. rt;B' (Aram.) after.
vWGD' fem. hv'WgD> marked with Dagesë (or Mappiq). @D; leaf, page.
ry[ez> fem.ar'y[ez> (Aram.) small.
lAx profane, not sacred, e.g. yn:doa] Gn 19:2 because not referring to God. #Wx except.rsex' written defectitely, also wanting as äaäx ‚ aleph is omitted.
~[;j;ñ accent (see b); ~[;j' in Hiphil to chant an accent.
ryTiy: superfluos.
!aK; here. ll'K. (Aram.) total, as adv. in general.
äl=tyle (Aram., from tyai al' non est)=the form is not found elsewhere.
qY"Wdm. accurately corrected. alem' full i.e. written plene. hJ'm;ñL.mi below = [r;l.mi (§ 15 c). hl'[.m;ñl.mi=ly[elmi (§ 15 c). tArZ"nm. separated, the name of the strangely formed NuÖns before y Ps 107:23 ff. (§ 5 n). ar'q.mi that which is read, the name for all the O.T. scriptures. tc'q.mi part.
tn" fem. hx'n" quiescent, i.e. not sounded. ~l'[.n< concealed, i.e. only retained orthographically. dWQnI a point. dWqnI pointed.
a¾¾s see B.` !m'ysi shmei/on, sign, esp. a mnemonic word or, frequently, sentence. ä$s=~Wks. total. @¾¾s=qWsP' @As (§ 15 f).
dWM[; column of a page.
qWsP' a masoretic verse. aq's.Pi a space, esp. in the phrase qWsP' [c;m.a,b. äP a space within a verse, e.g. Gn 35:22; cf. H. Grätz, Monatschrift für Gesch. u. Wiss. des Judentums, 1878, p. 481 ff., and H. Strack, ibid. 1879, p. 26 ff.
äq =yreq., see above; c. ~dwq properly ~d'q\ before. #Wmq' fem. hc'Wmq. pointed with QamesÌ. areAq reader of the sacred text.
at'B.r;Ã ht'B.r;Ã ytiB'r; (Aram, all fem. sing.) large.
hb'yTe word (consisting of more than one letter). hy"WlT. suspensa (§ 5 n, 3). yreT. (Aram.) two.
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