The Masorah of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: Introduction and Annotated Glossary [Paperback]

Page H. Kelley (Author), Daniel S. Mynatt (Author), Timothy G. Crawford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1998

One of the barriers involved in teaching students of Biblical Hebrew about the Masorah is the lack of introductory literature on the subject. Although a lot of information about the Masorah is available in print, most of it is in technical professional journals or encyclopedia articles. Scattered about in disparate sources, often not in English, this literature is easier to ignore than it is to incorporate into introductory Hebrew classes. As a result, most students of Biblical Hebrew complete their studies without any background on the Masorah. This volume fills this gap by providing an introduction and glossary to the Masorah of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. Although the volume could be used by any student of the Hebrew Bible, it is specifically designed to be helpful for students who are just learning Hebrew. Thus it can serve as an important parallel text for second semester or second year Hebrew courses. The introductory chapters give an overview of the field of Masoretic studies and explain the mechanics of using the Masorah of BHS. The annotated glossary provides students with definitions and explanations for most of the terms used in BHS, including examples.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; annotated edition edition (February 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802843638
• ISBN-13: 978-0802843630
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #274,984 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars one of the best tools for the masorah, June 11, 2004

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djdjdjdjdjdj9 "djdjdjdjdjdj9" (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Masorah of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: Introduction and Annotated Glossary (Paperback)

One of the foremost contemporary compilations for aiding students in the ways of the Tiberian Masorah (magna and parva) in BHS. Brief histories are given, and brief summaries of every symbol encountered in the margins (masora parva) and footnotes (masorah magna) of BHS. I use this tool every time I read in BHS to aid me in understanding the Masorah, which adds much insight to the OT text. I openly recommend this book with no reservations whatsoever.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Essential, February 26, 2006

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shemayah phillips (Falwellistan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Masorah of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: Introduction and Annotated Glossary (Paperback)

The best reasonably available study on Masoretic information is Israel Yeiven, Tiberian Masorah. It gets the five stars. But it has not always been easy to find in the past, and the typography (a typewriter and pen) ain't so hot. ;-) I haven't seen editions where this is improved.

With some books what might follow is the distant runner-up you have to settle for as a replacement. But Kelley's intro is so good that the typical student will never know what s/he is missing from Yeiven. Typography is important for Hebrew, especially for us not 100% fluent seeing it every day of our reading lives. For example, Marcus Jastrow's "Dictionary" is a fantastic tool yet tortuous for one reason---the typography is not so good and the print in my edition is tiny and this hurts its practical value. But everything in this study of the Masorah is large, clear, and appealing in English and Hebrew (although there is not a great amount of Hebrew reading other than notation examples.)

Yeiven seems to assume a good understanding of biblical Hebrew, while this volume is truly geared to a student. (Yeiven should expect you to know your Hebrew!) This volume is also more easily available. It is not exhaustive, and don't even expect a discussion here of both masorah magna and parva.

If you cannot get Yeiven, don't worry and confidently settle for this book. If you can get Yeiven, go ahead and buy this one also.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Don't Study the Massorah Without it, August 3, 2002

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bookology "bookology" (Studio City, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Masorah of Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia: Introduction and Annotated Glossary (Paperback)

This main reason to buy this is for the annotated glossary od massoretic terms. It's the best guide to use those oh-so-cryptic massoretic notes on the margins of BHS. Many detailed definitions of the words and abbreviations-- far more useful information than most other similar introductions to BHS. I give it four stars instead of five because I wish they had done the same thing for the critical apparatus at the bottom. Other books cover the critical apparatus, but I think these authors could explain it much better than any other book currently does.