Lesson 10 | Cantillation
[1] Cantillation Marks
Many centuries ago, centuries after the original composition of the Hebrew Bible, small dots and lines were added around the letters to aid the reader in pronunciation. These marks are useful in that they provide a traditional Jewish textual-level interpretation. That is, we can see how the Masoretes (who developed these markings) read different passages in cases where the Hebrew letters alone are not definitive in their intention.
These extra markings can be divided into three categories: vowels, doubling dots, and cantillation marks.
You already know the first two from our Hebrew I course. This step will focus on the third: cantillation marks, which are blue in the image above. As is our practice, we will give you the basics, while leaving aside the full breadth and precision of these marks so as to not overwhelm you.¹ And you should know that the basics we give you below are about the cantillation marks for all the books of the Old Testament except for three: Job, Psalms, and Proverbs. The Masoretes gave slightly different markings for these three poetic books, and we will tell you more about that in Hebrew IV.
Their Major Functions
1. They tell where a word’s accent is placed. (The great majority of accents function this way.)
Let’s use Genesis 1:1 as an example.
Most of the words of Genesis 1:1 have their cantillation marking on the last syllable. But the last word, הָאָֽרֶץ, isn’t supposed to be pronounced that way. Note the silluq accent under the א. That shows that it should be pronounced “ha-AH-rets,” not “ha-ah-RETS.”
2. They indicate the breakdown of sentences, similar to punctuation marks in English.
This second function takes longer to understand than the first, so let’s spend a few minutes on that.
Understanding Them
There are two kinds of cantillation marks: disjunctive (dividing marks) and conjunctive (joining marks).
Disjunctive
These markings divide up a verse into units. Here are the most common, starting with the strongest.
- Primary—The halfway point of a verse is marked with an atnakh: ב֑ Not the mathematical halfway point: an atnakh, like the other markings that follow, is placed according to the sense of the verse, following the grammar; it marks the end of a clause near the middle of a verse.
- Secondary It’s important to be able to recognize these three secondary accents that further subdivide the verse. Here is some further information on how they function:
- The zaqeph qaton divides each half of a verse in half again, so it marks the quarter-point of each verse: ב֔
- The revia divides the quarters of a verse in half again: ב֗
- The tiphkha functions either as like a zaqeph qaton (in shorter verses) or like a revia (in longer verses): ב֖
You don’t need to remember the accents’ names, but you should be able to recognize their forms and their functions.
Conjunctive
These markings join words together as a unit, forming something like a phrase.
- The munakh occurs before atnakh, zaqeph, and revia: ב֣
- The merekha occurs before tiphkha: ב֥
- The mehuppakh: ב֤
Again, you don’t need to remember the names. Neither is it important to recall why one conjunctive accent was chosen over another. But their forms and their singular function as joining one word to the next is important.
Using Them
Here is a well-known verse from Genesis 1 that contains each of the markings above.
Let’s get some practice using these markings: Copy and paste the ESV translation from the module above into the box below, and divide up the text at its first-, second-, and third-level points.
To show the disjunctive markings in the English translation of the ESV, use the | key (at the top right of your keyboard, just under the “delete” key). For an atnakh (ב֑), type | , and for a zaqeph qaton (ב֔), revia (ב֗) or tiphkha (ב֖), use || . (You won’t need to divide your translation using the | key in Hebrew IV; this is just a set of training wheels to help you get used to taking advantage of the cantillation markings to help you read and translate.)
Genesis 1:26Optional
Log in / create an account to enroll or continue where you left off.
Make sure to answer the question before scrolling!
Ready...
Set...
Answer:
Then God said, || “Let us make man in our image, || after our likeness. | And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens || and over the livestock and over all the earth || and over every creeping thing || that creeps on the earth.”
Summary
- The disjunctive accents show where thoughts are divided, so you can properly divide clauses in your translation.
- The conjunctive accents show which words are closely connected, so you can avoid wrongly dividing clauses in your translation.
Basics of Hebrew Accentsby Mark D. Futato, Sr.
Most of the information on this step was taken from this detailed resource.