Die masoretische Akzentuation in den poetischen Büchern (ספרי אמ״ת)

Abstract

This article describes how the Masoretic accents found in the poetic books of Psalms, Job, and Proverbs (ספרי אמ״ת) divide and structure the text. It provides a detailed description of the hierarchical structure of the Masoretic accents used in these books. It also discusses the law of continuous dichotomy, which constitutes an essential principle that underlies every division of the text by the Masoretic accents. In particular, this article highlights the specific characteristics of the Masoretic accentuation in the poetic books, compared with the other books of the Hebrew Bible (כ״א ספרים). Throughout the article, the Masoretic accents are revealed to be of great relevance for the Masoretic text, because they mark the syntactic structure of every verse. Therefore, the Masoretic accents deserve the full attention of modern scholars who seek to study the Masoretic text.