Basics of Hebrew Accents
Overview
Basics of Hebrew Accents provides readers of biblical Hebrew with a comprehensive working knowledge of accentuation. Hebrew accents can be perplexing but knowing them and their functions will help students become better readers of the Hebrew Bible. The book is an ideal tool for beginning students who are learning to read the language as well as for more advanced students who are reading and translating the Hebrew text.
Mark Futato has carefully organized his book to emphasize accessibility while providing:
- Clear explanations of the primary functions of Hebrew accents
- A student-friendly presentation
- Accessibility for independent study
- A practical and handy reference resource for all students of the Hebrew Bible
- Provides a tool for beginning students who are learning to read the language
- Helpful for advanced students who are reading and translating the Hebrew text
- Explains the primary functions of Hebrew accents
Top Highlights
“Whenever zaqeph is repeated in a half verse, the first zaqeph is the one that divides the half in half;22 the second zaqeph divides the second half of the half in half.” (Page 40)
“Zaqeph qaton ֔ is statistically the most common accent used to divide a half verse in half, and unlike segolta, zaqeph is used to divide both the first and the second halves of a verse in half.” (Page 39)
“The accents are indicators of (1) the stressed syllable in words—word stress, (2) the syntactic relationship between words—sense, and (3) the intonation of words for singing—chanting.” (Page 14)
“Pashta ◌◌֙ occurs only in a unit created by zaqeph.” (Page 46)
“Tiphkha ֖ is a bit more multifaceted than the accents studied to this point. First, when tiphkha occurs, it is always the final disjunctive accent before silluq or atnakh. Second, in shorter half verses tiphkha, not zaqeph, divides the half in half, while in longer half verses tiphkha divides the unit following zaqeph in half.” (Page 41)
- Title: Basics of Hebrew Accents
- Author: Mark D. Futato
- Publisher: Zondervan
- Publication Date: 2020
- Pages: 112
- Resource Type: Introduction
- Topic: Hebrew
Dr. Mark D. Futato joined Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) in 1999, and serves as the Robert L. Maclellan Professor of Old Testament. He teaches core classes on Hebrew and Old Testament books. Dr. Futato served as academic dean of RTS Orlando from 2004 to 2012.
Dr. Futato’s research interests include biblical Hebrew, the book of Psalms, and the role that elements of creation, such as climate and geography, play in Scripture. Dr. Futato has published multiple books on the Psalms, as well as an /Introduction to Biblical Hebrew/. He is currently finishing a commentary on Jonah.
Dr. Futato also served on the translation team for the book of Psalms in the New Living Translation, contributed study notes for The ESV Study Bible and The Spirit of the Reformation Study Bible, and contributed to the New International Dictionary of Old Testament Theology and Exegesis.
Students appreciate Dr. Futato’s passionate emphasis on God’s desire to bless all nations, his engaging communication style, and his practical application of biblical texts to those who struggle, suffer, and doubt. Dr. Futato and his wife, Adele, have four children: William, Evan, Mark Jr., and Annie.
Reviews
3 ratings
William Delgado Heidinger
8/9/2022
There are some typos that can confuse the reader, mainly in chapters 3 and 4. But overall the book is a really good introduction to the topic.
Doug Smith
10/31/2020
This is the best stand-alone introduction to the accents I have seen. Futato gives no excuse for neglecting them. He provides a clear, engaging, practical introduction. The Logos edition has several benefits: The complete digital text is very helpful for displaying in an in-person or virtual classroom if teaching with it. Real page numbers in the app and desktop program and instant citations in exported text from the desktop version mean students lose nothing that the print version would provide for citation purposes. Instant hyperlinks open websites in a browser. The book appears in global searches across one's Logos library. Right-clicking a word displays treatments in one's other Logos resources. Instant previews of Sripture examples and internal references in the book from the index are a nice touch. One suggestion: directly link other Logos resources mentioned in the book. Several library resources (such as other books on the accents) could be linked to open if one has them in Logos. Likewise, Futato recommends the Hebrew cantillations (p. 53). It would be great if it opened automatically. I LOVE this book and hope to use it in my teaching as well as personal review as I seek to master the Hebrew accents to better understand and share God's Word.
Tim
7/1/2020
