The following three
examples in which vocalization and accentuation reflect divergent views of the
syntax or semantics of a text are noted in E. J. Revell, Raymond de Hoop, and
Paul Sanders (ed.), The Pausal System: Divisions in the
Hebrew Biblical Text as Marked by Voweling and Stress Position (Sheffield: Sheffield Phoenix, 2015). They have been taken from the
review in RBL 02/17 by Jerome A. Lund.
Psalm 10:15
שְׁ֭בֹר זְר֣וֹעַ רָשָׁ֑ע וָ֜רָ֗ע תִּֽדְרוֹשׁ־רִשְׁע֥וֹ בַל־תִּמְצָֽא׃
According to the
accents, וָרָע goes with what follows (ASV: “Break
thou the arm of the wicked; And as for the evil man, seek out his wickedness
till thou find none”).
According to the
vocalization (conjunctive waw with qamets), it belongs with what precedes (ESV:
“Break the arm of the wicked and evildoer; call his wickedness to account till
you find none”). The Greek (Ps 9:36) reflects the vocalization division by reading
σύντριψον τὸν βραχίονα τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ, ζητηθήσεται ἡ ἁμαρτία αὐτοῦ,
καὶ οὐ μὴ εὑρεθῇ δι᾿ αὐτήν (NETS: “Crush the arm of the sinner and evildoer;
his sin shall be sought out, and he shall no more be found on account of it”).
Deuteronomy 6:7b
בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ֤ בְּבֵיתֶ֙ךָ֙ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ֣ בַדֶּ֔רֶךְ וּֽבְשָׁכְבְּךָ֖ וּבְקוּמֶֽךָ׃
Note the pausal form בְּבֵיתֶךָ (contextual form: בְּבֵיתְךָ). According to
the vocalization, there are two groups of words of unequal length, the first
“at home” in general and the second consisting of three specific actions
included in the “at home” context. [TR: Is it possible to be בַדֶּרֶךְ and בְּבֵיתְךָ at the same time? I doubt it. Maybe the
pausal form singles out בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ בְּבֵיתֶךָ as the most intentional context for
teaching, while the other three examples are about snatching every
opportunity?]
By contrast, the
accents divide the four items into two contrasting pairs, homelife and travel,
rest and activity.
Genesis 16:4
ויָּבֹ֥א אֶל־הָגָ֖ר וַתַּ֑הַר וַתֵּ֙רֶא֙ כִּ֣י הָרָ֔תָה וַתֵּקַ֥ל גְּבִרְתָּ֖הּ בְּעֵינֶֽיהָ׃
According to the
accentuation the main division comes with וַתַּהַר which is marked by the accent atnaḥ, the first half of the verse leading to the pregnancy, the second half
describing what happened as a result.
According to the
vocalization, the pausal form הָרָתָה designates the main verse division,
thus making Sarah’s reaction to Hagar’s pregnancy stand out. Cf. the way in
which in Gen. 17:27 the pausal form עָשָׂתָה (with atnaḥ; here vocalisation and accentuation
agree) highlights the information that follows, “into the hand of Jacob her
son.”
