Hebrew Old Testament for the Online Bible: ======================================= The Online Bible Hebrew files are distributed in a combined format containing the Biblia Hebraica Kittel/Stuttgartensia consonantal texts in both normal (BHS) and morphologically-separated (BHM) formats. This text is copyrighted (c) 1967/77, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, Stuttgart. In order to be a legitimate user of this Bible text module, you need to print, fill out, and mail in to the University of Pennsylvania the user agreement found in the CCAT.text file. You may make copies of this Bible text module for your friends. However, each copy must be registered with the CCAT. Space Requirements: =================== This archive is split into three segments. In order to install it on your hard disk, you need at least 2,948K of free space. Installation Instructions: ======================= Install the OBHebrew font into the System file on your hard disk. A copy of this font can be found on the Online Bible program disk. When using the Online Bible program, be sure to correctly set the Bible font from the preferences dialog. If you have an older copy of the BHS-BHM in your "Online Bible " folder, be sure to remove it before installing this one. 1) Insert the "BHS-BHM Disk 1/3" containing the first segment of the archive into your floppy disk drive and run it by double clicking on the "BHS-BHM.sea" file. 2) You will be prompted to install the archive contents in the "Online Bible " folder. System 6 users may need to click the Drive button one or more times to switch to the hard drive that contains the "Online Bible " folder and related files. Under system 7 the hard drive is selected by clicking on the Desktop button which in turn allows you to select and open the hard drive to be used. 3) Having positioned to the hard drive to be used, locate and open the "Online Bible " folder by double-clicking on it. You should now be looking at the contents of the "Online Bible " folder which will contain the "Online Bible" application along with other files and folders. You may now click on the Save button. Doing this will automatically create the BHS-BHM folder to hold the Bible text and will extract the appropriate files into it. 4) Since the archive is segmented, each floppy disk will be ejected after it's installed and you will be prompted for the disk containing the next segment. 5) Repeat step 4 until the final segment is saved. When the process is completed, you should find a BHS-BHM folder inside the "Online Bible " folder containing the Bible text you just installed. User Notes: ========== ONLINE HEBREW: THE OLD TESTAMENT - THE HEBREW CONSONANTAL TEXT ACCORDING TO LENINGRAD MS.B19A Conformable to the Text published in: Biblia Hebraica, 3rd ed., Rudolf Kittel and Paul Kahle, eds. [BHK] (c)1937, Wrttembergische Bibelanstalt, Stuttgart and Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, K.Elliger and W.Rudolph, eds. [BHS] (c) 1967/77 Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft,Stuttgart Released for non-profit scholarly and personal use under restrictions established by the University of Pennsylvania. Not to be sold for profit. Prepared and edited in Online Bible format by Larry Pierce and Maurice A. Robinson INTRODUCTION TO THE HEBREW BIBLE PROPER What is commonly termed the "Hebrew Bible" (Biblia Hebraica) comprises the Hebrew text of the bulk of the Old Testament along with the Aramaic portions thereof (Gen.31:47a; Ezra 4:8-6:18; 7:12-26; Jer.10:11; and Daniel 2:4-7:28). As seen from the Dead Sea scrolls and other early manuscript fragments, the canonical text of the Hebrew Bible was originally written without vowel pointings or accentuation. This format is still used today in scrolls designed for use in synagogues. Printed editions of the Hebrew Bible, however, reflect the addition of vowel and accentuation signs ("pointings") as made by the Masoretes (Jewish scholars), beginning in the 5th century of the Common Era (CE). Although various Hebrew manuscripts (MSS) may utilize different pointing formats or differ regarding specific vowel or accentuation pointing, all Hebrew manuscripts reflect a near-identity of text in regard to these details. Similarly, the consonantal base text of the later Masoretic manuscripts has been shown to be remarkably stable over the centuries. For example, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls of Isaiah is seen to be almost identical to Masoretic manuscripts copied nearly a millennium later. As the Introduction to the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia notes, "the great Masoretic manuscripts . . . were composed by transcribing texts from individual manuscripts of different parts of the Bible. These manuscripts were themselves copied from manuscripts which earlier teachers had prepared for the use of their students" (BHS, xiv). An unbroken transmissional chain thus links modern manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible with the most ancient extant copies, and ultimately to the autograph canonical form of the individual Old Testament books. Because of the presence or absence of the so-called "vowel letters" (consonants used to indicate vowels) in unpointed MSS, however, the consonantal Hebrew text as found in the Masoretic manuscripts splits into two unique but complementary traditions: that of Ben Asher (circa centuries 9-10 CE) and that of Ben Chayyim (circa centuries 13-14 CE). Yet, unlike the difference in texttypes in the case of the New Testament Greek manuscripts (where texts split into widely- divergent groupings), the two traditions of the Hebrew consonantal text show no significant difference in reading nor in meaning; most of the differences between the two traditions are purely orthographic (spelling-oriented), and that due to vowel-letters serving as pronunciation place-holders. The stability of the Hebrew consonantal text is thus not seriously to be called into question, although early translations into other languages may often help explain obscure or difficult passages in the Hebrew text. The document used as the standard base for all Hebrew textual study is a codex held by the St. Petersburg (Leningrad) Public Library, known as manuscript B19A. This manuscript is the oldest dated manuscript of the Hebrew Bible (1008-1009 CE), and was formerly considered "the best available representative . . . of the Ben Asher text" (BHK, xxxi). Beginning with the third edition (1937) of Biblia Hebraica, as edited by Rudolf Kittel, the consonantal text and Masoretic pointings of Leningrad MS B19A have been reproduced in print exactly as they appear in script. This policy continues in the recent edition of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (1967-1977; see BHS, xii). THE ONLINE BIBLE'S CONSONANTAL TEXT For the purposes of the Online Bible, with its emphasis on word and phrase search capabilities, it was thought prudent to drop the later Masoretic accretions and to reproduce only the consonantal Hebrew text as it appears in Leningrad MS B19A. Adding the vowel pointings (which often change among otherwise-identical words due to pause or their position in a sentence) would unnecessarily restrict the basic search functions and frequently produce incomplete lists based upon specific search criteria. Since it is expected that anyone using the Online Bible's Hebrew function will have immediate access to one or the other of the Biblia Hebraica volumes, the omission of vowel pointings and accents should not prove much of a burden, especially since there is nothing sacrosanct about the Masoretic accretions in and of themselves. The consonantal text alone reflects the canonical text, and it is with that text the present editors have chosen to work. The computer-based text of the Biblia Hebraica derives from that provided through the Center for Computer Analysis of Texts (CCAT) of the University of Pennsylvania. This text has been released for non-commercial personal or scholarly use under their restrictions as specified in the User Declaration registration form which accompanies the Online Bible text module (CCAT.text). The present editors have extensively adapted, altered, proofed, and (especially!) corrected the text distributed by the CCAT for use in the Online Bible format, and are solely responsible for the present format. Although many corrections have been made to the CCAT where that text contained known typographical errors, the entire resultant text has NOT been proofread or corrected in its entirety by the present editors. Some errors may certainly remain in the text herein presented. The user is invited to notify the editors at their respective addresses (given below) of any errors which they might discover in the consonantal Hebrew text. A special thanks is extended to Roy Brown for providing the editors with his extensive (20pp+) list of errors in the CCAT text which we have utilized in the preparation of this edition. No English text appears within these Hebrew Old Testament files, whether to indicate notes or textual subheadings; nor is any critical apparatus of variant readings and manuscript evidence included. HEBREW VERSE-NUMBERING VERSUS THAT OF ENGLISH BIBLES In certain places throughout the Old Testament, and especially in the Psalms, the Hebrew verse-numbering system as found in BHS differs from that found in our English Bibles. In such cases, we have presented the English verse-numbering scheme as primary, specifically in view of the Cross-Reference and Notes system requirements of the Online Bible. Wherever the Hebrew versification differs from the English, we have placed the Hebrew verse numbers in angle brackets < > at the beginning (right-hand side) of the Hebrew text of the verse in question. The titles of the various Psalms are particularly susceptible to this difference in versification, since the Hebrew Bible considers the titles as numbered verses and most English versions do not. Thus, you will see that Ps.<51:1-2> in the Hebrew reflect only our English title to that Psalm, while our "normal" Ps.51:1 is in the Hebrew Ps.<51:3>. By having both versification systems visible where differences occur, the user can jump easily from the Online Bible BHS text to either the printed Hebrew Bible or to any English version. One must remember, however, that the Cross-Reference and Notes features of the Online Bible are keyed ONLY to the English versification. SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING SQUARE-BRACKETED TEXT In two locations (Josh.21:36-37; Neh.7:68), the Hebrew text is enclosed in square brackets [ ]. This is because the Hebrew text which appears in those locations does NOT actually appear in the Ben Asher text of Codex Leningradensis upon which BHS is based. In Neh.7:68, the entire verse is lacking in BHS, and the few remaining verses of that chapter (7:69-73) have been renumbered as 7:68-72. The verse 7:68 which appears in the Online Bible (to conform to the text found in the Authorized Version) has been supplied by us directly from Ezra 2:66, in accordance with a textual footnote that appears in BHS. The English-numbered verses 7:69-73 have the BHS verse numbers added in angle brackets < > to indicate the verse-number dislocation and the original BHS numbering at this location (see above). In Joshua 21:36-37, the actual Hebrew text of these verses is totally lacking in the Leningrad manuscript along with certain other sources; these verses are missing in BOTH the Ben Asher and Ben Chayyim textual traditions. The BHS text, however, does print the purported Hebrew of these two verses in their proper location in very tiny type. We have retained this Hebrew text portion in square brackets [ ]. The BHS textual note to Josh.21:36-37 states that "many manuscripts and editions" (mlt mss Edd) DO present these verses in this location. However, the note continues to state that such verses were possibly supplied from 1 Chr.6:63ff, on the assumption that the consonantal text in Joshua accidentally had omitted this material by the scribal error of homoioteleuton (skipping from one similar ending to another: the user will note that Josh.21:35 amd 21:37 both end with the identical final four words). Homoioteleuton similarly may have been responsible for the Neh.7:68 situation, but the amount of manuscript support in that place is less than in the Joshua 21 passage. The Authorised and other English versions generally contain the Joshua 21 disputed verses at this location, following the Greek Septuagint and other versions. Since BHS did supply the contents of these disputed verses in its main text in small type, no adjustment to the normal English versification is required for the remaining Hebrew versification of this chapter. The disputed text does appear in square brackets, however. TRANSLITERATION SCHEME The transliteration scheme created for this edition of the Hebrew Bible does NOT attempt to reflect phonetic equivalents. Rather, a simple mnemonic expedient which allows a single English letter to represent a single Hebrew consonant has been implemented. The transliteration code utilized for search requests is as follows: Aleph = a Lamedh = l Beth = b Mem = m Gimel = g Nun = n Daleth = d Samekh = o He = h Ayin = e Waw = w Peh = p Zayin = z Tsadhe = u Cheth = x Qoph = q Teth = j Resh = r Yod = y Sin = v Kaph = k Shin = s Tau = t Note that the five letters which possess distinct final forms (Kaph, Mem, Nun, Peh, and Tsadhe) are key-mapped exactly as their normal forms appear under the basic 22-letter alphabet. This greatly simplifies matters for the user when entering word or phrase search requests. When keying in Hebrew search requests, one must abide by this transliteration scheme at all times. Those Hebrew letters with final forms (Kaph, Mem, Nun, Peh, and Tsadhe) will ALWAYS initially appear when their respective transliteration keys are typed (k,m,n,p, or u). As soon as another typed letter follows a final-form letter, however, the final form will automatically convert to the normal form of that same letter, with the newly-typed letter following. In a phrase-search request, if a space or hyphen (-) directly follows a final-form letter, the final form will remain such. SPECIALIZED SEARCH FEATURES OF THIS EDITION The Hebrew consonantal text is presented in two formats: the form as found in printed editions of the Hebrew Bible and a special morphologically-separated format. These two formats may be toggeld using the F6 key. In the morphologically-separated format, the "inseparable" prefixes and suffixes (i.e., the definite article, the "waw" conjunction, various prepositions, object pronouns, etc.) are distinguished separately from the words to which they are normally attached in the printed Hebrew Bible. The separating mark which indicates morphological attachment is the colon (:). Note that verbal prefixes and suffixes which indicate person, gender, or number are NOT separated morphologically. The morphological separation of specialized prefixes and suffixes permits in distinct circumstances an easier and faster search based upon morphological units. For example, rather than force a slow search for the consonantal word "aru" (= "erets" = earth) without all its usual prefix/suffix occurrences by the slow extensive wildcard request "*aru*" in normal mode, morphological separation allows a swifter search by simply requesting a word search for "aru" (2132x in OT). On the other hand, should you desire to see all the occurrences of the form "h:aru" (= "ha-arets" = the earth; 896x in OT), this can easily be selected in normal mode by a simple WORD search (for "haru") or in morphological mode by requesting a PHRASE Search (rather than a WORD Search) for "h aru" (spaced exactly as shown -- note that the colon separator must NOT be typed!). Likewise, one can search in normal mode for "baru" ("in the earth"; 448x in OT) or morphologically for "b:aru"; likewise normally for "maruk" or morphologically for "m:aru:k" ("from your land"; 2x in OT). Just remember that morphological separation search requires PHRASE search requests, even though in the printed Hebrew bibles and in normal mode these would appear as single WORD search requests. When requesting extended phrase requests in morphological mode, you must be careful to indicate PRECISELY all morphological separations which might occur within your search pattern. For example, to search for the Hebrew phrase rendered, "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying," normal mode requires only the simple entering of "wydbr yhwh al msh lamr". Yet this request will fail in morphological mode because the morphological separation of prefixed WAW and LAMED are not indicated. The proper phrase search request in morphological mode MUST be given as "w ydbr yhwh al msh l amr" (you will find that this phrase occurs 70x in the OT, and is displayed on screen in morphological mode as "w:ydbr yhwh al msh l:amr". Again, remember that the colon separator must NOT be typed in morphological mode, or the request will similarly fail. Note that all Hebrew search requests will automatically insert letters in reversed Hebrew order. If the proper order of insertion is not followed, the search request will fail or provide incorrect data. Repeated practice eventually will facilitate all Hebrew search requests. Note that caution is especially required when entering Boolean AND/OR/NOT search requests for the Hebrew text, since you must specify Boolean items in reversed order. In some cases, search requests will fail because the apparent number of searchable words is too large. An example of this would be in the request for the morphological search phrase, "at h adam" (= "the man" as definite direct object). The definite article "h" in this phrase causes the problem. The solution is to use the wild card character (*) in place of the "h" and search for the phrase "at * adm", which will be found to occur 20x in the OT; however, the specific phrase "at h adam" occurs only in 16 out of those 20 cases. There are 4 cases where a word other than the definite article "h" appears between "at" and "adm". Should unwanted references appear when utilizing this solution, you can always eliminate such entries from your resultant verse list by pressing the DEL key. (Note that in normal mode there would be no problem in searching for the non-morphologically-separated "at hadam"). In many cases, Hebrew search requests will take much longer than with the English or Greek text files. This is simply due to the greater quantity of material, especially when dealing with the morphological prefix/suffix data which must be sifted through by the program. Be patient, and all your search requests will find their solution. KETHIB/QERE READINGS The consonantal Hebrew text displays the text as "written" (Kethib). The Masoretes at various places inserted into the margin of manuscripts certain notations regarding how a Kethib word was actually to be replaced in oral reading (Qere). These Ketib/Qere notations sometimes concerned certain indelicate phrases, presumed disrespect to the Deity, or simply variant readings known from other traditions or manuscripts. Various English translations (including the authorized Version) appear to have adopted the Kethib or Qere readings on a variant by variant eclectic approach. The Online Hebrew module allows the user to view the consonantal text alone (the Kethib) or to view the Masoretic Qere readings as they marginally accompany the main Hebrew consonantal text by selecting footnotes. These Qere readings will appear in curly brackets { } immediately following the Kethib readings of the main text. When footnotes have been selected, a small plus sign (+) will appear to the right of the window title and all Qere marginal readings will be displayed next to their Kethib counterpart in the on-screen main text. CONCLUSION Should you encounter any problems when using the Online Hebrew program, please feel free to contact the editors at the addresses below. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* ONLINE BIBLE GREEK AND HEBREW INFORMATION The complete Greek and Hebrew modules for the Online Bible contain the following texts and editions: The Stephens 1550 Textus Receptus (as found in Berry's Interlinear Greek New Testament); The Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus (the reconstructed Greek text presumably underlying the KJV); The Byzantine/Majority Greek Textform, edited by Maurice A. Robinson and William G. Pierpont (which closely parallels the Hodges/Farstad "Majority Text" edition); The Alexandrian Greek text of the Nestle 26/UBS 3 edition. The Hebrew Text of the Leningrad MS B19A as printed in Kittel's Biblia Hebraica or the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, with and without CCAT morphological separation indicated. The editors may be contacted at the addresses provided for information and technical support regarding all these texts. *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Maurice A. Robinson, Ph.D. Department of Biblical Studies and Languages Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary 7521 Matherly Drive Wake Forest, North Carolina, USA 27587 (919) 556-8337 *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-* Larry Pierce R.R.#2, West Montrose N0B 2V0 Ontario, Canada *-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*