Definition

Noun: 1. A comprehensive body of critical notes and annotations on the traditional Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible (the Tanakh): The Masorah is a collection of textual notes, grammatical observations, word counts, and instructions for scribal copying and pronunciation compiled by Jewish scholars (known as Masoretes) between the 6th and 10th centuries CE. Its primary purpose is to preserve and standardize the precise transmission of the biblical text.

Examples of Usage

• Noun:
  • The Masorah is essential for understanding the precise transmission of the Hebrew Bible.
  • Scholars study the Masorah to resolve ambiguities in the biblical text.
  • The notes in the Masorah include instructions for cantillation and vowel pointing.

Advanced Usage

• "Masoretic Text" (MT): The authoritative Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible as preserved, vocalized, and annotated by the Masoretes. The Masorah serves as the apparatus for this text.
  • Most modern English translations of the Old Testament are based on the Masoretic Text.
• "Masorah Parva" (Small Masorah): The concise notes written in the side margins of a Masoretic manuscript, often consisting of abbreviated references to word frequency or unusual forms.
• "Masorah Magna" (Large Masorah): The more extensive notes compiled at the top and bottom margins or the end of a Masoretic manuscript, providing fuller explanations and lists related to the Masorah Parva.

Variants and Related Words

• Masoretic (adjective): Pertaining to the Masorah or the Masoretes.
  • The Masoretic tradition ensured the text's accuracy.
• Masorete (noun): A Jewish scholar who contributed to the compilation of the Masorah.
  • The Masoretes of Tiberias were particularly influential.

Synonyms

• Masoretic apparatus: A technical term for the collective notes and annotations.
• Textual criticism (in this specific context): The Masorah is a foundational work of textual criticism for the Hebrew Bible.

Notes on Meaning

The term Masorah (also spelled Masora) derives from the Hebrew word meaning "tradition." It refers specifically to the written tradition of textual preservation. It is not a commentary on the meaning of the text (like the Midrash) but a meticulous framework for safeguarding its accurate written and oral transmission, including its pronunciation through the system of vowel points and cantillation marks.

Noun

1. a vast body of textual criticism of the Hebrew Scriptures including notes on features of writing and on the occurrence of certain words and on variant sources and instructions for pronunciation and other comments that were written between AD 600 and 900 by Jewish scribes in the margins or at the end of texts