LECTURE IV.

ON THE GENERAL USE AND SITUATION OF THE ACCENTS.

115. Or the origin and use of these accents very little can now be said with any degree of certainty. Much labour and learning, indeed, have been bestowed on their investigation; but, after all, the conclusions arrived at are beset with so much uncertainty, that some of the best Grammarians both Jewish and Christian have confessed that they knew but little on the subject.* We must, therefore, be content with the common rules respecting them, and here, with those only which are generally found to interfere with the vowels of the text.

116. These accents (Art. 60.) are said to have two offices; the one Tonic, that is, having the power to moderate the tone of voice in which any portion of the Scripture is to be read; the other Euphonic, that is, when added either for the purpose of giving a kind of secondary accent to words, or of regulating the syllables. It seems most likely, however, that they are added generally, for the purpose of filling up the system, as to perfect or imperfect vowels, and of obviating a great number of anomalies, which would otherwise occur.

On the Tonic Accent.

117. The Tonic accent may be any one of those found in the table (Art. 59.): and it will always be found either expressed, or implied, on the penultimate or ultimate syllable of every word. When on the penultimate, the word is said to be Milhél; when on the ultimate, Milráh. The following are the general rules for its insertion.

All words the penultimate vowel of which is imperfect and has not a consonant immediately following it, will have the Tonic

See my reply to Dr. Laurence, entitled, "A Vindication of certain Strictures," &c. Cambridge, 1822, p. 17, &c.

That is, if the accent be one of those not placed on the regularly accentuated syllable, it must be considered as giving emphasis either to the penultimate or ultimate, according to the analogy of the word.

accent on that syllable. Of this kind are all duals, and segolate nouns; nouns having the feminine affix (thy), attached to dual or plural forms; and all nouns having terminations peculiar to the segolate forms: as, both hands, Gen. xxvii. 22; T hunting; A silver; thy eyes (fem.), Cant. i. 15; TP thy appearances, Ib. ii. 14; e a rose; perfumed with incense,

Ib. iii. 6, &c..

The reason is obvious; the penultimate syllable is in all these cases imperfect, the addition of the accent is, therefore, necessary for the purposes of syllabication (Art. 33. 43.).

Segolate nouns having the penultimate vowel perfect, will, on account of their peculiar character, retain the accent on that syllable:

-empti (בְּהֵו for) בְּהוּ ; death (מַוְתְ for) מָוֶת ; concealment סֵתֶר as

.Zedekiah צִדְקִיָּהוּ

ness (See Art. 43. note). Also proper names ending in : as,

2. Nouns receiving a syllabic pronominal affix, and at the same time a vowel of union (Art. 123. 1.), or, having likewise a paragogic Nun, will have the accent on the penultimate of the word so formed (The pronominal affixes usually termed grave, i. e. ?, 12,,, are excepted) e. g. Judge me, Psalm xliii. 1; its leaf, Ps. i. 3; thou rejoicest him, he imputes it, Gen. xv. 6; his face, thy wings, Ps. xvii. 8; is I rebuke thee, I have called thee, Ps. cxix. 146; they it (the wind) dispelleth it, Ps. i. 4.

our soul;

Ps. xxi. 7;

Ps. xi. 7;

Ps. 1. 8;

praise thee, Ps. lxvii. 6;

With the paragogic of plural verbs: they seek me they serve thee, Isa. lx. 7; 7???

early, Prov. i. 28;

they take him, Prov. v. 22.

3. Verbs terminating (i. e. in the process of conjugation) in the pronominal syllables,,, and 7; as

Ps. xl. 7; I have announced (good we have dealt falsely, Ps. xliv. 18; shall come, Ps. xlv. 16.

* thou art willing, tidings), Ib. v. 10; they (fem.)

4. Asyllabic afformatives are subject to the same rule, in the

*These cases ought, regularly, to be pointed, , i. e. with (+) with the second syllable. The Jews however seem to have pointed verbs with (-), for the purpose of distinguishing them from nouns; as, instead of Ta, and by this means an anomaly has been introduced among the syllables.

E

in

conjugation Hiphhil: as, hope thou (fem.), Ps. xliii. 5; it (fem.) brought salvation, Ps. xliv. 4. Also in the surd

and concave verbs: as,

move, Ps. xlvi. 7; likewise
third person singular and
??? he visited me;
Ixix. 3;

surround ye, Ps. xlviii. 13;

they when these affixes are joined to the plural of the preterite of verbs: as, it (fem.) hath overwhelmed me, Ps. she hath loved thee, Ruth iv. 15; they surrounded me, Ps. xviii. 6.*

5. When the paragogic is added to nouns, pronouns, or particles, it exercises no influence on the accent, for the most part. In such cases, therefore, the accent will be in the penultima: as, Ephratah, Gen. xxxv. 16, &c.

TIT:

118. The tonic accent will have its place on the last syllable of words, in the remaining cases, which are then termed Milrah, and are as follows:

; sons בָּנִים מָאוֹר

1. All words ending with a consonant preceded by a perfect vowel by analogy: as, great; luminary; sons; ni daughters. The same is the case when any of the letters are thus situated, being then considered as consonants: as, a pillar: and even preceded by (:), as,

IT T

a year;

The is, &c.

2. All words ending in one of the grave affixes: as,

your blood; their father;

ye shall be, Gen. iii. 5.

3. Verbs having no affixed pronoun: as, he took;

he is called.

4. Verbs taking the asyllabic afformatives,,, and .: as,

;(.hide thyself (fem סַתְּרִי ; they visited פָּקְדוּ ; it is quiet שָׁקְטָה

and finally, all words not comprehended in any of the preceding rules (i. e. Art. 117.).

On certain Anomalies as to the situation of the Accent, and on the changes effected by it on the vowels and consonants of words.

119. These generally take place, when the illative particle + is prefixed to verbs, in which case, 1st, the Tonic accent which is

* These particulars will hereafter be illustrated by tables.

Usually termed Vaw conversivum, but which corresponds to the Arabic or therefore, &c.

proper for the penultimate vowel in the past tense (Art. 117. 3.), will be removed to the ultimate: and, 2dly, vice versa, the accent proper for the ultimate in the present (Art. 118. 1.) will be removed to the penultimate: as, 1st, (for A), Exod. xxix. 44;

(for PP), Numb. xxvii. 13;

so I will consecrate so thou shalt be gathered

an so it shall divide;

thus thou shalt bring, Exod. xxvi. 33; so she shall increase, Isa. vi. 12; therefore thou shall place, Lev. xxiv. 6;

so she shall return, Lev. xxii. 13; thus they shall place, Numb. vi. 27; so thou shalt enter, Gen. vi. 18.

דו

2. This rule, however, is often disregarded: as,

took, Gen. xxxiv. 17;

so we

and we will depart: particularly in verbs having a quiescent letter for the third radical; as, ? and thou shalt fear, Lev. xix. 32; and I will reveal, 1 Sam. xx. 12; and thou shalt go into captivity, Ezek. xii. 3. With some having the medial radical letter quiescent; as, and thou shalt flee, 2 Kings ix. 3.

3. In the next place, the accent will be removed from the ultimate to the penultimate syllable of the present tense, when the illative particle is prefixed, and when the form of the verb will allow of the change: e. g. 21 (for T) so he is visited. But in the third person plural masc. it will keep its place as,

The same holds good also in the form .(יִפָּקְדוּ from) וַיִּפָּקְדְוּ .so he visits וַיִּפְקֹד,as : יִפְקֹד

Corollary. Hence it will follow, that the accent being removed from the last syllable, the ultimate vowel must necessarily become imperfect (Art. 33.): as, and he was struck (for );

or יָמְוֹת and he died (for וַיָּמָת ; and he said (יֹאמֵר for) וַיֹּאמֶר

TIT

); and so of others.

4. In the conjugation termed Hiphhil, as it will be seen hereafter, the terminating vowel is either (.) or (-). Whenever, therefore, the accent is drawn back, by this or any other rule, the imperfect vowel will be (:) not (·): as, so he raised

יָלֶן so he lodged (for וַיָּלֶן So .(יָקִים or יָקֶם from)

IT

or

,(יָלִין

Gen. xxviii. 11, Josh. viii. 9; so he rested (for or ), Exod. x. 14, where (-) is taken on account of the guttural letter following. (Art. 45.)

In one instance, however, we have 1 (for V, root ) and she broke, Judg. ix. 53.

5. When, however, the last letter of the root happens to be one of the letters in a state of quiescence, the perfect vowel will occasionally remain: as, and he brings, Gen. iv. 3.

6. In many cases, also, this removal of the accent is altogether neglected: as, so I sit, 1 Kings viii. 20, &c.

7. In consequence of this removal of the accent, the terminating vowel of the present tense of verbs is changed (No. 3. above), and entirely rejected with the consonant following, when that is quiescent: e. g. ? for 2 (Art. 74.); and, by 108, the former will be, which is termed Apocope.

8. Again, the accent is occasionally removed from the ultimate to the penultimate syllable both in the present tense and in the imperatives of verbs, for the purpose of expressing prohibition, forbearance, exhortation, wishing or the like, with the greater emphasis; as, turn not away, 1 Kings ii. 20 (for 2);

chastise not, Prov. ix. 8 (for in); pins add not, Prov. xxx. 6 (for pin, where the vowel of the medial radical is also rejected though not followed by a quiescent ); I will water thee (for, the root being 17, usually 77, in which case the final radical letter generally returns. In this case the is doubled because the verb is in the conjugation Piḥél). So observe (for); give, &c. Gen. xi. 3, 4 (for Gen. xxix. 21).

9. So in verbs having the third radical letter a quiescent : as,

,(יִפָּחָה let him be blotted out (for יִמָּח ; (יִרְדָה let him rule (for יִרְךְ

let it

Ps. cix. 13; may he dilate (for), Gen. ix. 27; - drink not (for ), Lev. x. 9;

be (for), Gen. i. 3;

אַל־פֶרֶף ;3 .Exod. xxxiv ,(יִרָאֶה let it not be seen (for אַל־יֵרָא

relax not (for ; where the verb takes the form of a segolate noun, see Art. 108); be not (for); and so of others. But it may here be remarked, as before, that the common form of the verb and usual position of the accent are often adopted as,

test he should אַל־יִרְאֶה ; 16 .lest I should see, Gen. xxi אַל־אֶרְאֶה

see, Job iii. 9.

10. Examples of imperatives subject to Apocope: (for in Pihel);

reveal thou

smite thou (for 2), Amos ix. 1; 277 multiply thou (for 72 in Hiphhil. Here the form assumed is that of a segolate noun, the first vowel becoming (), in order to accommodate itself to the sound of the second, Art. 108.), Ps. li. 4.