12. Orthography

The chapter explores the orthography of the Tiberian Torah in relation to other biblical texts, emphasising the linguistic and diachronic distinctiveness of the written component within the Masoretic tradition. It argues that while features discussed in chapters 8–11 might be viewed as purely orthographic peculiarities, they are better understood as linguistic differences. But even so, the distinctive defective orthography of the Torah, especially when compared to the more plene orthography in the rest of the Masoretic Bible, suggests that the spelling conventions of the Torah are conservative and may reflect an earlier stage of the Hebrew language. The presence of secondary developments in orthography raises questions about the authenticity and reliability of these conventions, but there remains a possibility of discerning meaningful early data amidst these changes.

The text further delves into various examples of pre-Tiberian and proto-Tiberian orthography, drawing evidence from biblical manuscripts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls, which illustrate more defective spellings than the Masoretic Text. Studies on the orthographic distinctiveness of the Tiberian Torah reveal that its conservative defectiveness correlates with early spelling conventions, particularly in Priestly material. While some scholars argue that orthographic variations can be attributed to secondary processes, the overall findings suggest that the orthographic conservatism of the Torah may be indicative of its antiquity. The distinction between the orthography of the Torah and the Former Prophets suggests a nuanced interplay of diachronic developments within the Hebrew Bible, highlighting the complex relationship between language, orthography, and textual transmission.