Word Formation

Hebrew, unlike Greek, has no letters that remotely compare to any English letters. Thus, it is a bit more difficult at first to associate the letters with the correct sound in word formations. In addition, unlike Greek as well, Hebrew does not have any vowel letters (except for י, ו and ה which help to form vowel sounds with certain vowel marks). Thus, from about the beginning of the seventh century AD toward the end of the tenth century AD, a major effort was undertaken to produce what is today called the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible as the following quote explains:

Masoretic (maz-uh-ret´ik) Text, the standard or traditional Hebrew text of the Bible, as preserved by the Masoretes, a group of rabbinic scholars active ca. 600–950 CE. There is, however, more than one version of the Masoretic Text. First, there were three major groups of Masoretes: Palestinian, Babylonian, and Tiberian. Of these, Tiberian Masoretes gained prominence, so the Tiberian version of the Hebrew Bible is usually associated with what is called the Masoretic Text today. Beyond this, however, the Tiberian Masoretes differed on minor matters and produced a number of slightly different texts. Those produced by the family of Aaron ben Asher came to be regarded as the best, and these are preserved today in two frequently consulted manuscripts: the Aleppo Codex and the Leningrad Codex. Both of these contain, not only the text of the Bible written out in Hebrew consonants, but also vowels and accent signs determined to be appropriate by the Masoretes. Further, both the Aleppo Codex and the Leningrad Codex contain numerous Masorah, numbers and abbreviations that occur as notes in the margins and other key points in the text. The Masoretic Text of the Bible (as preserved especially in the Leningrad Codex) forms the primary basis for most English Bible translations, including the NRSV, although manuscripts of the LXX are also consulted and sometimes given preference when the reading preserved there is believed to represent a more ancient tradition. (Bruce M. Metzger, “Masoretic Text,” in The Harper Collins Bible Dictionary (revised & updated), 2011.)

As stated above, this laborious task was completed in the tenth century, and we are still using it today! Therefore, not only do you have to learn the proper phonetic sound of the letters, but you also have to learn the proper pronunciation of those letters combined with the various vowel signs. However, as you memorize and practice both the phonetic pronunciation of the Hebrew letters, as well as the vowel signs and their corresponding sounds that were placed within, underneath, and around the Hebrew letters by the Masoretes, you will in turn be able to pronunce the Hebrew of the Masoretic text.