The Serugin, Te’amim, and Meturgeman in Christian Perspective-part 18

The Serugin, Te’amim, and Meturgeman in Christian Perspective-part 18 

            The modern English reader often understands the words translated “read”, “say”, “said” etc. in modern translations of the Bible with Western understanding.  The following quotation will perhaps shed some light on the meaning of the various Hebrew words as they actually apply when referring to cantillation in the OT.  “Cantillation signs guide the reader in applying a chant to Biblical readings.  This chant is formally regarded as a ritualized form of speech intonation instead than as a musical exercise such as the performing of metrical hymns: with regard to this reason Jews always speak of saying or reading through a verse instead than of singing it. (In Yiddish the word is leyen “read”, derived from Latin legere, giving rise to the Jewish English verb “to leyn”.)                 Hebrew Bible Cantillation, ITU-State Conservatory, Istanbul. Term Project, by Mehmet Okonsar, January 27, 2011, p.22.  http://www.okonsar.com/Documents/DeadSeaScrolls.pdf                                                                                                                           

                So, the real meaning of the Hebrew words that have been translated “said” etc. in modern translations is that the texts should be intoned, cantilated, or sung not merely recited.  This gives greater understanding to the belief or a host of authors that the entire OT was intended to be sung.  With this knowledge the Western reader is able to more completely understand that it is a distinct possibility that the serugin manuscripts were designed to protect singing of the OT Texts. Also, the reader is able to understand that OT references to speaking etc. should be understood to mean singing, intoning, cantillating not merely speaking.