Basics of Hebrew Accents

'Professor Mark Futat's Basics of Hebrew Accents is Hermes's magic wand that wakes up students to the thrill of reading the Hebrew text as those who most faithfully preserved the text interpreted it. I wish I had this book while I was still teaching biblical Hebrew; it would be required reading. With exceptional clarity Futato explains what at first seems the Masorete's complicated system of accentuation, making it functional and richly rewarding. Moreover, by his skillful mastery of the system, he delights us with insightful exegesis of selected texts.' -- Bruce Waltke Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies, Regent College, Vancouver, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Knox Theological Seminary

'Mark Futato has a gift for taking complex, important topics and making them accessible to students of the Hebrew language. The Hebrew system of accents can seem quite overwhelming at first. It's all so tempting to simply pass over all those minute markings around the Hebrew words. In Basics of Hebrew Accents, Futato not only helps us understand their function but shows their value in our understanding of the Hebrew text.' -- Tremper Longman III Distinguished Scholar and Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies Westmont College

'Dr. Futato's introduction to the accentuation of the Hebrew Bible provides a good foundation for going deeper in the Hebrew text of the Tanakh. This book is pedagogically sensitive, introduces the significance of the accentual system, and illustrates the interpretive effects in biblical interpretation. The subject of this book took me back some fifty years when I was a graduate student at Hebrew University, Jerusalem.' -- Willem A. VanGemeren Professor Emeritus of Old Testament and Semitic Languages, Trinity International University

'The is the best stand-alone introduction to the accent system of the Hebrew Bible currently available. Both students and instructors will benefit from the author's clear explanations and illustrations, including the demonstration of exegetical significance. It is the perfect launching pad for further study in this often-neglected area of Hebrew studies. It must become required reading for all of our students of biblical Hebrew.' -- Miles V. Van Pelt Alan Hayes Belcher, Jr. Professor of Old Testament and Biblical Languages, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson