Masora
/məˈsɔːrə/noun
The traditional body of rules and annotations used to preserve and transmit the exact Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible.
Did you know?The Masoretes carefully counted letters, words, and even unusual forms in the Hebrew Bible, treating the text almost like a sacred linguistic code.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
מסורה (məsōrāh)
“Tradition; something handed down”
Late Antiquity
Hebrew
מְסוֹרָה (məsōrāh)
“The received textual tradition of Scripture”
6th–10th Century
Hebrew
מסורה (məsōrāh)
“The system of notes and conventions used by Jewish scribes to preserve the biblical text”
16th Century
Latin
Masora
“The Hebrew textual tradition and its scholarly annotations”
17th Century
English
Masora
“The traditional Jewish apparatus for transmitting and annotating the Hebrew Bible”
Modern English
English
Masora
“The body of textual rules, annotations, and traditions associated with the Masoretic transmission of the Hebrew Bible”