Masorah
/məˈsɔːrə/noun
The traditional Jewish system of preserving, annotating, and transmitting the authoritative text of the Hebrew Bible.
Did you know?The Masorah helped standardize Hebrew vowels and chanting accents, while marginal notes counted letters and unusual forms to guard the biblical text against scribal alteration.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
מָסַר (māsar)
“To hand over, deliver, or transmit.”
Late Second Temple period
Hebrew
מָסֹרֶת (māsōret)
“A transmitted tradition or received teaching.”
6th–10th Century
Hebrew
מָסוֹרָה (māsōrāh)
“The body of traditions and annotations used to preserve the Hebrew biblical text.”
10th–11th Century
Hebrew/Arabic scholarship
Masora
“A scholarly term for the scribal system associated especially with the Tiberian Masoretes.”
Modern English
English
Masorah
“The traditional textual and scribal apparatus for preserving the Hebrew Bible.”