How was the <i>dageš</i> in Biblical Hebrew Pronounced and Why is it There?

Abstract

Abstract There is no consensus in the scholarly literature as to the pronunciation of the dageš in the Biblical Hebrew plural form ‘houses’. This article examines the evidence for the way the dageš was pronounced in this word in medieval sources that give us direct access to the Tiberian Masoretic reading tradition. It is shown that there was some degree of diversity of pronunciation across different biblical verses and different sub-traditions of the Tiberian Hebrew pronunciation. An explanation for the existence of the dageš in the word is offered on the basis of comparative evidence within Biblical Hebrew reading traditions and other Semitic languages.