The Music of the Law (Exodus 20:12-17)

Glorify! The word is cbd glory. If glory and honour are synonyms, maybe we should rethink the translations of the 16th century. There is another root hdr that is specific to honour.

Note always where the music comes to a cadence. There you have time to think. Notice here the recitation on the rest note, the subdominant. That recitation is a metaphor for the prolonged days.

כַּבֵּ֥ד אֶת־אָבִ֖יךָ וְאֶת־אִמֶּ֑ךָ לְמַ֙עַן֙ יַאֲרִכ֣וּן יָמֶ֔יךָ עַ֚ל הָאֲדָמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לָֽךְ ס		12 Glorify your father and your mother, so that prolonged are your days on the ground that Yahweh your God gives to you.
ib cbd at-abiç vat-aimç lmyn iaricun imiç yl hadmh awr-ihvh alohiç notn lç s	11 27

Note how the commandment begins on the second note of the scale. What is the connection to the prior verse?

לֹ֥֖א תִּֿרְצָֽ֖ח ס

13 ♪f You will not murder.

ig la trxk s

5

A remarkable brevity to these commandments.

לֹ֣֖א תִּֿנְאָֽ֑ף ס

14 ♪B You will not commit adultery.

id la tnaf s

5

All three show how easy it is to combine reciting notes on a single syllable. I wonder why it was not more frequently done.

לֹ֣֖א תִּֿגְנֹֽ֔ב ס		15 ♪B You will not steal.
'tv la tgnob s	5

Verse 16 is quite straightforward musically.

לֹֽא־תַעֲנֶ֥ה בְרֵעֲךָ֖ עֵ֥ד שָֽׁקֶר ס		16 You will not inflict false witness against your associate.
'tz la-tynh briyç yd wqr s	11

The first note connects this to the whole of the previous verses. 

The rest pont in the verse is on the word friend or associate, ryh - yes, the same word as in the prior commandment. (I avoided using neighbor since I use that gloss for a different root wcn.) I am critical of my translation but these posts are about the music. Now you can sing the 10 commandments in Hebrew.

לֹ֥א תַחְמֹ֖ד בֵּ֣ית רֵעֶ֑ךָ לֹֽא־תַחְמֹ֞ד אֵ֣שֶׁת רֵעֶ֗ךָ וְעַבְדּ֤וֹ וַאֲמָתוֹ֙ וְשׁוֹר֣וֹ וַחֲמֹר֔וֹ וְכֹ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר לְרֵעֶֽךָ פ		17 ♪f You will not covet the house of your friend, nor will you covet the wife of your friend or manservant or maidservant or bull or ass or anything that is your friend's.
iz la tkmod bit riyç la-tkmod awt riyç vybdo vamto vworo vkmoro vcol awr lriyç p	7 31

The Music of the Law - Sabbath

 Continuing the journey through Exodus 20.

A single musical phrase for verse 8

זָכ֛וֹר֩ אֶת־י֥֨וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖֜ת לְקַדְּשֽׁ֗וֹ		8 Remember the day of the Sabbath to sanctify it.
k zcor at-iom hwbt lqdwo	10

A single musical phrase for verse 9

שֵׁ֤֣שֶׁת יָמִ֣ים֙ תַּֽעֲבֹ֔ד֮ וְעָשִׂ֖֣יתָ כָּל־מְלַאכְתֶּֽךָ֒		9 ♪C Six days you will serve and do all your affairs,
't wwt imim tybod vywit cl-mlactç	17

Verse 10 is in two parts separated by the cadence on the subdominant in bar 3. This is the first rest in this group of verses -- focusing the rest that is in Yahweh your God.

וְי֙וֹם֙ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔֜י שַׁבָּ֖֣ת ׀ לַיהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑֗יךָ לֹֽ֣א־תַעֲשֶׂ֣֨ה כָל־מְלָאכָ֡֜ה אַתָּ֣ה ׀ וּבִנְךָֽ֣־וּ֠בִתֶּ֗ךָ עַבְדְּךָ֤֨ וַאֲמָֽתְךָ֜֙ וּבְהֶמְתֶּ֔֗ךָ וְגֵרְךָ֖֙ אֲשֶׁ֥֣ר בִּשְׁעָרֶֽ֔יךָ		10 But the seventh day is the Sabbath of Yahweh your God. You will not do any trade, you and your son and your daughter, your manservant and your maidservant, and your cattle and your guest that is in your gates.
i viom hwbiyi wbt lihvh alohiç la-tywh cl-mlach ath ubnç-ubtç ybdç vamtç ubhmtç vgrç awr bwyriç	13 35

Verse 11 is typical prose structure for the commentary on the law. The rest on the subdominant is appropriate for the word seventh.

כִּ֣י שֵֽׁשֶׁת־יָמִים֩ עָשָׂ֨ה יְהוָ֜ה אֶת־הַשָּׁמַ֣יִם וְאֶת־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֶת־הַיָּם֙ וְאֶת־כָּל־אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֔ם וַיָּ֖נַח בַּיּ֣וֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִ֑י עַל־כֵּ֗ן בֵּרַ֧ךְ יְהוָ֛ה אֶת־י֥וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖ת וַֽיְקַדְּשֵֽׁהוּ ס		11 ♪B For six days Yahweh constructed the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and he rested on the seventh day. Therefore Yahweh blessed the Sabbath day and sanctified it.
ia ci wwt-imim ywh ihvh at-hwmiim vat-harx at-him vat-cl-awr-bm vink biom hwbiyi yl-cn birç ihvh at-iom hwbt viqdwhu s	35 16

The Music of the Law (Exodus 20:4-7)

I am abandoning the idea of grammar. I have nothing to add to existing online sources. What I do have that no one else has is the music. Henceforth, I am deciding, (again), to concentrate on the music. I will continue to correct my translation, but that too is a (continuing) aside. 

The uniqueness and solitude of Yahweh and the holiness of the name.

The music of the law is complex compared to other verses. לְךָ֥֣ and לֹֽ֣א for example each have two changes in reciting note on one syllable. Similarly in the second part of the verse after the rest on the subdominant, two syllables use doubled signs under the text to create an effect that is unique to the section.

לֹֽ֣א תַֽעֲשֶׂ֨ה־לְךָ֥֣ פֶ֣֙סֶל֙ ׀ וְכָל־תְּמוּנָ֡֔ה אֲשֶׁ֤֣ר בַּשָּׁמַ֣֙יִם֙ ׀ מִמַּ֡֔עַל וַֽאֲשֶׁ֥ר֩ בָּאָ֖֨רֶץ מִתַָּ֑֜חַת וַאֲשֶׁ֥֣ר בַּמַּ֖֣יִם ׀ מִתַּ֥֣חַת לָאָֽ֗רֶץ		4 ♪B You will not make for yourself a graven image or any similitude that is in the heavens above or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the waters beneath the earth.
d la tywh-lç psl vcl-tmunh awr bwmiim mmyl vawr barx mtkt vawr bmim mtkt larx

Verse 5 is a single colon -- there is no rest for the hearer or the singer until the last syllable where the subdominant occurs only for a moment and is immediately brought down to the tonic.

לֹֽא־תִשְׁתַּחְוֶ֥֣ה לָהֶ֖ם֮ וְלֹ֣א תָעָבְדֵ֑ם֒ כִּ֣י אָֽנֹכִ֞י יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ אֵ֣ל קַנָּ֔א פֹּ֠קֵד עֲוֺ֨ן אָבֹ֧ת עַל־בָּנִ֛ים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁ֥ים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִ֖ים לְשֹׂנְאָֽ֑י		5 You will not worship them and you will not serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous god, visiting the iniquity of forebears on children over three and over four generations to those who hate me.
h la-twtkvvh lhm vla toybdm ci anoci ihvh alohiç al qna poqd yvon abot yl-bnim yl-wilwim vyl-ribyim lwonaii

The music may pause on the slurred atnah. The software does not insert it in this case.

וְעֹ֥֤שֶׂה חֶ֖֙סֶד֙ לַאֲלָפִ֑֔ים לְאֹהֲבַ֖י וּלְשֹׁמְרֵ֥י מִצְוֺתָֽי ס		6 And doing mercy for thousands, who love me and who keep my commandments.
v vyowh ksd lalpim laohbii ulwomri mxvotii s

Verse 7 reverts to normalcy in the usage of the accents

לֹ֥א תִשָּׂ֛א אֶת־שֵֽׁם־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ לַשָּׁ֑וְא כִּ֣י לֹ֤א יְנַקֶּה֙ יְהוָ֔ה אֵ֛ת אֲשֶׁר־יִשָּׂ֥א אֶת־שְׁמ֖וֹ לַשָּֽׁוְא פ		7 ♪f You will not lift up the name of Yahweh your God to vanity, for Yahweh will not hold innocent who lifts up his name to vanity.
z la tiwa at-wm-ihvh alohiç lwva ci la inqh ihvh at awr-iiwa at-wmo lwva p

Psalms - tweeting a test

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A daily dose of music and the language it sets.

Psalms 118:8

The opening of the music beginning as it does with an ornament that avoids starting on the default tonic (e) implicitly joins this verse to the prior verse. May we indeed find refuge.

ט֗וֹב לַחֲס֥וֹת בַּיהוָ֑ה מִ֝בְּטֹ֗חַ בָּאָדָֽם		8 ♪~ Good it is to take refuge in Yahweh, over trusting in a human.
k 'tob lksot bihvh mb'tok badm	6 6	'tvb l/ks\vt b/ihvh m/b'tk b/adm

The Music of the Law (Exodus 20:1-3)

I have set this in a different mode. It surprises me. I don't remember changing it from the default mode with its f natural and raised g#. Instead we have f# and g natural. Instead we have a mode with normal perfect fourths and no devil's interval, the augmented fourth. The tonal feel is a mixture of e-minor and g-major, rather than the default a-minor with frequent approaches from the diminished triad.

The whole of the first 5 verses concerns the exclusiveness of Yahweh as God. In that presence we are essentially without any of our excuses standing by us. -- No other gods in my face. The one who brought us out of the house of servitude -- whatever that was to us -- is to have our complete attention.

Exodus 20:1

וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֵ֛ת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֥ים הָאֵ֖לֶּה לֵאמֹֽר ס		1 And God spoke all these words, saying,
a vidbr alohim at cl-hdbrim halh lamor s

Exodus 20:2

אָֽנֹכִ֖י֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑֔יךָ אֲשֶׁ֧ר הוֹצֵאתִ֛יךָ מֵאֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם מִבֵּ֣֥ית עֲבָדִֽ֑ים		2 I am Yahweh your God, who brought you forth from the land of Egypt, from the house of servitude.
b anoci ihvh alohiç awr hoxatiç marx mxriim mbit ybdim

The first three words, I -- the name -- your God, make a sentence without a verb. The verb 'to be' is understood. Where would you put it? I am Yahweh your God or I Yahweh am your God. What does it mean that the addressees have a God? What call does that God have on them?

This is 'explained' in the next phrase: awr, who, hoxatiç, brought you up -- formed from the root ixa, begins with an h so it's a hiphil form, perfect. If we were a child hearing our native tongue, would we know this tidbit of grammatical form? Unlikely but I think we would know that we were cared for. The opening sound of the h perhaps would tell us that the action stated was enabled (caused) by a larger resource than ourselves. For what seems at first sight a clear resource for verb senses and paradigms, see here. Super - that takes me off the hook entirely for explaining such details. Instead we can concentrate on how the music sets the tone of the verb and its usage.

The pronoun suffix (c) is singular. Does that mean it is addressed to a single person, or to each one individually, or to the corporate persona addressed as a  unit--? This singular unit is from the land of -- marx -- a single letter prefix m indicating from or out of. We could have a look at the page of data on the letter m. But BDB puts all this under mn, and m as prefix is an abbreviation of the same. To keep it simple, mn m is a preposition "expressing the idea of separation, hence out of, from, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not" - and pages of usage following.

Egypt, mxriim (sounds like mitsraim) a grand subject all on its own. The word derives from xrr - trouble, straits, adversity. It's a dual form - double-straits! And the explanation is in the appositional phrase, it is a house of servitude.

Exodus 20:3

לֹֽ֣א יִהְיֶֽה־לְךָ֛֩ אֱלֹהִ֥֨ים אֲחֵרִ֖֜ים עַל־פָּנָֽ֗יַ		3 ♪B Not it is for you: other gods over my presence.
g la ihih-lç alohim akrim yl-pnii

What are the other gods that we worship? Our cultural and legal assumptions must rank high among them. Our opinions especially of ourselves. We forget that our thoughts are not God's thoughts. I was very tempted to translate עַל־פָּנָֽ֗יַ as 'in my faces'. God's faces - just where do we find this plurality? More often than we think. Consider the lily or the ferocious hummingbird, lovingly tailored from a dinosaur.

The prefix c

Music for grammar? "Really, you insist on the music when all we want is the abstract truth." Sorry friend but I cannot speak to truth in the abstract. These days among Christians, I can scarcely speak of truth at all. There is little mutual trust. Some trust in logic and fall into their own unquestioned assumptions. I have seen this even among scholars. Ordained Christian scholars in particular may trust in the power base that they operate from and the correctness of its foundations. It is evident though that all established churches are saturated with assumptions. Still others are 'beyond the pale' to me. I can speak their language and they will thrill in it, but their enthusiasm, sadly, has been misplaced in some alternative universe. So I look to the music for unexpected suggestions, things that are beyond my assumptions.

Ezekiel 1:24 - illustrating three uses of the prefix 'c'.
(Looks like there is a bug in my transcription of Shaddai.)

וָאֶשְׁמַ֣ע אֶת־ק֣וֹל כַּנְפֵיהֶ֡ם כְּקוֹל֩ מַ֨יִם רַבִּ֤ים כְּקוֹל־שַׁדַּי֙ בְּלֶכְתָּ֔ם ק֥וֹל הֲמֻלָּ֖ה כְּק֣וֹל מַחֲנֶ֑ה בְּעָמְדָ֖ם תְּרַפֶּ֥ינָה כַנְפֵיהֶֽן	29 10	24 And I heard the voice of their wings as the voice of many waters, as the voice of the Sufficient. When they go, the voice of the speech, as the voice of a camp. When they stand, slackened are their wings.
		cd vawmy at-qol cnpihm cqol mim rbim cqol-wdii blctm qol hmulh cqol mknh byomdm trpinh cnpihn

The phrase cqol mim rbim occurs only in Ezekiel - here and again near the end of the book (43.2). You could not tell this from a translation unless it is done with framing and concordance in mind. (And yes, that is abstraction -- let it not be a distraction!)

I need another approach to the letter /c/ as prefix and preposition. In a typical complete lexicon, I will find another arcane and unreadable paragraph - albeit with lots of useful stuff. 

One thing to note is the similarity of /c/ as prefix to cmo as word. This word cmo is essentially the same as /c/ when used in the sense of likeness. This word is needed for use with pronoun suffixes, cmonu, (like us) 4 times, cmoni (like me) 17, cmoç (like you singular), 31 including two instances of כָּמֹכָה, cmocm (like you plural) once only Job 12:3, [also ccm (like you) 7 times], cmohu (like him/it), 24, cmohm, (like them) 3 times, and cmoh (like her/it) 4 times in 3 verses.

I checked all these counts using search in the SimHebrew Bible, against the counts in the BDB article on the letter caf, and we differ only in the last one where I count 4 to BDB's 3. See Ex 30:38, 1 Sam 21:10, Zech 5:3 (twice).

/c/ as prefix in its role as like or as is very similar to cmo. Which is derived from which, I wonder. (Note that likeness is also expressed with a verb dmh).

The prefix /c/ may also take the sense of according to, or about, and other phrases. Chatgpt summarized the hierarchic section of BDB--(I used a copied dog's breakfast), as follows: /c/ can function as both an adverb and a conjunction. As an adverb, it is used to mean "like," "as," or "about." (Adverbs?) As a conjunction, it can be translated as "according to," "as," or "when." The word is used to express similarity or comparison between two objects or actions.

Here is another example where the concept is slightly different again.

1 Samuel 20:3

I asked chatgpt what the sentence in BDB meant related to this verse. 

Working on Hebrew again - the letter kaf and its uses. What do you make of this sentence out of a lexicon: "Prop. an undeveloped subst., capable of standing in any case and followed (like) always by a gen., as 1 S 20:3  כי כפשׂע or there is (nomin.) the like of a footstep (Arabic ) between me and death." Here's what the bot said:

Here's a breakdown of the sentence:

1. "Prop." stands for "properly" or "proper." It indicates that the following explanation relates to the correct or accurate usage of the letter "kaf."

2. "an undeveloped subst." likely refers to the idea that "kaf" can serve as a root or core of a word that hasn't been fully developed into a full-fledged word on its own.

3. "capable of standing in any case" suggests that "kaf" can be used in various grammatical cases within Hebrew sentences.

4. "followed (like ) always by a gen." implies that "kaf" is often followed by a genitive construction (a construction that indicates possession or close relationship).

5. As an example, the sentence cites 1 Samuel 20:3:  כי כפשׂע, which may be translated as "for there is (nomin.) the like of a footstep between me and death." This demonstrates the usage of "kaf" in context, showing how it is used with a genitive construction.

6. The mention of "Arabic" likely indicates a parallel or similarity between the use of "kaf" in Hebrew and a similar concept in the Arabic language.

Overall, this sentence seems to be explaining how the Hebrew letter "kaf" functions as an undeveloped substantive (a root word), and it is typically used in conjunction with a genitive construction, allowing it to be employed in various grammatical cases. The example from 1 Samuel 20:3 illustrates the usage of "kaf" in a specific context.

No wonder I can't read BDB. A further direct question whether the Arabic reference indicated that the word pwy (or psy rather than pshy) being from Arabic and chatgpt responded with

It's possible that the Hebrew word פשׂע (pronounced as "psy") was either derived from or influenced by a similar word in Arabic. Language borrowing and influence between neighboring cultures are quite common, and it's fascinating to see how words and concepts can travel and evolve over time. ... Both versions likely represent the same root word with similar meanings, and such variations might be attributed to regional dialects, different time periods, or copyist errors in ancient manuscripts.

In later Hebrew the lexicon at the Blueletter Bible site says that the word pwy in this case is psy (samekh in the middle rather than sin). Curious though that peh-shin-ayin would work as well - one more transgression by David against Saul and he would be a goner.

Every post I do on grammar using this approach of music plus the abstraction of the words to express the experience -- every post raises questions for me for translation. And I read more closely.

What will I do with the translation?

g viiwby yod dvid viamr idoy idy abiç ci-mxati kn byiniç viamr al-iidy-zat ihontn pn-iiyxb,

vaulm ki-ihvh vki npwç ci cpwy bini ubin hmvvt.

3 And David swore further and he said, Your father knows that I find grace in your eyes, and he said, Do not let Jonathan know this lest he be tortured,

but as Yahweh lives and you live, there is but one false step between me and death.

I think there is but one false step is a good shot - but more literally I could render it as for the like of one false step is between me and death. Curious that transgression works just as well as the sibilant s (reading w as shin rather than sin).

Is it pwy or anticipating psy as in Isaiah 27:4-- the only other place where this root may occur?