Tuesday 22 August 2023

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
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
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




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