Anomalies of the Hebrew text — 62 scribal wonders
Large letters, small letters, inverted nuns, suspended letters, dots and broken letters — every anomaly preserved by the scribes, shown in the Leningrad Codex and explained.
Enlarged Letters
- בְּרֵאשִׁיתThe Large Bet of BereshitGenesis 1:1
- אֵל אַחֵרThe Guarding Resh of 'Another God'Exodus 34:14
- גָּחוֹןThe Middle Letter of the TorahLeviticus 11:42
- וְהִתְגַּלָּחThe Large Gimel of the Shaving LawLeviticus 13:33
- יִגְדַּל־נָא כֹּחַ אֲדֹנָיThe Small Letter Written LargeNumbers 14:17
- מִשְׁפָּטָןThe Daughters' Case Written LargeNumbers 27:5
- שְׁמַע … אֶחָדThe Witness Letters of the ShemaDeuteronomy 6:4
- וַיַּשְׁלִכֵםThe Large Lamed of ExileDeuteronomy 29:27 (29:28 in English Bibles)
- הַ לְיהוָה תִּגְמְלוּ־זֹאתThe Standalone Heh of HaazinuDeuteronomy 32:6
- לִינִיThe Faithful Nun of 'Stay the Night'Ruth 3:13
- וַיְזָתָאThe Long Vav of VayzataEsther 9:9
- אָדָםAdam's Large Alef1 Chronicles 1:1
- זִכְרוּ תּוֹרַת מֹשֶׁהRemember the Torah — the Zayin TraditionMalachi 3:22 (4:4 in English Bibles)
- שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִיםThe Shin of the Song — a Variant TraditionSong of Songs 1:1
- סוֹף דָּבָרThe End of the Matter — a Variant TraditionEcclesiastes 12:13
Small Letters
- בְּהִבָּרְאָםThe Small Heh of CreationGenesis 2:4
- וְלִבְכֹּתָהּAbraham's Restrained WeepingGenesis 23:2
- קַצְתִּיRebekah's WearinessGenesis 27:46
- וַיִּקְרָאThe Small Alef of VayikraLeviticus 1:1
- מוֹקְדָהThe Small Mem of the Perpetual FireLeviticus 6:2 (6:9 in English Bibles)
- תֶּשִׁיThe Shrunken Yod of ForgettingDeuteronomy 32:18
- פַּרְשַׁנְדָּתָא … פַּרְמַשְׁתָּא … וַיְזָתָאThe Diminished Sons of HamanEsther 9:7–9
Suspended Letters
- מְנַשֶּׁהThe Floating Nun That Shields MosesJudges 18:30
- מִיָּעַרThe Raised Ayin of the Forest BoarPsalm 80:14 (80:13 in English Bibles)
- רְשָׁעִיםThe Wicked, Letter Lifted (I)Job 38:13
- מֵרְשָׁעִיםThe Wicked, Letter Lifted (II)Job 38:15
Inverted Nuns
- וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹןThe Bracketed Verses of the ArkNumbers 10:35–36
- יוֹרְדֵי הַיָּם בָּאֳנִיּוֹתSeven Marks in the Storm PsalmPsalm 107:21–26, 40
Dotted Words
- וּבֵינֶיךָThe First Dotted Word: 'Between You and Me'Genesis 16:5
- אֵלָיוThe Dotted 'To Him'Genesis 18:9
- וּבְקוּמָהּThe Dot of 'When She Arose'Genesis 19:33
- וַיִּשָּׁקֵהוּThe Dotted Kiss of EsauGenesis 33:4
- אֶתThe Dotted 'Et' of the BrothersGenesis 37:12
- וְאַהֲרֹןThe Dotted AaronNumbers 3:39
- רְחֹקָהHow Far Is 'Far'? The Dotted JourneyNumbers 9:10
- אֲשֶׁרThe Dotted Resh of the Amorite BalladNumbers 21:30
- וְעִשָּׂרוֹןThe Dotted Tenth-MeasureNumbers 29:15
- לָנוּ וּלְבָנֵינוּ עַדEleven Dots Over 'To Us and Our Children'Deuteronomy 29:28 (29:29 in English Bibles)
- יָצָאThe Dotted 'Went Out' of Shimei's Plea2 Samuel 19:20 (19:19 in English Bibles)
- הֵמָּהThe Dotted 'They' of the Idol-MakersIsaiah 44:9
- הַהֵיכָלThe Dotted Temple WallEzekiel 41:20
- מְהֻקְצָעוֹתThe Dotted Corners of the CourtsEzekiel 46:22
- לוּלֵא'Unless I Had Believed' — Dotted Above and BelowPsalm 27:13
Unusual Letter Forms
- שָׁלוֹםThe Broken Vav of the Covenant of PeaceNumbers 25:12
- לְםַרְבֵּהThe Closed Mem Inside 'Increase'Isaiah 9:6 (9:7 in English Bibles)
- הֵם פְּרוּצִיםThe Broken Walls' Open Mem — a Variant TraditionNehemiah 2:13
Written vs. Read
- לֹא / לוֹ'No Hope' Written, 'In Him' ReadJob 13:15
- וְלֹא / וְלוֹ'Not We' Written, 'We Are His' ReadPsalm 100:3
Special Layouts
- אָז יָשִׁיר מֹשֶׁהThe Brickwork of the Song of the SeaExodus 15:1–18
- הַאֲזִינוּ הַשָּׁמַיִםThe Twin Columns of HaazinuDeuteronomy 32:1–43
- מֶלֶךְ יְרִיחוֹ אֶחָדThe Column of Thirty-One KingsJoshua 12:9–24
- וַתָּשַׁר דְּבוֹרָהThe Brickwork of Deborah's SongJudges 5
- וַיְדַבֵּר דָּוִדDavid's Deliverance Song in Brickwork2 Samuel 22
- וְאֵת … וְאֵת … וְאֵתThe Falling Column of Haman's SonsEsther 9:7–9
- וַיֹּאמֶר קַיִן אֶל־הֶבֶל אָחִיוThe Silence in the Middle of Cain's VerseGenesis 4:8
- וַיִּשְׁכַּב אֶת־בִּלְהָה … וַיִּשְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵלThe Averted Eyes of the Reuben VerseGenesis 35:22
Alphabet Acrostics
- אַשְׁרֵי תְמִימֵי־דָרֶךְThe Great Alphabet of Psalm 119Psalm 119
- מַלְכוּתְךָ … סוֹמֵךְThe Missing Nun VersePsalm 145:13–14
- אֵיכָה יָשְׁבָה בָדָדGrief in Alphabetical OrderLamentations 1
- פָּצוּ … עָשָׂהThe Reversed Alphabet: Pe Before AyinLamentations 2:16–17
- אֵשֶׁת־חַיִל מִי יִמְצָאThe Alphabet of the Valiant WomanProverbs 31:10–31
- אֵל קַנּוֹא … בְּסוּפָה … גּוֹעֵרThe Ruined Acrostic of NahumNahum 1:2–8