Prologue

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If a Chaldean Aramaic word (which has no corresponding note in the margin) is not found in the Dictionary, it is because these letters—א (Aleph), ה (He), י (Yod), ו (Waw)—are frequently used as vowels. Therefore, once these letters are removed, the remaining letters will be the "primitive" root letters to be sought in the dictionary. These things are stated briefly so that those reading the Hebrew text may immediately identify the root of a word without extensive study or consideration. However, if a curious reader is not content with practice alone and desires to know the art of finding roots, they should read the final chapter of our Hebrew Grammar at the end of the Hebrew dictionary. Nevertheless, so that it might be easily found without turning through many books, we have thought it best to subjoin it to these instructions.

It should also be considered that in the Hebrew characters, we have intentionally omitted those marks cantillation marks or "trope" which the Hebrews now use for accents. Since these pertain to no difference in meaning or pronunciation, but only to the musical modulation of the chants, they were rightly rejected by the ancient Hebrews, whom we have preferred to imitate in this. Truly, so that the location of the accent of any word would not be unknown, we have provided for it in this way: since Hebrew words for the most part have the accent on the last syllable, all such words are marked with no accent at all. The rest, however, which do not have the accent on the last syllable (which occur very rarely), are marked with an accent over the syllable where the stress predominates, in this manner: אֶרֶץ Eretz; meaning "earth" or "land," where the accent is on the first syllable. Furthermore, in the distinction of clauses, the Hebrews also use a colon and a comma, but in this way: the colon is a double point original: "duplex pūnctū", like a comma among the Latins; while the comma is this sign: ׃ The Soph Pasuq, marking the end of a verse.

Regarding the Greek scripture, we wish you to know that the archetypes source manuscripts for our printing were not common or haphazardly chosen examples, but the most ancient and most corrected. These our most holy Lord, Pope Leo the Tenth, favoring our undertaking, sent to us from the Apostolic Library itself. They are of such integrity that unless full faith is given to them, it would seem no others remain to which credit should rightly

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be given. To these we also added many other manuscripts, part of which were transcribed with the greatest diligence from the most refined codex of Bessarion Basilios Bessarion (1403–1472), a Greek scholar and Cardinal whose library was essential to the Renaissance sent to us by the Illustrious Senate of Venice; others we ourselves sought out from every direction with great labor and expense, so that an abundance of corrected codices might be available. Likewise, we compared the Latin translation of Saint Jerome with very many examples of venerable antiquity, especially those preserved in the public library of our University of Complutum Alcalá de Henares. These, written in Gothic letters original: "litteris Gotathicis"; referring to Visigothic script more than eight hundred years ago, are of such purity that not even the slip of a pen-stroke can be found in them.

Nevertheless, we have left untouched certain proper names that were written differently than in the originals of both Testaments due to the fault of scribes, and we did this deliberately. For if we had changed any letter in them now, they could by no means be found in the treatise of interpretations the onomasticon or name dictionary which we had previously compiled in alphabetical order according to the common spelling of these names. However, we have noted these same proper names in the interpretations themselves, putting them down not only as they are commonly written, but also as they appear literally in their originals.

Finally, in the book of Psalms, one must be advised that the common Latin translation which we use The Gallican Psalter is placed as an interlinear above the Greek Septuagint edition, because it corresponds to it almost word-for-word. However, that version which Saint Jerome translated according to the Hebrew truth original: "hebraicā traslulit veritatem" is located in the middle of the two columns. Here then, studious reader, you have everything pertaining to the Old Testament, made entirely easy and manifest. But so that you may grasp the intent not only of the Old Testament but also of the other books, it seemed fitting to subjoin below the prefaces of the New Testament and the Hebrew Dictionary, after the "Art of Finding Roots," which we have placed immediately following, as it contributes greatly to these instructions, as we said before.

On the Art of Finding the Root or Primitive

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After we discussed the method of reading and the parts of speech—both declinable and indeclinable—in the preceding treatise of Hebrew grammar, it now remains to treat the method of recognizing the root or "primitive," from which other derivative words have their origin. Once the primitive is found, one may return to the Hebrew vocabulary, which proceeds by the order of the Hebrew alphabet. In it are placed the primitives of all words contained in the Old Testament and their meanings; and under each primitive are also placed the derivative words that proceed from it. Because there is greater difficulty in recognizing the origin of a verb—and whether it is a primitive or a derivative, since not only other verbs and participles but also nouns and other parts of speech are derived from it—we must first deal with its origin, then with the noun and other words.

Regarding the primitive of the verb, it must first be noted that the primitive, which among the Hebrews is called a שׁרֶֶשׁ (shoresh), meaning "root" of any verb or participle and of all words derived from it, consists of the letters that constitute the third person singular of the first or second active conjugation of the indicative mood in the past tense, or its infinitive. These are commonly three letters and occasionally four or five, but this is very rare. For

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example, from פָקַד (paqad), meaning "he visited," are derived all verbs of the four conjugations the Hebrew binyanim or verb structures that contain the aforementioned three letters, and also all nouns and other parts of speech derived from that verb. Just as in Latin Amo "I love" is the primitive of the other persons, moods, and tenses, and of all other words derived from it. There are other words which are not derived from verbs, whose primitives sometimes contain more or fewer than three letters.

Because many letters are prefixed or suffixed to these primitives in composition among the Hebrews, it is necessary to give certain rules so that we may know how to distinguish which letters belong to the substance the root of the word and which do not. Regarding this, it should be known that out of the twenty-two letters of the Hebrew alphabet, eleven are always substantial; whenever they appear in any word, they belong to the substance of that word, constitute its meaning and primitive, and cannot be cast aside. They are as follows: ג (Gimel), ד (Daleth), ז (Zayin), ח (Heth), ט (Teth), ע (Ayin), ס (Samekh), פ (Pe), צ (Tsadi), ק (Qoph), ר (Resh). These are contained in these four mnemonic words: גַד זַח טֶע סַף צֶקֶר. Of these letters, two have double forms final forms, namely פ (Pe) and צ (Tsadi).

The other eleven letters which follow can be accidental servile letters used for grammar: א (Aleph), ב (Beth), ה (He), ו (Waw), י (Yod), כ (Kaph), ל (Lamed), מ (Mem), נ (Nun), ש (Shin), ת (Taw). Of these, three have double forms, namely Kaph, Mem, and Nun. These eleven letters are contained in these three words: אֶתֶנָה מֹשֶׁה לְכִי Atenah Mosheh Lekhi; a mnemonic meaning "I will give to Moses, go!". For these eleven letters, or any of them, can be substantial, just like the other eleven mentioned above, but they can also be accidental to denote number, person, case, conjugation, mood, tense, or a preposition...