3.9 Qamets Hatuf

QAMETS OR QAMETS HATUF?

  • The A-class Qamets is FAR more prevalent - when in doubt, assume Qamets
  • Qamets Hatuf ONLY occurs in a Closed AND Unaccented syllable
  • A Qamets symbol followed by a Daghesh Forte or Sheva symbol represents a potential ambiguity
    • The vowel could be a short Qamets-Hatuf vowel in a closed syllable,
    • Or the vowel could be the long Qamets, A-class vowel in an open syllable
  • When this ambiguity occurs, some printings will print a small vertical line called a Meteg בָּֽ.52 The Meteg tells you the vowel is the long, a-class

  • Nouns such as חָכְמָה that have the pattern (Qamets mark)+Sheva+Qamets+Hei TEND to be O-class
  • You may know a word from your vocabulary that has a Holem, such as כֹל
    • When you encounter that same word in its shortened form, כָל־, the vowel will be shortened O-class^
    • This is usually the Construct form, which we will study in Lesson 10

  1. Unfortunately, many Tanachs DO not differentiate.↩︎