Understanding the Hebrew Punctuation

The Basics of Hebrew Punctuation

Hebrew Punctuation employs a variety of signs to structure and clarify sentences in written texts.
In contrast to English punctuation, Hebrew punctuation might appear at the end or in the middle of a word.
The most frequently used Hebrew punctuation includes signs such as the colon (:), comma (,), period (.), and question mark (?).
Notably, the period (.) and comma (,) operate in a similar way to their English equivalents, marking the end of a sentence or segregating clauses.

Special Hebrew Punctuation Marks

Sof Pasuk acts like a full stop in English, marking the end of a verse in biblical and liturgical texts.
The p’siq ( ) is a small vertical line used in the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Bible to separate verses, phrases or words.
The legarmeh (‘ or ׳) is used as a separating mark, similar to a comma.
Geresh (׳) and gershayim (״) are used in a similar manner to single and double quotation marks.
Maqaf (-) is a hyphen-like marker used in Hebrew to join words or parts of words.

Shirik and Holem

Do not mistake for punctuation marks the shirik (a point beneath a consonant representing the ‘i’ vowel sound) or the holem (a dot above a consonant representing the ‘o’ or ‘u’ vowel sound).
Although these symbols can resemble punctuation marks, they are part of the Nikkud, or vocalization system, of Hebrew.

Cantillation Marks

Cantillation marks, or trope symbols, are more than just punctuation - they provide an additional layer of meaning in Biblical Hebrew as they indicate how the text should be chanted in liturgical use.
They group words and phrases together, offer rhythm and melody, and contribute to the understanding of the text.

This completes the section on understanding Hebrew punctuation. As always, the more you practise writing and reading, the more comfortable you will become with the application of these punctuation marks.