masoretic

Masoretic refers to the Masorah and to the Masoretes, Jewish scribes who developed and preserved the Masoretic Text, the authoritative Hebrew text of the Jewish Bible (Tanakh). The Masoretic project was most active from the 7th to the 10th centuries CE in the Land of Israel and Babylonia, with the aim of securing a precise, standardized text for reading and study.

The Masoretes added vocalization (nikkud) and cantillation marks (te'amim) to the consonantal Hebrew script, making pronunciation and chanting possible across generations. They also compiled the masorah, a body of notes on spelling, pronunciation, and textual variants, along with counts of words, letters, and verses to guide copyists and readers.

The Masoretic Text (MT) forms the basis of most contemporary Hebrew Bibles and underlies many Christian Old Testament translations when they draw on Hebrew sources. In scholarly work, the MT is routinely compared with other traditions such as the Samaritan Pentateuch and the Greek Septuagint, as well as with manuscripts from the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Key MT manuscripts include the Leningrad Codex (c. 1008 CE), the most complete surviving MT and the basis for Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia and related editions. The Aleppo Codex (late 10th century) remains highly valued for its textual precision, though it is only partially preserved today. The MT is commonly associated with the Ben Asher textual family, with some differences noted against the Ben Naphtali family in certain passages.

In summary, the Masoretic tradition preserves a standardized, vocalized Hebrew text and a system of scholarly notes that shape the modern reading and translation of the Hebrew Bible.