The Vocabulary of the Samaritan Pentateuch: A General Overview

The article provides an analysis of the vocabulary of the Samaritan Pentateuch, distinguishing it from the Masoretic Text in terms of phonology, morphology, and interpretive tradition. It highlights the Samaritan Pentateuch’s unique textual features, such as orthographic variations and phonological shifts, while noting its lack of uniformity compared to the Masoretic Text. Differences are examined through examples of morphological distinctions used for semantic differentiation, such as the specialised meanings of verbs and nouns in the Samaritan tradition. The study also explores the modernisation of the Samaritan Pentateuch’s language, with an emphasis on phonetic simplification and the reinterpretation of rare or archaic forms. Though differences in lexical inventory are rare, the Samaritan community’s interpretive traditions significantly shape the vocabulary and meaning of terms within the text.