The Masoretes (ba'alei masorah) were scribes based primarily in at least three places, Tiberias (the best known); Eretz Yisrael, or the land of Israel; and Babylonia. Each group compiled a system of pronunciation and grammatical guides in the form of diacritical notes on the external form of the Biblical text in an attempt to canonize the Tanakh for the Jewish community. See the article on the Masoretic text for a full discussion of their work. The Ben Asher family was largely responsible for the preservation and production of the Masoretic Text, although most current Hebrew Bibles are based upon the Masoretic text of the Ben Naphtali Masoretes which differs slightly from the Ben Asher text, although the halakhic authority Maimonides endorsed the Ben Asher as superior. Tiberias in 1862, the ruins reminiscent of its ancient heritage. ... The Land of Israel (Hebrew: Eretz Yisrael) refers to the land making up the ancient Jewish Kingdoms of Israel and Judah. ... Babylonia, named for the city of Babylon, was an ancient state in Mesopotamia (in modern Iraq), combining the territories of Sumer and Akkad. ... 11th century Targum Tanakh [תנ״ך] (also Tanach or Tenach) is an acronym that identifies the Hebrew Bible. ... The Masoretic Text (MT) is the Hebrew text of the Tanakh approved for general use in Judaism. ... Commonly used image indicating one artists conception of Maimonidess appearance Moshe ben Maimon (March 30, 1135–December 13, 1204) was a Jewish rabbi, physician, and philosopher. ...

The Masoretes devised the vowel notation system for Hebrew that is still widely used as well as the trope symbols used for cantillation. A trope is a rhetorical figure of speech that consists of a play on words, i. ... Cantillation (Hebrew: ta`amei ha-mikra or just te`amim; Yiddish trope is also commonly used in English) comprises special signs or marks in the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible (or Tanakh) which complement the letters and vowel points. ...

See also: Masoretic text The Masoretic Text (MT) is the Hebrew text of the Tanakh approved for general use in Judaism. ...

Further reading

• In the Beginning: A Short History of the Hebrew Language, esp. chapter 5.
• The Text of the Old Testament - The plates at the end depict much of the Masorete's work.
• Introduction to the Tiberian Masorah - Technical but comprehensive review of the Masoretes' grammar.

External links

• Jewish Encyclopedia: Masorah
• The role of the Masoretes