Editing Dagesh (section)

== Dagesh hazaq ==
{{lang|he-Latn|Dagesh ḥazak}} or {{lang|he-Latn|dagesh ḥazaq}} ({{lang|he|דגש חזק}}, {{lit|strong dot}}, i.e. 'gemination {{lang|he-Latn|dagesh}}', or {{lang|he|דגש כפלן}}, also '{{lang|he-Latn|dagesh}} [[fortis consonant|forte]]') may be placed in almost any letter, indicating a [[gemination]] (doubling) of that consonant in the pronunciation of pre-modern Hebrew. This gemination is not adhered to in modern Hebrew and is only used in careful pronunciation, such as the reading of scripture in a synagogue service, recitation of biblical or traditional texts or on ceremonial occasions, and only by very precise readers.

The following letters, the [[guttural]]s, almost never have a {{lang|he-Latn|dagesh}}: {{lang|he-Latn|[[aleph]]}} {{Script/Hebrew|א}}, {{lang|he-Latn|[[he (letter)|he]]}} {{Script/Hebrew|ה}}, {{lang|he-Latn|[[heth (letter)|chet]]}} {{Script/Hebrew|ח}}, {{lang|he-Latn|[[ayin]]}} {{Script/Hebrew|ע}}, and {{lang|he-Latn|[[resh]]}} {{Script/Hebrew|ר}}. A few instances of {{lang|he-Latn|resh}} with {{lang|he-Latn|dagesh}} are recorded in the [[Masoretic Text]], as well as a few cases of {{lang|he-Latn|aleph}} with {{lang|he-Latn|dagesh}}, such as in [[Leviticus]] 23:17.

The presence of a {{lang|he-Latn|dagesh ḥazak}} or consonant-doubling in a word may be entirely morphological, or, as is often the case, is a lengthening to compensate for a deleted consonant. A {{lang|he-Latn|dagesh ḥazak}} may be placed in letters for one of the following reasons:

* The letter follows the [[Article (grammar)|definite article]], the word "the". For example, {{lang|he|שָׁמָיִם}} ({{lang|he-Latn|shamayim}}, 'heaven(s)') in [[Book of Genesis|Genesis]] 1:8<ref>{{Cite web |title=Genesis 1 / Hebrew - English Bible / Mechon-Mamre |url=https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0101.htm#8 |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=mechon-mamre.org}}</ref> is {{lang|he|הַשָּׁמַיִם}} ({{lang|he-Latn|ha'''shsh'''amayim}}, 'the heaven(s)') in [[Genesis 1:1]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Genesis 1 / Hebrew - English Bible / Mechon-Mamre |url=https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0101.htm#1 |access-date=2024-03-29 |website=mechon-mamre.org}}</ref> This is because the definite article was originally a stand-alone particle {{lang|he|הַל}} ({{lang|he-Latn|hal}}), but at an early stage in ancient Hebrew it contracted into a prefix {{lang|he|הַ}} ({{lang|he-Latn|ha-}}), and the loss of the {{Script/Hebrew|ל}} 'l' was compensated for by doubling the following letter.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Weingreen|first=J.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DUGczQEACAAJ|title=A Practical Grammar for Classical Hebrew|date=1963-03-26|publisher=OUP Oxford|isbn=978-0-19-815422-8|location=|pages=23 (§16)|language=en}}</ref> In this situation where the following letter is a guttural, the vowel in 'ha-' becomes long to compensate for the inability to double the next letter - otherwise, this vowel is almost always short. This also happens in words taking the prefix {{lang|he|לַ}} {{lang|he-Latn|la-}}, since it is a prefix created by the contraction of {{lang|he|לְ}} {{lang|he-Latn|le-}} and {{lang|he|הַ}} {{lang|he-Latn|ha-}}. Occasionally, the letter following a {{lang|he-Latn|he}} which is used to indicate a question may also receive a {{lang|he-Latn|dagesh}}, e.g. [[Book of Numbers|Numbers]] 13:20 {{lang|he|הַשְּׁמֵנָה הִוא}} ({{lang|he-Latn|Ha'''shshe'''mena hi?}}, 'whether it is fat').<ref>{{Cite web |title=Numbers 13 / Hebrew - English Bible / Mechon-Mamre |url=https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0413.htm#20 |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=mechon-mamre.org}}</ref>
* The letter follows the prefix {{Script/Hebrew|מִ}} {{lang|he-Latn|mi-}} where this prefix is an abbreviation for the word {{lang|he-Latn|min}}, meaning 'from'. For example, the phrase "from your hand", if spelled as two words, would be {{lang|he|מִן יָדֶךָ}} ({{lang|he-Latn|min yadekha}}). In Genesis 4:11 however, it occurs as one word: {{lang|he|מִיָּדֶךָ}} {{lang|he-Latn|mi'''yy'''adekha}}. This prefix mostly replaces the usage of the particle {{lang|he|מִן}} ({{lang|he-Latn|min}}) in modern Hebrew.
* The letter follows the prefix {{lang|he|שֶׁ}} 'she-' in modern Hebrew, which is a prefixed contraction of the relative pronoun {{lang|he|אֲשֶׁר}} ({{lang|he-Latn|asher}}), where the first letter is dropped and the last letter disappears and doubles the next letter. This prefix is rare in Biblical texts, and mostly replaces the use of {{lang|he-Latn|asher}} in Modern Hebrew.
* It marks the doubling of a letter that is caused by a weak letter losing its vowel. In these situations, the weak letter disappears, and the following letter is doubled to compensate for it. For example, compare [[Book of Exodus|Exodus]] 6:7 {{lang|he|לָקַחְתִּי}} ({{lang|he-Latn|lakachti}}) with Numbers 23:28, where the first letter of the root {{Script/Hebrew|ל}} has been [[elided]]: {{lang|he|וַיִּקַּח}} ({{lang|he-Latn|vayyi'''kk'''ach}}).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Numbers 23 / Hebrew - English Bible / Mechon-Mamre |url=https://mechon-mamre.org/p/pt/pt0423.htm#28 |access-date=2024-03-30 |website=mechon-mamre.org}}</ref> [[Lamed]] only behaves as a weak letter in this particular root word.
* If the letter follows a [[vav-consecutive]] imperfect (sometimes referred to as {{lang|he-Latn|vav}} conversive, or {{lang|he-Latn|[[Waw (letter)#Words written as vav|vav ha'hipuch]]}}), which, in Biblical Hebrew, switches a verb between [[Perfect (grammar)|perfect]] and [[imperfect]]. For example, compare [[Judges 7]]:4 {{lang|he|יֵלֵךְ}} ({{lang|he-Latn|yelekh}}, 'let him go') with [[Deuteronomy]] 31:1 {{lang|he|וַיֵּלֶך}} ({{lang|he-Latn|va'''yy'''elekh}}, 'he went'). A possible reason for this doubling is that the {{lang|he|וַ}} ({{lang|he-Latn|va-}}) prefix could be the remains of an [[auxiliary verb]] {{lang|he|הָוַיַ}} ({{lang|he-Latn|hawaya}}, the ancient form of the verb {{lang|he|הָיָה}} {{lang|he-Latn|hayah}}, 'to be') being contracted into a prefix, losing the initial {{lang|he-Latn|ha}}, and the final {{lang|he-Latn|ya}} syllable disappearing and doubling the next letter.
* In some of the {{lang|he-Latn|[[binyan]]}} verbal stems, where the {{lang|he-Latn|pi'el}}, {{lang|he-Latn|pu'al}} and {{lang|he-Latn|hitpa'el}} stems themselves cause doubling in the second root letter of a verb. For example:
** Exodus 15:9 {{lang|he|אֲחַלֵּק}} ({{lang|he-Latn|acha'''ll'''ek}}, 'I shall divide'), {{lang|he-Latn|pi'el}}-stem, first person future tense 
** in the phrase {{lang|he|הָלֵּלוּ יַהּ}} ({{lang|he-Latn|ha'''ll'''elu yah}}, 'praise the {{LORD}}'), where {{lang|he-Latn|hallelu}} is in the {{lang|he-Latn|pi'el}}-stem, masculine plural imperative form
** Genesis 47:31 {{lang|he|וַיִּתְחַזֵּק}} ({{lang|he-Latn|vayyitcha'''zz'''ek}}, 'he strengthened himself'), {{lang|he-Latn|hitpa'el}}-stem