Psalms, Proverbs and Job The system of cantillation signs employed
throughout the Tanakh is replaced by a quite distinct system for
these three poetic books. Many of the signs may appear the same or
comparable at first glance, but most of these function entirely
distinct characteristics in these three books. (Only a few signs
have functions similar to what they carry out in the rest of the
Tanakh.) The short narratives at the beginning and conclusion of
Job make use of the "regular" system, but the mass of the book (the
poetry) uses the specific method. For this reason, these three
books are usually referred to as sifrei emet (Books of Truth), the
word emet meaning "truth", but also being an acronym pertaining to
the first letters of the three books (Iyov, Mishle, Tehillim).
Mehmet Okonsar
2011-03-14
