Blackwell Reference Online

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(Hebrew “aleph-bet”). The Hebrew alphabet consists of 22 consonants (see table), derived from the Canaanite alphabet. Until the first exile (6th century bce ) the alphabet was identical with that of the Phoenicians, but thereafter it was gradually replaced by letter forms based on an eastern Aramaic script. The square script now used developed during the first two centuries ce . Originally vowel sounds were not indicated by Hebrew script, but in time certain letters came to serve as vowel indicators (yod, vav, he). In the 7th to 9th centuries various systems were developed for indicating all vowels by means of new signs placed above and below the consonants. However, no vowel signs are given in the Torah scroll. Each letter in the Hebrew alphabet has a corresponding numerical value and combinations of letters are used in the Hebrew numbering system. ... log in or subscribe to read full text