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( úé÷åï ñåôøéí ), or Emendations of the Scribes, refer to eighteen alterations which the scribes decreed should be introduced into the text,. in order to remove anthropomorphisms and other indelicate expressions. These eighteen emendations, or é ç îìéï , are as follows, according to the order of the Hebrew Bible, Gen_18:22, where, for the original reading, òåãðé òîã ìôðé àáøä åéäåä , “and Jehovah still stood before Abraham,” is now substituted, by the decree of the scribes =Tikkûn Sopherima, åàáøäí òåãðå òîã ìôðé éäåä , “and Abraham still stood before Jehovah,” because it appeared offensive to say that the Deity stood before Abraham.
2. Num_11:15, where Moses addresses God, “Kill me, I pray thee... that I may not see thy evil” ( áøòúֶêָ ), i.e. the punishment wherewith thou visitest Israel, is altered to “that I may not see my evil” ( áøòúé ), because it might seem as if evil were ascribed to the Deity.
3, 4. Num_12:12, where the original reading, “Let her not be as one dead who proceeded from the womb of our mother ( àîðå ), and half of our flesh ( áùøðå ) be consumed,” is changed to “Let her not be as one dead- born, which when it proceeds from the womb of its mother ( àîå ) has half of its flesh ( áùøå ) consumed.”
5. 1 Samuel 3, 13, where the original, “for his sons cursed God” ( àìäéí ) — the Sept. has it still èåüí is altered to “for his sons cursed themselves” ( ìäí ), because it was too offensive to say that Eli's sons cursed God without being reprimanded by their father.
6. 2Sa_16:12,where “will God see with his eye” ( áòéðé ) is made to read “will God look at my affliction” ( áòåðé ). The Seventy probably read áòðéé , for they translate ἐí ôῇ ôáðåéíóώåé ìïõ .
7. 1Ki_12:16, where “to his God ( ìàìäéé ), O Israel... and Israel went to their God” ( ìàìäéå )is given “to your tents ( ìàäìé ) ִ ... to their tents” ( ìàäìéå ), because the separation of Israel from the house of David was regarded as a necessary transition to idolatry; it was looked upon as leaving God and the sanctuary for the worship of idolatry in tents.
8. 2Ch_10:16 concerns the parallel passage, which is similarly altered for the same reason.
9. Jer_2:11, where “my glory” ( ëáåãé ) reads “their glory” ( ëáåãå ), because it was too offensive to say that God's glory was changed for an idol.
10. Eze_8:17,where “my nose” ( àôé ) is changed into “their nose” ( àôí );
11. Hos_4:7, where the same change is made as in Hos_9:12. Hab_1:12, where “thou diest not” ( ìà úîåú ) is converted into “we shall not die” ( ìà ðîåú ).
13. Zec_2:12, where “mine eye” ( òéðé ) is varied by his eye” ( òéðå ), to avoid too gross an anthropomorphism.
14. Mal_1:13, where “you make me” ( òéúé ) is changed to “you make it” ( àåúé ); reason as in 13.
15. Psa_106:20, where the same alteration is made as in 9 and 11.
16. Job_7:20, where “a burden to thee” ( òìé ) ִ is changed to” to myself” ( òìé ). That òìé w ִ as the Original reading we see also from the Sept. åἰìὶ äὲ ἐðὶ óïὶ öïñ ôßïí .
17. Job_32:3, where “they condemned God” ( àìäé àú ) is altered to they “condemned Job” ( àú àéåá ).
18. Lam_3:19, where “and thy soul will mourn over me” ( åúùéç òìé ðִôְùֶêָ ) reads “and my soul is humbled within me” ( åúùåּç òìé ðִôְùַé ), because of the remark that God will mourn.
These eighteen decrees of the Sopherim are enumerated in the Massora Magna on Numbers 1, 1, and on Psa_106:20; they are also given in the book Ochlah ve-Ochath, p. 37, 113 (ed. Frensdorff, Hanover, 1864). The whole question on these Tikkûn Sopherim is discussed by Pinsker in Kherem Chemed, 9:53 sq. (Berlin, 1856); Geiger, Urschrift und Uebersetzungen der Bibel, p. 308 sq. (Breslau, 1857); Wedell, De Emendationibus a Sopherim in Libris Sacris Veteris Testamenti Propositis (Vratislavise, 1869). SEE OCLAH. (B. P.)