5. Divisions accardinfi to the Meaning of Verses. — There is no doubt that at a verj' early period a division according to verses (D'^p'^DS) existed. "Every verse divided by IMoses may not" be otherwise divided," we read in A/er/illah, fol. 22, col. I. The reason for such di- visions was probably twofold: a. The readinff oj' the ^Scriptures, especially in the synagogue, led to such. TheMishna (Mer/illuh, ch.iv, ^ i) mentions the H'^plOD i;i relation to this, for we read that "not less than three verses of the holy law may be read in the syna- gDgue to each person (called to read). One verse only of the law may at one time be read to the methui-f/eman, or interpreter; but it is lawful to read three consecu- tive verses to him from the prophets; but if each verse should form a separate section, one verse only may be read to him at a time." The Gemara forbids the leav- ing of the synagogue before the ending of such a sec- tion {Herakoth, fnl. 8, col. I), introduces the injiniction of Ezra (Neh. viii, 8; MegiUah, fol. 3, col. 1 ; iXcdaiim, fol. o7, col. 2), and prescribes, in reference to the proph- ets, how many sections are to be read on week-days {Baha Kamma, fol. 82, col. 1). b. The study of the law. tlie instruction and school-teaching of the same pro- (hiced such sense-divisions. These were distinguished from the former, which were merelj' called D'^p'lCS, by the names C^ISS'Li, clauses, sententice, or also "^pi OS n^'O"-. clause sections. To instruct in the dividing of clauses (0^73"^: p^D^S) was a special part of the rab- binical teaching {Nedarim, fol. 37, col. 1); in Berakalh, fol. 62, col. 1, the teacher is said to point it out to his scholars with his right hand; and according to it dis- puted points of the law were settled {Chaf/i/pifi, fol. 6, col. 2). As to the sign of this ilivision which is now found in the Hebrew Bible {:'), it is not seen on the syna- gogue-roll, nor is it mentioned in the Talmud, but is of later origin; and we must conclude it as highly proba- ble that these divisions into verses and periods were not first externally designated, but were merely transmit- ted by oral tradition, as may be seen from the follow- ing (luotation. In Kvldnshiit, fol. 30, col. 1. we read: "Therefore are the ancients called Sopherim because they counted all letters in Holy Writ. Thus they said that the Vav in ""in.l (Lev. xi, 42) is the half of all the letters in the Pentateuch; ^m Tl'"n (x. 16) is tlie middle word; nssmi (xiii, 33), the middle verse;
that Ayin in "1"^"2 (Psa. Ixxx, 14) is the middle letter in the Psalms, and Ixxvii, 38 the middle verse." In the same jiassage we also read that '• tlie Pentateuch con- tains 5888 verses, the Psalms eight more, and Chroni- cles eight less." Now if we compare this number with that given by the ^lasorites, we shall find that the 'I'al- mud counts forty-three verses more than the IVIasorites in the Pentateuch, and this difference can only be ex- (tlained from the statement made by the Talnuid (Babn liathru, tol. 14, col. 2), that Joshua wrote his book and eight verses of the law (Ueut. xxxiv, 5-12); ami the Occidentals, as we read in Kiddushiv, loc. cit., diviilcd E.xod. xix, 9 into three verses. Thus much is certain, that in the time of the Talmud there was a division ac- cording to verses; but what this mark of division was, if tliere were any at all^at least Tr. Sopherim, cli.iii, § 5, is against it — is difficult to point out.
6. Stichoi (nTixoi). — The poetical passages in Exo<l. XV ; Deut. xxxii ; Judg. v ; 2 Sam. xxii, were in the time of the Talmud already written OTixqpwQ (comp. Shab- bath,U)]. 103, ci>].'2,infne; Sopherim, ch. xii). The same may be said of the poetical books, r^iN, i. e. Job, Prov- erbs, Psalms. The Decalogue was also originally writ- ten in ten series (D''l3'^, aTiypi), as is intimated in the Targum on the Song of Songs, v, 13 : " The two tal)les of stone which he gave to his people were written in ten rows (shiltin), resembling the rows or beds (shitting in the garden of balsam." See also Shitta.
7. The Smaller Sections of the Pentateuch. — In our He- brew Bibles, which follow the Masoretic text, the Penta- teuch is divided into Vii!)^)jiarashas, or sections (rT'*il'"iS, nuns), of which 290 are open (mmrs, and dis- tinguished in our Bibles by the initial letter S) and 379 are closed (PTOirO, marked by the initial letter C). Of these parashas mention is made in the Talmud, viz.
1. Taanith, eh. iv, § 3, the history of creation is divided into seven sections, viz. Gen. 1,1^,6-8,9-13, H-Ui, ■20-23, 24-81 ; ii, 1-3.
2. lierakoth, ch. ii, § 2 ; Tavinl, ch. v, § 1 ; Jlenaehoth. ch. iii, 5 7, the sections of the praver and phvhitteries (Exi.d. xiii, 1-13; Deut. vi, 4-9; xi, 13-21; Nunib. xv, 3T-11) aie mentioned.
3. Megillah, ch. iii, § 4-6 (comp. nlso Yoma, ch. vii, § 1 ; So- tah, ch. vii, § 7), the following sections for the Subbaih and festivals are given, viz. : E.xod. xxx, 11-16 ; Dent, xxv, 17- 10; Numb, xix, 1-22: Exod. xii, 1-12; Lev. xxii, 26-;i3 (for the first day of the Passover) ; Dent, xvi, 9-12 (for Pente- cost) ; Lev. xxiii, SH-'i.'i (for New Year) ; xvi, 1-34; xxiii, 26-32 (for the Dav of Atonement) ; Numb, vi, 22-vii,lS (for the Day of Dediciition) ; Exod. xvii, 8-13 (for Pnrim) ; Numb, xxviii, 11-15 (for the new moon) ; Lev. xxvi, 3 sq. ; Deut. xxviii sq. (for the fiist-days).