[Mesorah] Another kleinigkeit

[Zev Sero]

On 2/7/20 11:28 pm, M. Hamm via Mesorah wrote:
> Perhaps not, but /Tanach/ has unusual constructions in His honor. 
> /Minchas Shay /IIRC gives His honor as a reason for the /dagesh/ in "/mi 
> kamocha/" in /Az yashir/; and I *seem* to recall reading somewhere that 
> appearing between two copies of His name is why "/mik'dash/", also in 
> /Az yashir/, has a /dagesh/ "/l'sif'eres/".  So maybe 
> /malach///instead of /mal'ach/, too?

That would make sense if it were the other way around.  If the first 
vowel were a patoch, and the second were *normally* a komatz, it would 
make sense to change it to a patoch for Divine names so it wouldn't 
sound like "mal'och".  But since the word is normally "molach", and 
we're discussing the variant "moloch", the change makes it *closer* to 
"mal'och" rather than more distinct from it.

-- 
Zev Sero            Wishing everyone a *healthy* and happy summer
zev at sero.name       Seek Jerusalem's peace; may all who love you prosper