2414. CONCERNING THE HEBREW LANGUAGE. I have learned from angels that the Hebrew language is of such a character that only the sense of the letter should be attended to, and not the letter; this is confirmed by many things; wherefore, it was also written in the beginning without points. When it is thus read without points, then only the sense is attended to, and hence vowel sounds were formed, as also everyone who is skilled in that language can know. If anyone reads it in the Word, without points, he can never know, unless he follows the sense, what sense is therein, especially in the prophets; the vowels and like adjuncts thrust the sense upon the letter. Further, if they should read many of the same prophetic books without points, they would hence form many [different] senses; and had they attached the vowels, each person according to his own sense, then the letters would have been different by marked by every one, and when the vowels could not have been so marked according to the sense, they would have searched for anomalies in the words, so that still they would have formed the word to suit) their sense; for such is the language that there are many anomalies. Wherefore, it seems to be allowed, lest readers should torture the sense, that each [form the sense] according to his fancy, in that state of human mind which prevails while they are in the body; so that they should pervert the sense variously, everyone according to his genius. Wherefore, it was granted that points might afterwards be attached, which whether they are divinely inspired, may be known to some extent from the prophetic writings, where the sense is understood by no one save the Lord, and those to whom it pleases the Lord to reveal it. - 1748, June 27.