Elementary Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar [5 ed.] 0646949683, 9780646949680

Citation preview

George Athas (Ph.D., Sydney) is Director of Postgraduate Studies at Moore Theological College, Sydney, and lectures in Hebrew and Old Testament. He is the author of The Tel Dan

Inscription: A Reappraisal and a New Interpretation; Deuteronomy: One

Nation

under

God;

and

Stuttgartensia: A Reader's Edition.

co-editor

of

Biblia

Hebraica

Ian M. Young (Ph.D., Sydney) is Professor of Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies at the University of Sydney. He is the coauthor of Linguistic Dating in Biblical Hebrew and author of Diversity in Pre-Exilic Hebrew.

Elementary

BIBLICAL HEBllE An Introductory Grammar Fifth Edition

George Athas Ian M. Young

ANCIENT VESSEL

PRESS

Elementary Biblical Hebrew: An Introductory Grammar. Fifth Edition.

First Printing, 2016. Second Printing, 2017. ISBN-10: 0-646-94968-3 ISBN-13: 978-0-646-94968-0

© 2016, 2017 George Athas. No portion of this material may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

Published by Ancient Vessel Press. Cover design by Sigrid Holscher.

• ANCIENT VESSEL

PRESS

ANCIENT VESSEL PRESS 29 I Jolley Rd, Beverly Hills, NSW Australia. Ph: +61 449758100 [email protected] A.B.N. 62 262 861 886

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

i

Contents Preface

vii

LEARNING UNITS

1

Introduction

2

Unit 1 1.1 1.2

7 7 9

1.3

The Alphabet Introducing Vowels

Verse Divider (Sof Pisiq).......-------.-.---ssssssssssss,sssssssssss,,cc,cs,cs,secs-sssss,,ssssss,,sssssscssss,cs,sssss,sc-cc....,,,,]2

1.4 Petuhah and Setumah 1.5 Greetings Review: Unit 1

13 13 15

Unit 2

18

2.1

Begad Kephat letters.........--------sec.cc,,cs-,cs--secs,cs,secs-s,cc,-cs,cc,,sss,cs,cs---c-cs,s,,ssssssssc-,--cs---ss-cs.cc-....,,,,,18

2.2

Doges

2.3

Gutturals

Furtive Patat, Introducing Sewa ···················· 2.6 Sewa Separating Identical Consonants 2.7 Composite Sewa 2.8 Rule of Sewa 2.9 Stress & Cantillation Marks 2.10 Spelling 2.11 Independent Personal Pronouns Vocabulary: Unit 2 Review: Unit 2

19 20 21 22 23 23 24 25 26 26 28 29

2.4 2.5

Unit 3 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9

."

31 31 32 34 35 35 37 41 41 42

Qame$ l:fatup Matres Lectionis and the Masoretic Text..

Root System Introduction to Nouns The Syllable Standard Nouns Irregular Plurals Noun Makers Weak Consonants

3.10 The Tetragrammaton (i11i1')

:

43

3.11 Collective Nouns Vocabulary: Unit 3 Review: Unit 3

43 44 45

Unit 4

48 .48 .49 50 52 53

4.1 4.2

Segholate Nouns Geminate Nouns

4.3 Contract Nouns Vocabulary: Unit 4 Review: Unit 4 Unit 5 5·1

Conjunction Wow

55 55

ii

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

5.2 5.3

The Definite Article Inseparable Prepositions

5.4

The Preposition

57 60

l~

61

5.5 Independent Prepositions Vocabulary: Unit Review: Unit 5

62 64 65

UnitG 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4

67 67 68 69 70 70 73 75 77 77 78 81 81 82 83

The Hebrew Verb 5ystem The Characteristics of Hebrew Verbs Key Principles: Verbs Strong and Weak Roots 6.5 Verbal Mode 6.6 Qatal Conjugation 6.7 Verb Stems (Binyanim) 6.8 Parsing Verbs 6.9 Parsing the Qata!Verb 6.10 Qal Qatal (Strong Verb) 6.11 Lexical Forms 6.12 Direction Definite Object Marker Vocabulary: Unit 6 Review: Unit 6 Advanced Information: Qatal Unit 7 7.1 7.2

7.3 7.4

:····················································································86

Yiqtol Conjugation Parsing the Yiqtol Verb Qal Yiqtol (Strong) Clauses

:

87 87 89 90 92

7.5 The Predicate Verb vi1~i1 Vocabulary: Unit 7 Review: Unit 7 Advanced Information: Yiqtol

93 95 96 100

Unit 8 8.2 Qal Wayyiqtol 8.3 Paragogic Nim 8.4 Introducing Singular Pronominal Suffixes with Nouns 8.5 Sight Words l Vocabulary: Unit 8 Review: Unit 8 Advanced Information: Wayyiqtol

101 101 103 105 105 106 107 108 112

Unit 9 9.1 9.2 9.3

115 115 117 119

8.1

Wayyiqtol Conjugation

Weqatal Conjugation Qal Weqatal (strong) More Singular Pronominal Suffixes with Nouns

9.4

Singular Pronominal Suffixes with I8 (DDOM) ....................................0...........................................121

9.5

Introducing Pronominal Suffixes with .2 and

9.6 Sight Words 2 Vocabulary: Unit 9 Review: Unit 9 Advanced Information: Weqatal

7

122 122 124 125 129

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

iii

Unit 10 10.1 Construct State 10.2 Interrogatives 10.3 Keti/J Qere 10.4 'Jerusalem' Vocabulary: Unit 10 Review: Unit 9

131 131 136 139 139 141 142

Unit 11 11.1 Plural Pronominal Suffixes on Singular Nouns 11.2 Pronominal Suffixes on Plural Nouns 11.3 Pronominal Suffixes on Prepositions 11.4 Pronominal Object Suffixes on Verbs 11.5 Pronominal Suffix Key Vocabulary: Unit ll Review: Unit ll

146 146 148 149 152 154 156 157

Unit 12 12.1 Relative Pronouns 12.2 Adjectives 12.3 Comparative Adjectival Phrases 12.4 Demonstrative Pronouns 12.5 Idioms for Reciprocal Persons Vocabulary: Unit 12 Review: Unit 12

161 161 162 166 166 168 169 170

Unit 13 13.1 I-Nun Roots 13.2 Niphal Stem 13.3 Idiomatic Phrases Vocabulary: Unit 13 Review: Unit 13

173 173 175 178 179 180

Unit 14 14.1 Hithpael Stem Vocabulary: Unit 14 Review: Unit 14

184 184 189 190

Unit 15 15.1 Piel and Pua/ Stems 15.2 Qenemlui Rule 15.3 Sight Words 3 15.4 Idiomatic Phrases 2 Vocabulary: Unit 15 Review: Unit 15

193 193 197 198 198 199 200

Unit 16 16.1 16.2

203 203 207 208 209

16.4

Hiphil and Hophal Stems Locative He Particles of Existence and Absence Idiomatic Phrases of Ownership

16.5

Presentative Particle 737l/177 ..............6......666666.666.66.6336366.2..66366633...36.366.6.66.....66..6.....6.63......................209

16.3

16.6 Sight Words 4 Vocabulary: Unit 16 Review: Unit 16

210 211 212

Iv

Elem entary Biblica l Hebrew

U n1·t 17 17 1

.

17.2

. Vol·,t·1ve Verbs

························································································································ i1 T-

215 215

Volitive Suffix (Emphatic He):

215

17.3 Jussives 17.4 Cohortatives 17.5 Imperatives 17.6 Emphatic lmperatival Subject 17.7 Negation 17.8 Particle of Urgency 17.9 SightWords5 Vocabulary: Unit 17 Review: Unit 17

215 218 220 223 223 224 225 226 227

Unit 18 18.1 Participles 18.2 Nominal Participles 18.3 Sight Words 6 18.4 Introducing Numbers: One and Two Vocabulary: Unit 18 Review: Unit 18

231 231 235 235 235 238 239

Unit 19 19.1 lnfinitives 19.2 Uses of the Infinitive Absolute 19.3 Uses of the Infinitive Construct 19.4 Negation of lnfinitives 19.5 Sight Words 7 Vocabulary: Unit 19 Review: Unit 19

243 243 245 246 248 249 250 251

Unit 20 20.1 20.2 20.3

255 255 255 257

Weak Roots 1-Waw & 1-Yog Roots The Verb v7',;,

vl:i~,

20.4

The Verb

20.5 20.6

Hollow Roots (II-Wow & 11-Yog) Non-Hollow 11-Waw /Yog Roots

20.7

The Verb v~1:l

257 258 259 259

Vocabulary: Unit 20 Review: Unit 20 Unit 21

21.1

'.

Guttural Roots

21.2

I-Guttural Roots

21.3

I-'Aleph Roots

21.4 Smooth and Disruptive Syntax Vocabulary: Unit 21 Review: Unit 21 Unit 22 22.1

22.2

260 261

Ill-He Roots

Geminate Roots

22.3 Ill- 'Aleph Roots Vocabulary: Unit 22 Review: Unit 22

265 265 265 266 266 269 270 273 273 275 275 276 277

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Unit 23 23.1

v

280 Conjunction'~

23.2 Cardinal Numbers 23.3 Ordinal Numbers

280 282 285

Vocabulary: Unit 23

286

Review: Unit 23

287

Unit 24

289

24.1

Gentilics

24.2

Irregular Verbal Stems

24.3 Hishtaphel Stem

289 290 291

Vocabulary: Unit 24

292

Review: Unit 24

292

Unit 25

294

25.1

Hebrew Poetry

REFERENCE & TOOLS

294

297

Verb Stem (Binyan) Summary . .'

299

Strong Verb Master Key

300

Checklist for Missing Root Consonants

302

Code Breaker for Suffix Verbs

302

Code Breaker for Prefix Verbs

305

Code Breaker for Peculiar Verbs Using Biblical Hebrew Lexicons

313 315

Glossary of Common Terms Difficulty Level of Biblical Texts

318 329

WORD BANK

331

VERB CHARTS

375

vi

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

vii

Preface

This book is first and foremost an introductory grammar for Biblical Hebrew. It aims to provide enough information and valuable tips for the beginner to understand and use the foundational concepts of Biblical Hebrew. As such, this book is not a reference grammar, although it provides certain reference tools. It does not always go into the intricate details of every aspect of Biblical Hebrew (if that is at all possible). It only goes into the minutiae when we believe it is helpful for grasping the basics. In the past, we have found that many an introductory Hebrew textbook has aimed to be both an introductory grammar and a reference grammar, and unfortunately fulfilled neither purpose well. Reference grammars which try to explain all the grammatical intricacies of Biblical Hebrew often confuse beginning students, overburden them with information unnecessary at the beginner level, or even frighten them off altogether. On the flip side, some introductory grammars end up teaching a form of Hebrew which does not accurately reflect the language students will encounter in a real Biblical text. This has led us to produce a book that aims to be faithful to the language of the actual Biblical texts, but also present grammar in a form palatable for beginners. Thus, the material has not been arranged in a systematic way that would necessarily allow for easy reference. Rather, the material is ordered in a way that befits learning Biblical Hebrew in an intuitive way. We have found that the sooner a student is able to get into verbs, the better it is for them since it equips them with the most fundamental aspect of the language-especially since Hebrew verbs work so differently to English (or Greek!) verbs. This then allows students to get a feel for Biblical texts. It is paramount, therefore, that this grammar is read alongside passages from the Hebrew Bible. Some good texts for beginning students include Genesis 3, 22, and 37; Joshua 2; and Ruth. We have found that these particular texts demonstrate the basics of Biblical Hebrew in a simple, manageable and enjoyable manner. Interaction with Biblical texts is strongly recommended. Learning grammar in isolation to a real text can be a frustrating and unrewarding process. Why learn to 'fly' Biblical Hebrew but never actually take to the skies and view the marvellous vistas of Biblical Hebrew literature? We believe that learning occurs best when the student can enjoy the 'view' at the same time. Each unit of the book contains grammatical information, vocabulary and a review (except for Unit 25). In addition, there are various reference tools at the back of the book which the student may use to aid learning or to refer to when encountering a difficult issue. While there is plenty of Bible software available these days that may provide students with all the information they want with one easy move of a mouse, relying on such software is actually counterproductive for learning the language. It can quickly lull students into a false sense of security, such that they may think they know Hebrew because they can interpret the information the software provides, but in fact all the student is really doing is mastering the software rather than the language. There is no simple way around the fact that learning Biblical Hebrew requires coming to grips with some basic skills, especially parsing verbs. The unit reviews and reference tools in this book are designed to get students developing and honing these skills so that they are actually learning the language itself.

viii

Elementary Bibllcal Hebrew

;. idt ±ttie Those structuring courses based on this book might also like like to consider setting

translation assignments

separate to the suggested set texts from Genesis. It is wise to set such assignments for the latter part of the

course. Texts which have worked well for us include Exodus 3.1-14 and Jeremiah 36.1-8 for prose, or 2 Samuel 1.17-27 and Isaiah 56.1-8 for poetry. The approach to the Hebrew verbal system used in this book follows Verbal Mode (alternatively known as verb

modality). Many other grammars and syntaxes on the market, however, do not use this modal approach. There may, therefore, be differences in terminology between what one encounters in this book and other resources. We have therefore tried to make readers aware of the more traditional terminology used in other resources at cogent point. This will need to be borne in mind when moving on to a more intermediate-level resource for grammar and syntax. Finally, this book is a work in progress which is reviewed regularly for new editions. This is why the book is now in the second printing of its fifth edition! This particular edition includes many corrections and minor improvements on the fourth edition, as well as a slightly more simplified approach to verbs, which also reflects the very latest research at the time of publication. The second printing of this edition also makes some corrections and provides more consistency in terminology. Any feedback is most welcome, and can be directed to the email address given below. Our thanks go to the many instructors and students who have utilised this book and made suggestions for improvements. Particular mention goes to Nathan Lovell, Jordan Pickering, Dan Wu, and Lionel Windsor. We trust that you will find this book useful for your pursuits in Biblical Hebrew.

George Athas Ian M. Young Sydney, February 2017

Feedback can be sent to George Athas via email ([email protected]).

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Learning Units

1

2

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Introduction

About This Book This book is primarily a learning grammar which aims to introduce people to the basics of Biblical Hebrew. As such, it aims to present information in a way which facilitates the easy acquisition of concepts, rather than just list information for pure reference (though, to some extent that is unavoidable). Below is an explanation of some of the most important features of this book.

Key Principles In order to make the acquisition of Hebrew's grammatical concepts easier, we have included tables called 'Key Principles'. These tables aim to show the most essential points of a particular concept which students should concentrate on learning. The key principles usually try to tap into the grammatical 'logic' that lies behind many grammatical rules which might otherwise be difficult to understand or acquire. So learning the key principles should make learning the more detailed rules a little easier. Below is an example of what a Key Principles table looks like.

■

Key Principles: GUTTURALS

1.

Gutturals prefer to come after A-class vowels

2.

Gutturals cannot take a dages.

3.

Gutturals cannot take a vocal seiwa. Instead, they take a composite seiwa (see $2.7)

Examples It is difficult to learn grammatical concepts when there are few examples to illustrate them. We have tried to employ sufficient examples which show the way words are formed (morphology), as well as provide examples from actual biblical texts. When biblical texts are used to illustrate a particular concept, they are set out with the beginner in mind, rather than the experienced Hebrew scholar. As such, you will find the following schema being used when biblical examples are given:

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

3

r---------------------, Leviticus 11.43

The Reference: This shows the book, chapter, and verse

I

I from which the example is taken. The Hebrew Text: This gives you the Hebrew text of the example. Where possible, the relevant item being I illustrated is highlighted.

(by them) (you will make yourselves unclean) (and not) eW4W

And you are not to contaminate yourselves with them ... (Note assimilation into dental consonant D)

r---------------------

[ Word-for-Word (@W4W): This line gives a very literal translation of each word of the Hebrew text above it. Each Hebrew word is signified by a set of closed parentheses () The arrow Indicates that the sets should be read from right to left. The objective here is to allow a beginner to understand each Hebrew word and to get a feel of how Hebrew words interact to convey meaning together.

r--- - - --- - -- -- - - - - --1 Extra Notes: Here you will find notes which might I I give further clarification. Not all examples will I I include extra notes. I

~-------------------

Translation: This line gives a more polished translation of the Hebrew, utilising normal English expression. The difference between this translation and the @W4W line above it highlights the difference between Hebrew and English expression. It thus provides a bridge by which the beginner may appreciate that translation is not merely about assigning English values to individual Hebrew words, but about conveying the expression and ideas of Hebrew into the expression and ideas of English.

I

L--------------------~ Verbs This book also aims to get beginners into reading biblical texts as soon as possible. This not only explains the use of biblical examples to illustrate grammatical concepts, but also the introduction of the Hebrew verbal system at an early point (Unit 6). Verbs are the 'engine room' of language, and Hebrew is no exception. There is, however, considerable debate about the Hebrew verbal system; scholars and grammarians are still trying to appreciate it fully, and probably will be for years to come. Any understanding of Hebrew verbs is, therefore, provisional. The model we offer in this book aims not so much to cover every intricacy of Hebrew verbs, but rather to provide a tool with which to appreciate the way Hebrew expresses itself, and so be able to begin exploring biblical texts.

Vocabulary At the end of most units, you will find a vocabulary list. These lists give the most common vocabulary of biblical Hebrew, and are usually related to the grammatical concepts just encountered in the unit itself. They also give some less common words which you will encounter in the biblical texts that are provided at the back of the book. These texts represent basic excerpts from the Hebrew Bible for beginners to explore, and which will demonstrate some of the most common grammatical features found in Biblical Hebrew. We have also provided a Hebrew-to-English and English-to-Hebrew index for quick reference.

Unit Reviews Most units also include a unit review at the end. These reviews seek to consolidate the beginner's knowledge of the grammatical concepts encountered within the unit itself.

4

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Studying Hebrew It is also worth making some preliminary remarks about studying Hebrew. If you have ever taken a look at a Hebrew Bible, then you may be quite daunted at learning a language that looks (and sounds) so foreign. This is only natural. Learning a new language is always a daunting task. Being unable to communicate is a frightening predicament and this is what you initially feel when you begin to learn any language for the first time. And Hebrew looks like a particularly wild language to tame. However, as with any language, you will grow more and more comfortable with Hebrew the more you see, hear, and use it. It may seem hard to believe at this stage, but you will get used to Hebrew. However, this requires a concerted commitment on your part to devote time and energy into studying the language. If you do not spend the time in studying Hebrew, then Hebrew will simply get more and more daunting, leaving you depressed, pessimistic about the language, and frightened by the prospect of assignments and exams. On the other hand, dedicating time and effort into studying Hebrew will yield considerable rewards. One of the great things about Hebrew is that you do not need many 'keys' to unlock all its 'doors'. To begin with, though, grappling with the 'keys' is hard and requires plenty of practice. With time and regular effort, however, you will begin to master them. You will also find that there are a number of foreign (and weird sounding) terms that you will have to get used to. Again, practice makes perfect. One of the best ways to get used to Hebrew is simply to read it. Initially you will not understand what you are reading, and it will be a painstaking task just pronouncing it. However, the more you look at Hebrew and the more you pronounce it, the easier it will be to get a good handle on the language. This will help you get used to how Hebrew looks and feels. The more you read, the quicker you will become comfortable with Hebrew. So, read and read some more, even though you don't know what you are reading. Remember, you cannot 'cram' a language. This means that you must put in regular study each week (preferably a little each day) in order to get on top of Hebrew. If you do not, then you will reap the consequences. Think of learning Hebrew as learning to drive a manual car for the first time. Things will be rough and jittery to begin with, but if you practise regularly, you will eventually get the hang of it and things will begin to get smoother. But if you don't keep up regular practise, you will keep stalling, losing momentum, and you won't get anywhere.

Where did Hebrew come from? The Hebrew you will study in this book is known as 'Biblical Hebrew' for the obvious reason that it is the Hebrew you find on the pages of the Hebrew Bible. Before you begin your ventures into Biblical Hebrew, it is worth putting the language into its historical and linguistic context. Hebrew is a Semitic language. This means it is related to a broad group of languages which were (and still are) found in what today we call the Middle East. When referring to the ancient world of the Middle East, most scholars use the label 'Ancient Near East' (often abbreviated to ANE). Semitic languages are divided into three main branches: (1) Northeast Semitic; (2) Northwest Semitic; and (3) South Semitic. The following diagram gives you an indication of some of the ancient languages belonging to these three branches:

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

5

up and across; down => up and across (as below).

2.

Words generally start with consonants. It is only possible for one particular vowel (suriq) to start a word. Otherwise, assume that a word will not start with a vowel, but with a consonant.

3.

You will never find a vowel sitting on its own without a consonant; a vowel must always be attached to a consonant. You will, however, often find a consonant without a vowel beneath it, especially at the end of a word. This simply means there is no vowel sound to pronounce after that consonant.

4.

Also, you will never have two vowels next to each other; they must always be separated by a consonant. Another way to state this is that syllables can only ever be of the type consonant-vowel (Cv) or consonant-vowel-consonant (CvC). There is one 'sneaky' exception to this rule, but we will note that when we come across it. For now, take it for granted that you can never have two or more vowels in a row.

5.

1.3

A long vowel will end a syllable unless it is in the accented syllable (usually the final syllable of a word).

Verse Divider (Sof Pasuq)

A glance at a Hebrew Bible will show that the end of each verse is marked by two large dots (:), It is easy to think of this as the Hebrew equivalent of a period or full-stop. However, it isn't. It merely signals the end of a

verse reference, not the end of a sentence. In fact, the Hebrew name for this verse divider is sof pasiq, which means 'end of a verse', and was used by scribes to help them count the number of verses in a book. It just so happens that most verses in the Bible do end at a period or full-stop, but this is determined from the context, not from punctuation. Sometimes a sentence will span more than one verse, in which case the verse divider

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

13

will occur in mid-sentence. Treat it the same way you would a verse or chapter number in an English version helpful for reference, but not integral (nor even original) to the text. Hebrew does not have proper punctuation, so the verse divider cannot be used as a punctuation sign. Instead, Hebrew has cantillation marks which are used for the liturgical chanting of the text. These appear as dots, lines, and squiggles around the consonants and vowels. The example below contains instances of verse dividers at the end of sentences, as well as in the middle of sentences. Example Exodus 1.1--6

·3'7 pie" 12187?:12 i73»y 5p2 n719732 3n7 58: 93 him7')' 27 77 Ny" #) 72 171®:7] 711 17 :142151 15157 72"°:777w :177n 717n 5p21 1rs 221 -j1 1®:"735 7757 pi} p) pp

1.4

Petuhah and Setumah

A glance at a page of the Hebrew Bible shows that at certain points you will find a solitary pe (E) or samel5 (0) in the midst of the text. These are actually abbreviations. The pe stands for petuhah ('open') and the same[5 stands for setumah (shut). These are not original to the text, but were inserted into the text at a much later point by the Masoretes (the inventors of the vowel notation system). The petuhah indicates the end of a major section, almost like the end of a chapter. The setumah indicates the end of a smaller section, a bit like a paragraph ending. These breaks guided Jewish readers in the synagogue by breaking the text up into sections before the invention of the chapters and verses that guide most readers today. They need not affect your reading or translation of texts.

1.5

Greetings

One of the best ways to learn any language is to begin to internalise it through saying things. Although the Hebrew Bible is our primary text of study and most will have no need to hold a conversation in Biblical Hebrew, it helps the learning process to begin speaking and reading the language from an early point. Below are some phrases you can use to begin this process.

Hello!

.

~

(lit: 'Peace!' or 'Welfare!')

71 7p72

Good morning!

mi'y 7u

How are you?

(addressed to a male; lit: 'What is your welfare?')

14

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

7iy 7w

How are you? (addressed to a female; lit: 'What is your welfare?')

2i 1i'5

I'm going well. (lit: 'My welfare is good.')

ii •

T

i1!:li~ ,.:,)~ T • T

I am good. (male's response) I am good. (female's response)

°TJT?t?J-;,~

What is your name? (addressed to a male)

7~~-;,~

What is your name? (addressed to a female)

____,~~

My name is

_

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Review: Unit 1 1.

How many consonants are there in the Hebrew alphabet?

2.

Write out the Hebrew alphabet in its order. Keep writing it out until you are confident with the alphabet.

3.

How many consonants have a final form? Which consonants are they? Write out the final forms.

4.

Which consonant has two standard forms?

5.

How many classes of vowel does Hebrew have? What are they?

6.

Write out the Hebrew vowels. For each one, state its class and its length.

7.

Does a long vowel always end a syllable?

8.

Match these Hebrew names to their English equivalents.

777

(1)

(a)

Israel

C:: 11.:J~

(2)

(b)

Zephaniah

77

(3)

(cl

Abraham

'5yip"

(a)

(d)

Joseph

7111;

(s)

(e)

David

□i11:l~

(6)

(f)

Ezra

7gi»

(n

(g)

Solomon

7

(e)

(h)

Amos

mi~

(9J

(i)

Abram

i1~JE:)~

(10)

(j)

Nehemiah

711pt T : - :

(11)

(kl

Jonah

·pi

(12)

(l)

Zechariah

pb37

s)

(ml

Samuel

oi~s,

(14J

(n)

Judah

'7:2y

(us)

(o)

Zebulun

;,rS?if)

(16l

(pl

Moses

•

T ;

=

T

••

:

T :

T :

T

T

•

•: :

T :

-

T

T;=

;

T

15

16

9.

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Transliterate the following Hebrew words.

a.

l;,~itl)'I •• T: •

b.

010

c. 7ii d. 8T e.

:li~

f.

1TJ?~

g.

j2

h.

7i:

i.

o:m

j.

7i

k.

~~~

I.

i,?~

T

T

T

m. n n. 127r T

; •

10. Write the following transliterations into Hebrew.

a. peh b. C.

es niif)i'

d. sem e.

biiqiir

f.

niibiis

g.

l6him

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

h.

huqqot

i.

sarim

j.

lebab

17

11. Attempt to write your own name in Hebrew, and the names of some of your family and friends.

12. Practise saying the following phrases, filling in the gaps with the necessary information. Find someone with whom you can practise. -a.

'xv

Hello! (lit: 'Peace!' or 'Welfare!')

T

K

:ii~ ,p:i

b.

Good morning!

7is 7 7w 7

C.

d.

How are you?

(addressed to a male; lit: 'What is your welfare?')

How are you?

(addressed to a female; lit: 'What is your welfare?')

e.

wy

f.

2i J8

I

am good.

(male's response)

g.

7i2 i

I

am good.

(female's response)

h.

~~t(;i-;,~

What is your name?

(addressed to a male)

i.

7w 7w

What is your name?

(addressed to a female)

I'm

T

T

T

'~~

j.

going well.

(lit: 'My welfare is good.')

My name is

13. Read through Genesis 1.1-8. Read slowly, and read syllable by syllable. Do not try to rush the words or pronounce each word in one go. Rather, learn to read in the zigzag manner that Hebrew requires. (If you simply try to read straight across the words, as in English, you may find yourself stuttering constantly).

Genesis 1.1-8

5y gr 1± inh 7r77 rm7?:77877 nN] 23977 y 5y 87 mN7 ' : ;i~-,;,,, ii~ 'i1' tl'i1·,~ ;~~~, 3 : tl'~i1 ')El-Ss, n5:ln;~ o,;;·t,~ ni;, oi;,n 'm ~'li?~J s : 1~~iJ r?., ii~ij l'P. ti'~-t,~ SJ=?:J :i;tp-,~ ;;~v-n~ tl'fft,~ ~7.:J 4 i~~~J 6 5:l : 1Q~ t:li~ ip~-'0;~ :i7}r'0;~ i17:~ ~18 1~~71 tli~ ';i~7 ltl';:J·t,~ P'Plv-n~ □'::6~ tl.'~:J 7 : ti~~? ti:r~ l'P. S'7=?~ 'D'1 ti:~0 7it:;9 P'i?.l 'i:1; c:r~·t,~ ~Ji?~J 8 : p-'0;~ P'8l7 tl:~;:t l'?.1 P'Pl? non~ ';~~ b:'TP;:t r# Si=?:J 5:l : 't-~ tii~ 1p~-'0;~ :i7;r'0;~ ti:9~ P'i?.l~ tl'fft,~ I

•

: 1-

/,.

.J' :

\'

'."!

'.'

J -

'P-~~ ;~~

• IT -

J"':

-

'." \".'

- :

•

•::

-

.J:

,._

:

.J'':

18

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Unit 2

2.1

Begad K@pat Consonants

The consonants 22, 1, 1, D, E and n are known as begad kepo[ letters (the term is an acronym of the consonants themselves). Historically, these six letters changed their pronunciation if they had a dages (a dot) in them. This dages is known as a dages lene (see §2.2 below). For most speakers of Modern Hebrew, though, the dages lene only affects the pronunciation of three consonants (D2, D2 and 5:l). This concept is similar to the way the English letters 'c' and 'g' work. In the word 'circle', the letter 'c' has two different pronunciations (the first is an 's' sound, while the other is a 'k' sound). Similarly, the words 'get' and 'gem' show two different pronunciations of 'g'. While there is no immediate indication as to how to pronounce these letters, Hebrew places a dages lene in its letters to mark the change in pronunciation. Generally speaking, the presence of a doges Jene makes a beijad kepoJ letter sound harder.

~

b

::i

V

~

g

)

g or g

}

d

i

d or d (hard th)

5

k

.:,

Is

r

p

r

f

.n

t

Ii

t or t (soft th)

Ordinarily, a begad kepat letter will lose its dages lene if it is directly preceded in pronunciation by a vowel sound, even in the previous word. Otherwise, it will retain the doges Jene. Note, a consonant might precede the dages lene in writing, but not in sound (see examples below). Also, occasionally the cantillation (the way the text is sung; see §2.9) forces a begad kepat letter to retain its doges Jene when it would otherwise lose it.

Examples

127 T T

There are two begad kepat letters here: T and :l. The initial T is not preceded by anything, so it retains its doges Jene. However, the ::i is preceded by a vowel sound (qames vowel), so it loses its doges Jene.

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

19

There are three begad kepat letters here: 2, I and :i. The initial 22 is not preceded by anything, so it retains its doges lene. Then, though, is preceded by a vowel sound in pronunciation. Even though' sits in front of it, the 'is silent as it comes after an I-class vowel; it is there to help pronounce the sere vowel. So, since there is a vowel sound before the

n,

it loses its doges lene. The second

word, beginning with D2, is preceded by I from the previous word. Thus, there is no vowel sound before it and so it retains its doges lene.

2.2

Dages

The doges is a dot placed inside a letter. There are two types of doges, each with a different function.

2.2.1

Dages Lene

Dages lene ('weak' dages) is used with the six begad kepat consonants (see $2.1 above). The dages lene can be found at any position in a word because beijod kepot consonants can be found at any position in a word. Thus, if you have a beijod kepot letter in a word, you might also have a doges lene with it (depending, of course, on the surrounding vocal conditions; see 52.1).

2.2.2

Dages Forte

Doges forte ('strong' dages) can be used with any non-guttural consonant (see §2.3 for details about gutturals) and acts as a doubling dot. Rather than write a consonant twice, Hebrew simply inserts a doges forte to double the consonant. As in English, a double consonant ends one syllable and begins a new one. So, whenever you see doges forte, you know that a new syllable has begun. A begad kepat letter may take a doges forte for grammatical reasons. You will be able to recognise it as such because the doges would otherwise seem to break the begad kepat rules. That is, a da@es in a be@ad kepat letter that is preceded by a vowel sound must be a doges forte (not a doges lene). Ironically, however, although the doges forte is 'strong', there are some places where it fears to tread. Hebrew never begins or ends a word with a doubled consonant. As such, you will not find a dages forte in either the first or last consonant of a word. The only seeming exception to this comes at the beginning of the second part of a hyphenated word (e.g. the nun in i1~~~-i1'?)- The reason Hebrew allows this exception is that Hebrew views hyphenated words essentially as one long word, and so does not consider the beginning of the second word to be the beginning of a word at all. You might like to remember this by thinking of the first and last consonants of a word as 'kryptonite' to the dages forte. If you find a doges in the first or last consonants of a word, you can be sure that it will be a dages lene.

2.2.3

Examples

Here are some examples to illustrate how both the dages lene and doges forte function:

20

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

78 T

•

is3ah The consonant sin is a non-guttural consonant and is not a begad kepat consonant. Therefore, the presence of a doges in it must be a doges forte, acting to double the sin.

7 T

•••

sukkah The consonant kap is a begad kepot consonant. It is preceded by a vowel sound (qibbus), so the doges inside the kap cannot be a dages lene. Therefore, it must be a doges forte, acting to double the kap. Also, since the kap contains a doges, it will retain its k sound (as opposed to the Is [kh] sound).

7!

iwwer This word appears to have three vowels in a row: a IJireq, a surOq, and a sere. This, however, is impossible because Hebrew cannot have two or more vowels in a row. As such, the suriq must be the consonant wow with a dagesh fortein other words, a double wow. This double wow keeps the vowels hireq and sere apart.

Some extra points to remember about doges:

2.3

•

There is no limit to the number of dages's you will get in any given word. Some words have none, while others have one or two. It is extremely rare to get more than that,

•

The doges forte is a very important grammatical item, as you will realise when you begin to learn verbs. It gives you certain essential clues about the word in which it is found. You can remember this maxim for future use: Each dages forte is a fingerprint with which you can trace the identity of a verb.

Gutturals

A guttural is a consonant that is pronounced in the throat. There are four guttural consonants in Hebrew: 8, 71, n and D. The consonant circumstances, it acts like a guttural, but it is not classified as a guttural.

) thinks

it is a guttural! In certain

The following is a list of key principles governing gutturals. You must learn these.

1

In Biblical Hebrew,

res seems to

have been pronounced as a rolled 'r', similar to the way 'r' is rolled in Italian. However, in

Modern Hebrew, the res is pronounced gutturally, much like the French 'r' today.

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

II]

21

Key Principles: GUTTURALS

1.

Gutturals prefer to come after A-class vowels

2.

Gutturals cannot take a doges.

3.

Gutturals cannot take a vocal sewa. Instead, they take a composite sewa (see §2.7)

The third key principle above implies that gutturals can take silent sewa. However, only l)et and 'ayin are able to take a silent sewa. The others ('aleph and he) follow other patterns that we will eventually come across.

2.4

Furtive Patah

You will sometimes find that a word seems to end with a patah vowel. In such cases, the patah will always be attached to a guttural consonant (except for aleph). When this happens, the patah is to be read before the guttural, not after. This is called the furtive ('sneaky') patah. It is 'sneaky' because it really should not be there; it is smuggled in as a concession for pronunciation. For this reason, the furtive patah has no real grammatical value; it adds nothing to the meaning of a word, and is there only to make the final guttural easier to pronounce. It is the only time in which Hebrew allows two vowels in

a row.

Examples

Ti

noah

7y1

riah

y7'

yodea

Note: It is possible for a Hebrew word to end with a qames vowel. In this case, you read the word as expected. Thus, 77'73 is pronounced ilehd. Only when the word seems to end with a guttural and patah does the normal reading order change to accommodate the furtive patah.

2 You will sometimes find that a

furtive patah has been moved slightly to the right of where a normal patah would sit, in

order to Indicate it as furtive. However, not all Hebrew fonts print the furtive patah in this way.

22

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Introducing Sewa

2.5

The sewa consists of two dots arranged vertically. It is like a vowel in that it is placed beneath consonants, and is often bundled together for consideration with vowels. However, the sewa is a pseudo-vowel, for it marks the absence of a proper vowel. Sewa is transliterated in a variety of ways. It usually appears either as e (as, for example, in the transliterated word le

ninipp

⇒

r,;r.,;p~

places

an elder

==>

pa

⇒

p]

elders

a heart

⇒

rli:::l.:l?*

⇒

mi22

hearts

⇒

:»

clouds

T

c~:i:is,*

⇒

a cloud

Notice how in the last example above,

••

·TT

T

:

"T={

1~~ (cloud), the propretonic qames is reduced to a composite sewa. This

is to be expected, since it is under the guttural consonant, 'iyin, which cannot take a simple vocal sewa (§2.3;

2.7). When reading a biblical text, the vowel reduction has obviously already taken place. As such, if you want to trace the original 'unreduced' word (ie. the singular form), you will have to use the procedure given above in reverse. Now that we have seen why and how vowel reduction works, here is a fuller table demonstrating the declension of standard nouns (both monosyllabic and polysyllabic). Since the dual forms are less common and used mainly for items occurring naturally in pairs, its declension is given only once.

Standard Noun Declension Masculine

Feminine

sg.

horse

di

two horses

two mares

pl.

horses

mares

Masculine sg.

7P=

pl.

" 77

ox oxen

7oo T

mare

Feminine

712 T ••:

pool pools

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

3.7

41

Irregular Plurals

There are many Hebrew words that have irregular plurals-that is, they defy the regular declension in some way (as mentioned above). Some of these words happen to be the most common in Hebrew, so you should know these. They may be irregular because the plural looks fundamentally different to the singular, or because they appear to change gender declension (though the gender of the noun itself does not inherently change).

Plural

Gender

Singular

man

m.

DU

woman

f

zu:

women

father

m.

ni.::i~

fathers

house

m,

c:rn::i

houses

son

m.

c:r:i::i

sons

n.;i

daughter

f

1i

daughters

pi

day

m.

r

days

7

town

f

l:J'\jS,

rp

name

m.

miry

~~~

7E's T

•

x T

. T-:

•

T


°.nr in 771

7¥p2» yn y 117 p ri 11'':1712 15 mr 557 722 rT; s'7 : c:in·',~~ iO:l:,., i t:Jl.'ii IT

:

•

l

:

- : 1-

T

1"

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

67

Unit 6

6.1

The Hebrew Verb System

Verbs are the heart of the Hebrew language. Yet the Biblical Hebrew verb system is the most debated feature of the language. The reason for this comes down to a simple fact: Biblical Hebrew is a Semitic language and, therefore, is not part of the Inda-European family of languages. This means that the Biblical Hebrew verb system is quite different to the verb systems of English and other European languages. Grammarians have devised numerous theories about Biblical Hebrew verbs, most coming from European perspectives of grammar. These theories have all grappled studiously with the puzzling features of Biblical Hebrew verbs. Yet, while European categories of grammar do overlap significantly with Biblical Hebrew categories, there is a clear disjunction when it comes to verbs. Biblical Hebrew verbs would not have posed any problems for its ancient users. Native speakers of any language very rarely recall grammatical rules before expressing themselves, for the language comes to them naturally. Their very thought processes are framed by the language. This means that any type of grammar is inevitably a later and artificial construct. Language precedes grammar, not vice versa. The point is demonstrated by the fact that while Hebrew goes back at least to the early Iron Age (1200-1000 sct), the first genuine Hebrew grammar known to have been written was produced around two thousand years later (late 9 century c) by Yehudah ibn-Koreish in the area of Morocco. Unfortunately, Yehudah ibn-Koreish's grammatical works are now lost to us. The earliest extant grammar is that of Saadia Gaon (10" century CE). Yet, while grammar is inevitably an artificial construct, it is a most valuable construct for non-native users. It presents the foreigner with a snapshot of the language's logic. Since this is an abstract rather than concrete logic, it can be quite difficult to grasp. The Biblical Hebrew verb system is a case in point. Our approach to the system in this grammar is, of course, as artificial as any other approach. Yet, while it is unlikely that the ancients actually thought in the exact categories we present here, we believe that the verbal mode approach is an advance on previous configurations, taking us at least one step closer to the ancient mind-set. Caution is, of course, advised. Our only linguistic connection with the ancients is their extant literary works; we have precious little else to go by. Thus, we must be open to refinement and even reconfiguration. The importance of such refinement or reconfiguration is twofold. Firstly, verbs are arguably the most important feature of any language. For Biblical Hebrew, the intricate information gleaned by parsing any given verb highlights how seminal any verb is to understanding any situation in a given text. Secondly, Biblical Hebrew is the language of the Hebrew Bible. This may seem an asinine point to make, but it is the importance of the Hebrew Bible which lends importance to the task of deriving an adequate understanding of Biblical Hebrew verbs. The Hebrew Bible has authoritative status for the millions of people who hold it to be the word of God. Understanding the Hebrew Bible, therefore, is of critical importance for them. Furthermore, beyond these millions stand yet more millions who, while not holding to any notion of Biblical authority, still recognise the Bible's historical, cultural and literary value. Understanding the Hebrew verb system is therefore of great significance.

68

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

6.1.1

The Difference between English and Biblical Hebrew Verbs

The essential difference between English verbs and Biblical Hebrew verbs has to do with narrative perspective. When an English speaker conveys a story, they usually retain their perspective in the present time, and refer to the events of their story accordingly. The listener/reader is thereby invited to stand with the author in the present to view the story. In this way, tense becomes a governing factor for verb use. Thus, a story about the past is generally told in the past tense. In Biblical Hebrew, however, the author transports the listener/reader into the very story they are relating, inviting them to become almost an eyewitness of the events in the story. As the listener/reader experiences the story, they are beckoned to follow the action dynamically, rather than observe it passively from the present. In this scheme, tense is of little importance, and is merely a by-product of the narrative perspective, rather than a governing concept. An analogy may help to illustrate the difference. Imagine a theatre with a stage for the actors and seats for the audience in front of the stage. The English verb system invites the audience member to take their seat and watch the play unfold from where they are situated. The Biblical Hebrew verb system, though, invites the audience member onto the stage to observe the play by moving about with the actors. The task of translation involves conveying what is expressed by Hebrew's verbal mode and expressing that in the tense-based system of English. When English speakers impose their 'seated' tense-based perspective on

the more dynamic verbal mode of Biblical Hebrew, they are not actually translating. Thus the potential for confusion is enormous. While many current English translations of the Bible are adequate, readers can easily miss the depth of the text which is conveyed by the Biblical Hebrew verbs. To overlook this depth is to overlook sense and meaning and, therefore, is potentially disastrous for understanding. If the biblical authors meant their readers to view their stories from a dynamic perspective, then any other perspective may distort the story. Thus, translation is a delicate yet important endeavour.

6.2

The Characteristics of Hebrew Verbs

Hebrew verbs have the following characteristics. 1.

Root: Every verb uses a three-letter root, which conveys the basic concept of the action.

2.

Subject: Verbs that are limited to a subject (someone/thing doing the action) are finite verbs. All finite verbs carry information about the subject (Infinitive verbs have no subject):

a.

b.

Person: Every verb carries information about the subject of the verb (i.e., the one doing the action). Person is either first (e.g., 'I'), second (eg., 'you') or third person (e.g., 'he'). Gender: The subject of any verb must either be masculine, feminine, or common (i.e., without distinction between masculine and feminine). The verb carries this information.

C.

Number: This refers to whether the subject of the verb is singular (e.g,, 'we').

»

'r),,,,_,, or plural

e.g-»

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

69

Since finite verbs have a subject implicit within them, the addition of an independent personal pronoun as the expressed subject of the verb will only be for emphasis. 3.

Conjugation/Mode: English verbs have tense, which refers to the timing of an action (past, present, future). Hebrew verbs, however, do not have tense. Instead, they have mode, which refers to how the author presents the action to the reader. The term conjugation refers to the form that a particular mode takes (i.e., how the verb is actually written or packaged as a word). Each conjugation conveys a particular mode. For example, the Qatal conjugation conveys a close-definite mode of action, while the Yiqtol conjugation conveys a distantindefinite mode of actioh (these ideas will be explained in more detail later).

4, Stem: Every Hebrew verb is derived from a three-consonant root and this root occurs in a verbal stem (or binyan). Hebrew has seven main verbal stems. The three-consonant root conveys a basic concept, but a verbal stem gives the three-consonant root a specific meaning or nuance. Most three-consonant roots can occur in more than one of the seven stems, while others occur in only one. Each of the seven stems also conveys voice, which denotes the subject's role in the action (active, passive, or middle/reflexive). If the subject is doing the action (e.g., "he killed"), then the subject has an active role in the action. If the action is being done to the subject (e.g., "he was killed"), then the subject has a passive role in the action. If the subject features twice in the action (e.g., "he killed himself"), then the subject has a reflexive, middle or reciprocal role in the action. The voice that each stem conveys will be discussed below (56.7).

When we parse Hebrew verbs, these four features are the primary items we will be looking for. We will be looking more at parsing later in this unit.

6.3

Key Principles: Verbs

There are three key principles for verbs that you should learn from the outset.

• Key Principles: VERBS 1.

Verb stems are distinguished by their intrinsic elements and vowel patterns.

2.

The theme vowel (the vowel before the third root letter) is the most variable but least important vowel in a verb.

3·

. kt· th ·f and secondly in terms of specific vowels. 1 Th i nl firstly in terms of vowel 1 class,

70

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

6.4

Strong and Weak Roots

A strong root is one in which all three root consonants behave in a normal, regular way. Think of a strong root as being strong enough to 'take the strain' of the regular rules. A weak root is one in which one or more of the root consonants behave in a different manner in its particular position within the root-that is, at least one of the root consonants is 'weak'. Think of a weak root as unable to 'take the strain' of the regular rules. For example, I-nun roots (i.e., a root whose first consonant is nun) like '?::l.:i ('to fall') are weak because the nun often disappears and leaves a doges forte behind. Ill-he roots (i.e., a root in which the third consonant is he)

like 11 ('to build') are also weak because the he often drops out or turns into another letter. Roots in which two consonants are weak, like 7TD1 ('to beat'), are said to be 'doubly weak' (71D1is a l-nun and a lll-he root). We have already flagged the concept of a weak root (see 53.8), so you are already well equipped to deal with it. We must now list all types of weak roots and you should get to know these. Below is a table showing you when a root consonant is weak.

Root Letter

Weak Consonant Gutturals, Nin, Waw, Yod

II

Gutturals, Waw, Yod, Geminates

III

Gutturals, He

The concept of a weak root may seem daunting to begin with, but they are not actually that bad. In fact, weak roots behave in a regular way-there are rules governing their behaviour. It's just that they behave differently to strong roots.

Most weak roots simply employ key principles that you have already learned (see 52.4; 3.8). The only ones that really take some getting used to are those roots that feature a yodh or wow. We will save those roots for later. All the other types of roots you are ready to handle. As far as is possible, we will use the root

',~p

('to kill') in all our paradigms, because it is a strong root (and

therefore regular). This will not always be possible (especially when demonstrating weak roots!) and so other roots will sometimes have to be used.

__. 6.5

Verbal Mode

As mentioned above, this book uses a verbal mode approach to Hebrew verbs. It works ..

th Oi

..

:.

4.

.

,

h t

ie premise tlia

the the ancient Hebrew mindset was not primarily geared towards tense, but rather to

.

b I

presenting verhi@

actions or states in particular modes. Our approach asks three main questions of any given verb:

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

1.

Is the action presented in a simple mode, or is it presented in a complex mode?

2.

Is the action presented as definite (realis) or indefinite (irrealis)?

3.

Does the author view the action up close or at distance?

71

The answers to all three of these questions can be determined by identifying the conjugation that the verb appears in. These first two questions are closely related and could even be seen as asking essentially the same question. In the same way that a noun can be definite (eg. 'the man') or indefinite (eg. 'a man'), verbs can also be definite (eg. viewing a specific, factual instance of someone 'walking') or indefinite (eg. viewing 'walking' as a possibility that has not yet happened for someone, or a generality that happens a lot). We will discuss the significance of these questions as we examine each verbal conjugation in turn. First, though, we will give a broad overview of the four main conjugations, in order to get some initial bearings. There are other minor verbal conjugations beyond these, but we will look at those later.

QATAL

Simple Fact (Simple-Definite-Close): Zooms in to view an action up close as

definite (realis), presenting it as a simple fact. The action is specific and concrete, and therefore is given simple but sharp focus (e.g. he walked).

YIQTOL

Complex Possibility/Generality (Complex-Indefinite-Distant): Views an action at a distance as indefinite (irrealis). This means it is not presented as a simple factual event, since no specific instance of the action is on view. Rather, it is presented with complexity as either a possibility that has not yet occurred (e.g. he will walk; he might walk; he should walk), or as a generality that occurs often (e.g. he used to walk; he walks).

A

72

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

WAYYIQTOL

Live Action

(Simple-Definite-Close): Views

a

definite action

(realis)

happening 'live'. The reader does not zoom in to view the action (as with

the Qatal), but rather moves (progresses) to the actual location where ( or when) the action occurs and so views the action up close as simple and factual

(e.g.

then he walked). This movement produces 'narrative

momentum' and the new location of the reader becomes the

new

'narrative reference point' from which all other actions are viewed.

WEQATAL

Adjunctive Action: 'Sticks' to a previous verb (or clause) and expands the thought begun by that 'head' verb without creating a totally independent thought. The head verb will be a non-Weqatal verb. The complexity, definiteness, and proximity of the Weqata/ action is dependent on the logical connection between the Weqata/ verb and its head verb (e.g. he walked and saw; he might walk and see; when he walks he will see).

Most narratives tell a story by conveying events in a plot. As such, they make frequent use of Wayyiqto/ yer!is in order to advance the plot. Each Wayyiqtol verb creates a new reference point in the narrative fropr ,,y; j the reader/listener 'views' various actions in the story. Poetry and proverbs, however, tend to be pro ?

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

73

reflective. They usually convey thoughts, hopes, emotions, or generalities, as opposed to specific events. Thus, rather than being interested in developing a plot, poetry tends to develop concepts. As such, poetry has little need of progressing to new narrative reference points to view events. For this reason, Wayyiqtol forms are rarely used in poetry and proverbs, but Qatal and Yiqtol forms abound.

6.6

Qatal Conjugation

The first verbal conjugation (or mode) we will learn is Qatal, because morphologically it is the simplest of the verbal conjugations. Many grammarians and lexical tool refer to the Qata/ as the Perfect. While this terminology still lingers, many grammarians are opting for the less-loaded term Qatal, as this term describes the form the verb takes using the classic paradigmatic root:

Srpj?.

A Qatal verb zooms in to view a definite (specific, concrete) action up close, presenting it in the simplest factual way possible. The action is presented as concrete and in sharp perspective (eg. he walked). We will discuss this definition more fully under Semantics (below).

6.6.1

Morphology

The way Hebrew forms Qatal verbs is to attach the information about the subject (person, gender and number) after the root in a subject suffix. This makes the Qatal a suffix conjugation. Each person, gender and number combination (PGN) has a particular subject suffix. The table below demonstrates how each of these subject suffixes looks for the Qatal conjugation.

These subject suffixes

remain consistent across each of the seven stems.

Subject Suffixes for the Qatal Conjugation 3.c.p.

1DD

they ...

you...

2.m.p.

naD

you ...

you...

2.f.p.

pp

you ...

/ ...

1.c.p.

u0

3.m.s.

ODD

he ...

3.f.s.

a

she ...

2.m.s.

nD

2.f.s.

nD

1.c.s.

·mu]

T




T


-pi

pry; 5is 'buy 1yi771; pi pr72 52g" 777TN771N] 77"2878 : ,7-,~~-t,p

i1,~pr~

Elem entary Biblical Hebrew

203

Unit 16

16.1

Hiphil and Hophal Stems

The Hiphil and Hophal make up the remaining two verbal stems. Their linguistic abbreviations are H and Hp respectively ('H' for an intrinsic TT prefix). They are paired together because they share the same intrinsic features. The difference between them is that Hiphil is the active voice while Hophal is the equivalent passive voice. Their key principles are:

•

Key Principles: HfPHIL AND HOPHAL

1.

Hiphil and Hophal add an intrinsic he (7l) before the first root consonant.

2.

Hiphil and Hophal do not double any root consonants.

3.

Hiphil often adds a yod-infix () before the third root consonant.

As has been the case with other stems, there are many verbal roots that occur natively in the Hiphil and Hophal stems. However, for those verbs that occur natively in another stem (e.g. Qal) the Hiphil and Hophol stems add a causative sense to the verb. This makes the Hiphil and Hophal somewhat similar to the Piel and Pua/ stems, though with different intrinsic features-just as, for example, the English words belittle and enclose both have a causative sense, though with different intrinsic features (be- and en- respectively). You have now covered all seven Hebrew verb stems. You should be comforted by the fact that there are only seven; English has several more (e.g. press, compress, depress, express, impress, oppress, repress, suppress).

Paradigms The Hiphil and Hophal paradigms are very similar to each other. The main difference between them is the initial vowel beneath the intrinsic he. The key principle of passive verbs applies to the Hophal stem: they prefer O-class vowels, albeit non-hdlem O-class vowels. In the Hophal paradigms, the initial vowel is a qames hatup. We will have more to say about this in the notes below.

204

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

a.

Hiphil Paradigms

Hiphil Qatal (strong)

7p7

3.m.s.

he caused to kill

3.f.s.

7'7ipn

she caused to kill

2.m.s.

bi#pan

you caused ta kill

2.m.p.

2.f.s.

r;i7~p0 ·n'7ipr

you caused to kill

2.f.p.

I caused to kill

l.c.p.

1.c.s.

they caused to kill

3.c.p.

t:iQ?~P0 lQ?~PiJ

7lp7

you caused to kill you caused to kill we caused to kill

Hiphil Weqatal (strong) 3.m.s.

?'tpp01 1

and he will cause to kill

i?'~Pi'.'11

3.c.p.

3.f.s.

i1 ?'~P0l

and she will cause to kill

2.m.s.

p'pm

and yau will cause to kill

2.m.p.

2.f.s.

I:1?~P0l ,8?~Pi'.ll

and you will cause to kill

2.f.p.

CJQ?~Pi'.11 lQ?~Pi'.11

and I will cause to kill

1.cp.

125pm71

l.c.s.

and they will cause to kill

and you will cause to kill and you will cause to kill

aa we will cause to kill

Hiphil Yiqto/ (strong) 3.m.s.

wp:

he will cause to kill

3.m.p.

3.f.s.

?'tppt,

she will cause to kill

3.f.p.

2.m.s.

pr

you will cause to ki/1

2.m.p.

2.f.s.

·7ipr

you will cause to kill

2.f.p.

'7ipr

l.c.s.

?'tpp~

I wi/1 cause to kill

l.c.p.

,,cpp~

,t:,,~p~ '7pr 1ipr

they will cause to kill they will cause to kill you will cause to kill you will cause to kill we will cause to kill

Hiphil Wayyiqtol (strong) 3.m.s.

pr»

then he caused to kill

3.m.p.

15ipr

then they caused to kill

pm pm

then she caused to kill

3.f.p.

ny'7tip

then they caused to kill

then you caused to kill

2.m.p.

ipm

then you caused to kill

2.f.s.

·7ipm

then you caused to kill

2.f.p.

7;'7iipm

then you caused to kill

l.c.s.

9p)

then I caused to ki/1

l.c.p.

pr

3.f.s. 2.m.s.

then we caused to kill

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

b.

205

Hophal Paradigms

Hophal Qatal (strong) 3.m.s.

up77

he was caused to kill

i?tppy

3.c.p.

3.f.s.

i17cppo

she was caused to kill

2.m.s.

n'spy

yau was caused to kill

2.m.p.

2.f.s.

59p77

you was caused to kill

2.f.p.

1.c.s.

·mp

I was caused to kill

1.c.p.

they were caused to kill

0t.i?~PO

you were caused to kill

17p7 7p

you were caused to kill we were caused to kill

Hophal Weqatal (strong) 3.m.s.

p777

and he will be caused to kill

3.c.p.

p77

and they will be caused to kill

and yau will be caused to kill

3.f.s.

il?tpPQl

and she will be caused to kill

2.m.s.

'7p777 I:1?~i?vl

and you will be caused to kill

2.m.p.

and you will be caused to kill

2.f.p.

0I:;17~po1 ll'.;l?~i?vl

and I will be caused to kill

l.c.p.

7#p7

and we will be caused to kill

p;

they will be caused to kill

'tp

they will be caused to kill

1?tppQ

you will be caused to kill

2.f.s. 1.c.s.

·7 79p77

and you will be caused to kill

Hophal Yiqtol (strong)

p;

he will be caused to kill

3.m.p.

3.f.s.

?~pt;,

she will be caused to kill

3.f.p.

2.m.s.

p

you will be caused to kill

2.m.p.

2.f.s.

·7p7r

you will be caused to kill

2.f.p.

:'5#pr

you will be caused to kill

1.c.s.

p7

I will be caused to kill

1.c.p.

p7;

we will be caused to kill

3.m.s.

Hophal Wayyiqtol (strong)

,Srpp:1

then they were caused to kill

i1~?~i?i;'J !J?tppQJ

then they were caused to kill

3.m.s.

9p;»

then he was caused to kill

3.m.p.

3.f.s.

9p77:

then she was caused to kill

3.f.p.

?~pt;,J ~~cppt;,J

then you were caused to kill

2.m.p.

then you were caused to kill

2.f.p.

7'7pp:

then yau were caused to kill

then I was caused to kill

l.c.p.

59p7:

then we were caused to kill

2.m.s. 2.f.s. 1.c.s.

p;

then you were caused to kill

206

c. •

£Elem entary Biblical Hebrew

Notes Occasionally you will find the yod-infix of the Hiphil written defectively. That is, the preceding hireq vowel will be Included, but the yod itself is sometimes left out.

•

In the prefix verbal conjugations, you must think of the subject prefixes as covering (not replacing) the intrinsic he of both Hiphil and Hophal. If you remember this, you will have an easy time recognising other verbal forms, such as imperatives and participles (these will be covered in the next units).

•

Note the distinction in form between the Hiphil Yiqtol 3.m.s. ('7DD) and the Hiphil Wayyiqtol 3.m.s. ('7D1): the Yiqtol includes a yod infix, whereas the Wayyiqtol does not. This difference is observable even in strong verbs and demonstrates the different origins of the Yiqtol and Wayyiqtol forms.

•

I-nun roots will assimilate the I-nun into the next consonant (unless that consonant is a guttural). Thus, the

Hiphil Qatal 3.m.s. of V'32 is '7377). •

It is easy to confuse the Hiphil of roots ending with mem (e.g.,

✓o:Jri.i) with m.pl. nouns. Thus, c:r;;,tp;:, is a

Hiphil Qatal 3.m.s. verb, not a m.pl. noun. •

The initial vowel of Hophal verbs in the paradigm is given as qames hatup. It is helpful to remember that this is an 0-class vowel. Quite often, this initial vowel is given as a qibbu~ (e.g., D2177), but these too are O-class vowels.

d.

7?t9Q)

or surOq (e.g.,

Examples Deuteronomy 4.36

(his voice)-([DDOM]) (he caused you to hear) (the heavens)-(from) eW4W

From the heavens he made you hear his voice ... (Hiphil Qatal 3.m.s. + 2.m.s. obj. sfx)

1 Samuel 11.15

(at Gilgal) (YHWH) /before) (Soul)-{{DDOM}) /there) (and they caused to reign) +-W4W

So they made Saul king there before Yahweh at Gilgal. .. (Hiphil Wayyiqtol 3.m.p.)

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

207

Jeremiah 38.22

(your feet} (in the mud} (they were caused to be fixed) +-W4W

Your feet were fixed in the mud ... (Hophal Qatal 3.c.p.)

Locative He

16.2

The Locative He (sometimes known as directive he or directional he) is an extra he that is attached to a noun indicating a location, or to the adverb CJtt.i ('there'). to indicate movement towards the noun. That is, the Locative He denotes movement towards a destination. As such, the noun to which it attaches becomes an indirect object (i.e., has a dative sense). It is the Hebrew equivalent to the English particle '-wards' in such words as towards, northwards and upwards, only it is more versatile; it can attach to more words than the English particle '-wards' does. You will find Locative He most often attached to geographical names and terms. Locative He always uses a preceding qames vowel (similar to a fem.sg. ending: Locative

He

□

will change the ending ;, r

;-J;-J


7gr T : - : •

r:in

the heavens

cp

71 ir

cp

71271271

T T

(to) there

T

• - T


iO

c.

Hophal Yiqtol of :lip

d.

Hiphil Woyyiqtol of i):J

Parse the following words.

Stem

a.

12 "7p7:

b.

1wv

C.

T»

d.

·5'rm . ... -

e.

1

f.

1:l7i?i)1


h7 rs;min 537 hi 1zpis; ·;s:~~~n~/,J'{ lD; T

9·

•

TT:

-

...

-

--.--

·- T

··-:

••

T

•••

:

•

Read through the entire text of Jeremiah 36.1-8 (below). Then see how much of the text you can recognise and translate. After this, compare your recognition against an English version.

Jeremiah 36.1-8

~;,~~7:"""1,~ 'ii:F:i 1?,liJ i7~Q i1Jiil~ 77P. iil,~~~.,-p o.,p:;;i,~ n~.,:;)7Q ;i_,i~~ -.,0~~

i

7277y ti217 5 1y 775 pan v7 j5-np2 °:gs7 my1; my

7) 1wjs> ·p: 7·1737 ii » 7271 777wry 5 5y3 5 57 t:1,n7

ni~P,?

::l~1·1 ,:?.j~ ,~~

i1¥lP-1,f n~ i1lii1~ n.,? ~l7r?tp:

.,j,~

: ilJD

oi:;:i

214

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

-n~ ii1:t?T ~JP~J 4 o : OIJ~~O?i t:JJiP,? 'D~?91 i1¥lQ if7'1~ (V'~ :i.:1:iii; WP-? -i,p i'~~ ,;rr,~~ i!Jil~ ';.i:;rTt,f n~ iil:t?T '~~ 7i·~9 :lrl:?J i1:7rl~ T1"7:P °:11; 18i25 55 7 7spy Jy 7#5 771727n 17117" 71yy°:5pn' i1J1~ n'?. t:J.R;:t 'Ji~~ i1jil~ '7:;:trn~ \~~-l;)~l;Jf-,~~ i1J7~rp~ I;i~Ji?l i1~~ D~~:i

~~-:?? t:lI;J~rJI;t i,~D '?1~ t:J~li?D t:Jt:)'7¥P. t:J'~~iJ i1Jii1~-t,;, :~.i~~ □)l □i~ □i:~ 7

:

: i1;t.;J o~;:i-t,~ il}il~

;.n-,~~ i1~DP1 '=,~;:t t,;7r':p, i1El;:t if7'1~ (V'~ :i.:1t:1 i1Ji1~

1

1p m7yy7 ·7321 79p52 775 y77 m77y97 my y 552 71i2712 pr2vi)

o : i1li1~

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

215

Unit 17

17.1

Volitive Verbs

Volitive verbs express will or a command. They almost always occur within speech. They can come packaged in any of the Verbal stems (i.e., Qal, Nipha/, etc.), and therefore will display all the intrinsic features of those stems. There are three basic groups of verbs that come under this heading:

•

Jussives

(3rd and 2nd person)

• •

Cohortatives

(1st person)

Imperatives

(2nd person)

17.2

Volitive Suffix (Emphatic He): h1

Each of the three volitive verb forms mentioned above may come packaged with a volitive suffix, often known

as volitive he or paragogic he. This is an otherwise extraneous he that adds more emphasis to the expressed Will. The form is usually qames followed by he (identical to a fem.sg. noun ending). You could think of the He for verbs: rather than pointing to a destination, it points deliberately to a subject.

volitive suffix as a Directive

Each volitive suffix is traditionally referred to by the actual verb form to which it is attached. Thus, a volitive he suffixed to a cohortative verb is traditionally referred to as cohortative he; a volitive he suffixed to an Imperative is referred to as an imperative he; and a volitive he attached to a jussive verb is referred to as a Jussive he. The term 'emphatic he' is an umbrella term for each of these volitive suffixes. Due to the historical development of Biblical Hebrew, the volitive suffix is far more common on cohortative verbs (i.e., as a cohortative he) than on the other two volitive forms. In fact, the standard cohortative form '.ncludes a cohortative he. As such, when parsing a cohortative, you will not need to specifically detail the inclusion of the cohortative he. However, since the standard forms of imperatives and jussives do not include a Volitive h e, ~ you will need to detail its inclusion when parsing · t h ose ver bs.

17.3

Jussives

JussiIves are an expression of will in the third person and second person. They are best translated by phrases such as 1 et him ...', 'may he ..' or 'he shoul Id.' ... ·

Jussives follow the corresponding forms of the bare Wayyiqtol (i.e. Wayyiqtol without the waw progressive), ~o there is no need to learn a new paradigm for them. Like the Wayyiqtol, they are also usually the first word in their clause. The ll•ssive is a prefix conjugation which presents an action at a distance to the

reader/listener. The lack of a wow progressive means that this distance between the action and the

216

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

reader/listener is not closed, but maintained. As such, Jussives stand alongside Yiqtol verbs as circumstantial actions.

3.m.s.

9

l

may he kill

While third person jussives are quite common, second person jussives almost always occur in negative expressions. These are expressions that almost always feature the negative particle '78. such expressions should be translated by the phrase 'do not...' This is the only way to form a negative command in Hebrew. Remember, since jussives are volitive forms, they express a desire or intention, not a fact. (Note: the negative particle '78 is sometimes used with third person jussives too, but not universally as with second person jussives).

Qal Jussive (strong) 3.m.s.

p:

may he kill

3.m.p.

3.f.s.

?bpr:,

may she kill

3.f.p.

2.m.s.

?bpr:,

may you kill

2.m.p.

2.f.s.

wpn

may you kill

2.f.p.

p:

may they kill

~~'?tbpr:,

may they kill

pr

may you kill

~~'?tbpr:,

may you kill

Niphal Jussive (strong) 3.m.s. 3.f.s. 2.m.s. 2.f.s.

9p:

pr pr "»pg

may he be killed

3.m.p.

may she be killed

3.f.p.

may you be killed

2.m.p.

may you be killed

'p moy they be killed 7pp oy they be killed

2.f.p.

1?tpR,I:1

may you be killed

~;?~R,I:1

may you be killed

Hithpael Jussive (strong) 3.m.s. 3.f.s. 2.m.s. 2.f.s.

pr:

may he kill himself

p7

may she kill herself

'p7

may you kill yourself

·79pnr

may you kill yourself

3 _

3.m.p. 3.f.p. 2.m.p. 2.f.p.

19pr:

..... .. .., .

.,;: •,,•·,

-

hemsefves may they kill t

selves

'7pnr

may they kill them

i?ipj?DI:1

may you kill yours

pp'ippr

may you iil yoU

elves

rselves

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

217

Piel Jussive (strong) 3.m.s.

spy

may he massacre

3.m.p.

3.f.s.

7pr

may she massacre

3.f.p.

2.m.s.

pp

may you massacre

2.m.p.

may you massacre

2.f.p.

2.f.s.

·7pr

:i?tp~~

may they massacre

'pn

moy they massacre

:i?tp~i;1

may you massacre

ili?~~r;,

may you massacre

Pua/ Jussive (strong)

up;

may he be massacred

3.m.p.

3.f.s.

?tPpr;,

may she be massacred

3.f.p.

2.m.s.

?tPpr;,

may you be massacred

2.m.p.

~?tppr;,

may you be massacred

2.f.p.

3.m.s.

2.f.s.

htpp~

may they be massacred

;,i?~Pi;1

may they be massacred

:i?tpj?l;'I

may you be massacred

;,~7~p?;1

may you be massacred

Hiphil Jussive (strong) 3.m.s.

p:

may he cause to kill

3.m.p.

3.f.s.

up7r

may she cause to kill

2.m.s.

op ·7p7

2.f.s.

:i?~~p~

may they cause to kill

3.f.p.

;ih~PD

may they cause to kill

may you cause to kill

2.m.p.

'ipr

moy you cause to kill

may you cause to kill

2.f.p.

;,~7~pD

may you cause to kill

Hophal Jussive (strong) 3.m.s.

p;

may he be caused to kill

3.m.p.

3.f.s.

up77

may she be caused to kill

3.f.p.

2.m.s.

?tppt;1

may you be caused to kill

2.m.p.

2.f.s.

·up

may you be caused to kill

2.f.p.

3p;

may they be caused to kill

yip

may they be caused to kill

i?tppl;'

may you be caused to kill

71,'7tsp7r

may you be caused to kill

The most common jussive verbs are the Qal 3.m.s. and Qal 3.f.s. forms of ✓i1'i1 ('to become':

'iT and 'i'.ll;l).

218

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Examples Genesis 1.3

:iy 1771 7iy 77j 77y 7108; (light)--(and there was) (light} (let there be) (God) (and he said) ~W 4 W

And God said, "Let there be light." And there was light. (Notice how the jussive Is identical In form to the bare Wayyiqto . 1 wit'th \ou t waw progressive.)

Genesis 22.12

7 f7 ws} is 5s #7; 73wr 58' 78) (anything} (to him} (you do)--(and don't) (the boy)--(to) (your hand/ (you stretch out)--(don 't)(on dhesoid) ~W 4 W I

And he said, "Don't stretch your hand against the boy, and don't do anything to him .•

Genesis 23.9

(Mochpelah} (cove af}-((DDOM]} (to me/-(and may he give) €W4W

". and may he give me the cave

17.4

of Machpelah... "

Cohortatives

Cohortatives are an expression of will in the first person. In form, Cohortatives are essentially l.c.s. and l.c.p~

Yiqto/ forms with the addition of the volitive suffix known as cohortative he. The similarity with the Yiqtol ver means there is no real need to learn an extra paradigm for them-you need only add the vo I.1t1ve . · s uffix to the . . . . h d it WI 11 relevant first person Yiqtol form. When the cohortative verb has a pronominal object suffix attac e., always drop the cohortative he The Cohortative shares the same mode as the Yiqtol verb on which it is based. It represents a c omplex r ·q indefinite action viewed from a distance (irrealis). They are best translated by phrases such as 'Let me ... ' want to .. .', or 'I am going to .'.

w

Finally, many instances of cohortative he are pointed as 71- (in addition to 71-). This will happen th ill-he · t made a thorough distinction verbs. The reason for this difference is that the Masoretes do not seem to have a 15 between the cohortative he and conventional Ill-he verb forms. Context, however, usually dictates when cohortative should be understood rather than a plain Yiqtol (cf. the examples after the table below).

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

219

Qal Cohortative (strong)

1.c.s.

7'7pp

tetmea

1cp.

7'pp) let us ki

Niphal Cohortative (strong) 1.c.s. ~-

71'7pp8

tetme be killed

1.c.p.

71'7pp)

let us be killed

Hithpael Cohortative (strong)

i17tpi?I;"i~

1.c.s.

Jet me kill myself

1.c.p.

i1?tpi?I;"i~

Jet us kill ourselves

Piel Cohortative (strong) 1.c.s. L--_

TT'7p

letme massacre

1.c.p.

71'71)

let us massacre

~

Hiphil Cohortative (strong) o

L.c.s.

as

i17'tpj?~

Jet me cause to kill

l.c.p.

.Ls

i17'tpp~

Jet us be caused to kill

Note: There are no Pua/ or Hophal Cohortatives attested in the Bible, so there is no need to learn these forms.

Examples Genesis 1.26

(in our image) (man) (let us make) (God) (and he said) 6W4W

And God said, "Let us make man in our image .•

Deuteronomy 3.25

(the Jordon) (across) (which) (the good) (rhe lond)-({DDOM)) (and I am going to see) (now)-(I am going to cross over) +-W4W

"I am going to cross over now and see the good land that is across the Jordan." (Note the first cohortative has o distinctive cohortative he, while the second does not.)

220

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

17.5

Imperatives

Imperatives are immediate commands issued in the second person. As such, they do not just express someone's will (as jussives and cohortatives); they apply it directly to someone or something. Imperatives take the form of the Yiqtol with the subject prefix removed. This rule applies across all the verb stems. This sometimes entails an adjustment of vowels in accordance with the rules of shewa (see paradigm below). Imperatives are best translated as simple commands (e.g., 'Speak!' or 'Go!'). The key principles are:

•

Key Principles: IMPERATIVES

1.

An Imperative is identical in form to its corresponding Yiqto/ form, but with the subject prefix removed.

2.

Removing a subject prefix from a verb in a stem that adds an intrinsic consonant will cause a he (7) to appear in its place.

The first key principle here means, for example, that a Qo/ Imperative 2.m.s. will look the same as a Qal Yiqtol 2.m.s., but with the taw subject prefix removed (think of them as 'headless Yiqtols'). Note: since all Imperatives are second person, the subject prefix that gets removed will only ever be taw. Whenever the subject prefix is removed, the Rule of Sewa will often come into effect (you cannot have two vocal sewa's together, so the first sewa will become a hireq).

2.m.s.

kill!

pin 2ts. > 'np ,-----------------

r»

e

'n

keep!

1712n 2m mi r» ,----:-------------nrn 2zt. > yip » e

1rj _:_

choose!

...:_

bi T

=;

_

_

stand!

The second key principle applies to the Niphal, Hithpael, Hiphil, and Hopha/ stems-all of which employ intrinsic consonants. The fact that a he {i1) reappears in the Hith, .

.

·]

pae,

H' h'/ d h t ms is no surprise, 1p , , an Hop a 1 s e . is

cir p)Gr , er, the Niph@ 1 ie in t ose stems. Howeve , different, since it employs an intrinsic nin.The nin will be assir+> ±4%_ f he verb (e.8since we have learnt that any subject prefix covers over the intrr

rinsic

similatec

51n), and this does not change. However, the removal of th

into the first root letter of

{

b' . • (i1) t be added 0 r le su Ject prefix causes a he i o for the beginning of the Imperative (e.g. 777). A short hand f . . k principle way of remembering this second Key pe Imperatives is to remember the phrase "He Prestol"• Wh f' to form t · · en you remove a subject pre I)! Imperative ... "He Presto!"

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

221

Qal Imperative (strong) 2.m.s.

?bp

kill!

2.m.p.

2.f.s.

"7p

a

2.f.p.

!J?tpp

kill!

7'5p

am

!J?tpf?)'.'1

be killed!

71'7\p27

oe kitted

Niphal Imperative (strong) 2.m.s.

'7577

e kitted!

2.m.p.

2.f.s.

~?tp8-0

be killed!

2.f.p.

Hithpael Imperative (strong) 2.m.s.

'717

ittyourself!

2.m.p.

2.f.s.

7157ny7

kaiyourself!

2.f.p.

i'?~j;?r:,i'.'l

kill yourselves!

ilh~j;?r;,i'.'1

kill yourselves!

Piel Imperative (strong)

' massacre! ~?~~ massacre!

2.m.s. 2.f.s.

2.m.p. 2.f.p.

1'7t

massacre!

71'tp

massacre!

Hiphil Imperative (strong)

?~pi:7 7ip

2.m.s. 2.f.s.

cause ta kill!

2.m.p.

:i'?~~p:J

cause to kill!

cause to kill!

2.f.p.

71'5715p

cause to it

Hophal Imperative (strong) 2.m.s.

p777

be caused ta kill!

2.m.p.

be caused to kill!

2.f.s.

·777

be caused to kill!

2.f.p.

be caused to kill!

There are no Hophal feminine Imperatives in the Bible, so you do not need to learn them. Some h"ints to help identify the form of Imperatives: • • •

Gutturals prefer to come after A-class vowels. The final vowel of most Imperative forms will be a long vowel (exception: some Ill-guttural 2.m.s. forms, and some imperatives with an added vocalic suffix.

In terms of mode, Imperatives stand alongside Qatal verbs as definite action seen up close (realis). As such, Imperatives should be seen as 'under the spotlight' in the same way Qatal verbs are, and should therefore be given the same type vi attention by the reader.

222

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Examples Genesis 1.22

{In the seas} (the waters)-([DDOM]) (and fill/] (and multlplyl) {be fruitful/) )1 (to go)

15

go!

npe

take!

I

give!

Qa/ Imperative 2.m.p.

✓7?;,

(to go)

Qa/ Imperative 2.m.s.

✓np?

(to take)

Qa/ Imperative 2.m.s.

✓jr'IJ

(to give)

226

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Vocabulary: Unit 17 Outdoors and Time Singular

Dual/Plural

Gender

1a

12N

f.

stone, rock (item); segholate (A-class)

1iK

Mi"'liK

m.

light, light source

CJ'ii?~ 1i:

m.

Morning; segholate (0-class)

f.

hill

f.

dry ground

m.

sea, west


> Unusually, though, its Qal Yiqtol forms follow the Hophal pattern for I-Waw verbs. Thus, its Qal Yiqtol 3ms form is 7D, Fortuna±ciy, it only occurs in the Qal Qatal and Qal Yiqtol conjugations (see Verb Chart 11).

258

£Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Qal Qatal 3ms

55

he could or he was able

T

Qal Yiqtol 3ms

20.5

he can or he is able

Hollow Roots (II-Waw & II-Yod)

There are some verbal roots in Hebrew where the first and third root letters are consonants, but the second root letter is actually a vowel. This creates something of a 'hole' in the middle of the root, which leads grammarians to describe these roots as 'hollow' verbs. The second root letter of hollow verbs is marked by either waw or yod, which are both matres lectionis. Hence, hollow verbs are also classified as 11-Waw and IIYod roots (e.g. ✓c:np and ). Both the waw and the yod often drop out of the word, causing all sorts of distortions to the way the verb looks. Along with geminate verbs, most hollow verbs were originally biliteral-that is, they originally had only two root consonants. As Hebrew developed into a language employing three root consonants (triliteral roots), hollow and geminate verbs had to make some kind of adjustment to compensate. Hollow verbs developed a waw or yod between the two original root consonants, while geminates replicated the second original root consonant. There are no shortcuts for figuring out 11-Waw/Yog roots. This means that it is worth just memorising an extra paradigm for them. For the time being, it will suffice to know the following key principle:

a 1.

2.

Key Principles: HOLLOW VERBS The second root letter of hollow verbs ( waw or yod) will either fall out of the word completely, or be used as a mater lectionis.

The lexical form (Qal Qatal 3.m.s.) of hollow verbs is always given as one syllable (e.g.

r),

c:np or

Note: Due to the distortion in form that occurs with 11-Waw roots th p· d ctuallY called . , e 'ie» 1 an Pua/ stems are a by different names: Pole/ and Pola/ respectively. Essentially thi ' b . hc second root :. us is iecause in those stems, t e s . d letter turns into a vowel and therefore cannot be doubled as i {+, the thlr s 1s normally required· to compensa.e, root consonant is repeated. This also means that there is very littl e diffc' the po/el and I e I' erence in form between Po Ia Iforms.

A similar principle applies with the Hithpael, which bee

nd root

omes the Hithpolel st Since the seco consonant becomes a vowel and cannot be doubled the t s em. 1 third root stem compensates by Y repeated ·hie d consonant. This makes the Hithpolel stem identical to the p 1 1 stem, but with the -I177 prefix at :heholel

Elem entary Biblical Hebrew

259

Non-Hollow 11-Waw/Yog Roots

20.6

There are a number of 11-Waw and 11-Yog' roots that were not originally biliteral; rather they have always been triliteral. As such, the second root consonant always functions as a consonant, and never drops out or becomes a mater lectionis. These roots are not hollow verbs. The following roots are not hollow verbs:

• • •

20.7

N'/Th

to be, become, happen

V'TT

to live, survive

'rs

to (issue a) command, charge

The Verb /8Y

We have already encountered certain instances of the verb ✓"Ki:l ('to come'). It is a hollow 11-Waw root, but it acts slightly differently to other hollow II-Waw roots. Most such hollow roots turn the waw into a 'u' vowel (either suruq or qibbus), but 8'12 turns the waw into a hilem vowel. This actually makes 812 work more regularly-that is, more like the strong verb paradigm. As such, you will have far less trouble dealing with ✓"Ki::l than with other hollow 11-Waw verbs. You will also be glad to know that it is actually the most common hollow II-Wow verb in the Bible. A small number of other hollow Il-Waw roots also act in this manner (e.g., ✓llJ1:l). You can tell which way a llWaw root will behave by the way it is listed in a lexicon. If it is listed with a suriq vowel, it will act according to the paradigm with \DID and VP'TE. If it is listed with a holem waw vowel, it will act just like V812. The verb

✓~i::l

is also common in Late Biblical Hebrew, performing the same function that

✓71,;, does in

Standard Biblical Hebrew, namely as a default indicator of movement and motion.

Examples Judges 11.16

(to Qadesh) (and he came) (Reed)--(Sea of)--{up to) (in the desert) (Israel) (and he went) +-W4W

So Israel walked through the desert to the Reed Sea and came to Qadesh.

Nehemiah 8.2

(the assembly) (before) (the Lmv)-(IDDOM}) (the priest) (Ezra) (and he brought) W4W

Then Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly.

260

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Vocabulary: Unit 20 Verb

Stem

i

G

Qatal, Yiqtol, Wayyiqtol

Meaning

toi:i toi::l' toi::l ~,

to be disappointed, embarrassed, ashamed (hollow)

I

••'

••-


with this understanding. However, from linguistic evidence discovered after BOB was published, the consensus these days is that the root is ✓mn and it is preserved in a very ancient Semitic verbal stem that dropped out of Hebrew early on. Thus, the Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament by Koehler & Baumgartner (HALOT), which was completed in 2000, lists this verb under ✓nm.

The Hishtaphel stem behaves very much like the Hithpael stem. In the Common Irregular Verb Chart at the back of this book, you will find the relevant forms extant in the Bible. Since the Hishtaphel stem is relevant only for one root, it is very easy to identify in a text.

292

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Vocabulary: Unit 24 Gentilics Nation

Gentilic

Meaning

7

~~~~

Edom; Edomite

8 T-:

I 78

Syria (Aram); Syrian (Aramean)

78

Assyria

522 ._.

0'7~~

T

Babylon; Babylonians, Chaldeans


7in;y ° 0:'l;~ ,~~-n~ iwii-77~ lIJt 1?. :~1:r-?Pl □:J~~-t,p n$iD1

Isa 20.3-4

4

:y73p nyy rg "pi1n -p aiy pa "7) 23 11'7; nN] VOCAB AID

r:JP.: Eden.

7p: Hi: to water. ,i:i: to divide, split. t:l'~Kl: 'headwaters' (in this context).

:i;;ir: gold.

n1,-,~: bdellium (yellowish resin). D7i277 128: 'onyx stone'. ?P,11'.'1: Tigris. i17t7p: front, East. n7~: Euphrates. p'?n: to assign, allot. m~1/~~: Isaiah. !:]J::t~: barefoot. n~ir.,~ ni~: '[as] a sign and a wonder'. p: 'captives' (coll. noun). m??: exiles (coll. noun). =,t!.)n: to strip, expose. IZ: buttocks. :,17;,: nakedness.

294

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Unit 25

25.1

Hebrew Poetry

25.1.1 Parallelism Whereas prose is literalistic expression, poetry involves more figurative and somewhat rhythmic expression. The basic feature of Hebrew poetry is parallelism. This feature rhymes concepts or themes rather than pronunciation. Essentially, Hebrew will state a concept or theme and develop it in the next line, and sometimes even in a third line. When parallelism is stated in two lines, those lines are known as a bicolon. Parallelism with three lines is known as a tricolon. Parallelism is not unique to Hebrew. Virtually all Semitic poetry (e.g., Aramaic, Phoenician, Akkadian, and Arabic) works with parallelism, and it can even be seen beyond the Semitic languages. However, Biblical Hebrew and Ugaritic use it far more regularly than other languages. Biblical Hebrew poetry is generally recognised to be more complex than its Semitic antecedents, like the Baal Cycles of Ugarit, though it borrows much from them. Parallelism is also the main thing that distinguishes Hebrew poetry from Hebrew prose. BHS and most English versions distinguish poetry from prose very clearly by the formatting. However, the formatting is an editorial decision based on the use of parallelism in the text. The various types of parallelism are classified according to how a concept or theme is actually developed.

•

Synonymous Parallelism: The parallel statements are synonymous (e.g. Ps 18.6 [Eng: 18.5]) .

•

Antithetic Parallelism: The parallel statements contrast with each other. This is particularly

common with individual proverbs (e.g., Prov 10.11).

• •

Climactic Parallelism: The concept of the first line is heightened or intensified in the second (or third) line (e.g., Ps 29.9). Complementary Parallelism: The two lines form a complementary couplet that together express one idea, or two ideas that proverbially belong together (Ps 121.6).

•

Comparative Parallelism: The two lines set up a comparison (e.g., Ps 103.13) .

•

Explanatory Parallelism: The second line explains the first (e.g., Prov 21.25).

•

Sequential Parallelism: The lines present a temporal or logical progression (e.g., Ps 3.5 [Eng: 3.4]).

•

ifyi-

P:

illelie

i: The

first'lir

Specifying Parallelism: e first line makes a general statement which is specified more in the second line (e.g., Ps 94.2).

narrowly

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

295

The names by which these categories go by are not fixed. So, for example, some scholars refer to synonymous parallelism as reiterative parallelism. Furthermore, these categories are by no means mutually exclusive. You will often find a bicolon that overlaps into two or even more categories. For example, an antithetic parallel might be comparative. Knowing the mechanics of parallelism assists enormously in understanding and exegeting a text. For example, the meaning of numerous hapax Jegomena (words occurring only once in the Bible) have been confirmed by the parallel concepts involved. Furthermore, we can observe that numbers are usually paralleled by going to the next meaningful number, eliminating the need to find some other obscure explanation for why there are six things the Lord hates in one line, but seven things that disgust him (Proverbs 6.16).

Since poetry is not prose narrative, it does not usually employ the basic features of narrative. Thus, Wayyiqtol verbs are used sparingly in poetry, and there is rarely something that you could call a 'scene' in poetry. Rather, poetry expresses concepts rather than scenes. There is also little indication given when quotations begin or the speaker changes. This explains why the infinitive construction l8'7 ("...") is used only three times in the entire Psalter. Poetry is formally heightened expression. Therefore, it often uses obscure, archaic, or uncommon vocabulary and syntax, and even foreign words. we see this in English poetry, too. The following list of words and phrases are commonly used in poetic English and, although a native English speaker might not batter an eyelid at their use, they represent departures from everyday English (such as 'journalistic' English). This will help you to appreciate why some Hebrew words employ unusual vowel patterns, archaic suffixes or difficult syntax when they appear in poetry.

• •

•

perchance

• • •

alas

never the twain shall meet

whither

• •

ay

•

ol'

yea

betwixt whence

• •

nay

• •

twas

•

hither

•

tis

thither

• • •

ere

e'er

• • •

thou / thee / thy

•

presto

o'er

•

ye

tour de force

• •

ne'er

• •

quoth

• •

thro'

a-waltzing four score

voild

piece de la resistance

methinks

25.1.2 Acrostics An acrostic is a poem that uses successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet to determine its structure. The best example of this is Psalm 119, in which there are 22 stanzas of 8 lines each. Every line within a stanza begins With the same letter of the alphabet. Thus, there are 8 lines beginning with aleph, then 8 lines beginning with bet, etc. Other good examples of acrostics are Psalms 111 and 112 and the five poems of Lamentations.

296

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Reference & Tools

297

298

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Elem entary Biblical Hebrew

299

Verb Stem (Binyan) Summary In the summary table below, the Linguistic Name represents alternative terminology for the verb stems (binyiintm). These alternative names are predominantly used when Hebrew is analyzed alongside cognate

Semitic languages (e.g., Aramaic, Ugaritic, Arabic, etc.).

Stem

Intrinsic Element

Special Nuance(s)

Voice

Qal (G)

No doubled root letters

Basic

Active

No extra intrinsic prefixes Niphal (N)

Intrinsic -J prefixed before root

Basic, Reflexive, Reciprocal

Middle/ Passive

Piel (D)

Doubled second root consonant

Intensive, Causative

Active

Intensive, Causative

Passive

Reflexive, Reciprocal

Middle

Causative

Active

Causative

Passive

No extra intrinsic prefixes Pua/

(Dp)

Doubled second root consonant No extra intrinsic prefixes O-class vowel with first root consonant

I

Hithpae/

(HtD)

Intrinsic -177 prefixed before root Doubled second root consonant

Hiphil (H)

Intrinsic -TT prefixed before root

(occasional intrinsic " infix) Hophal (Hp)

Intrinsic -Tl prefixed before root O-class vowel (except ')) with -Tl prefix

Stem Name for

Equivalent Name for Strong

Hollow Roots

Roots

Polel

Piel

Pola/

Pua/

Hithpo/el

Hithpae/

I

300

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Strong Verb Master Key This 'Master Key' works as an aid to memorising the strong verb paradigms and unlocking all the its forms (hence the term 'Master Key'). It employs the 3.m.s. form of the relevant verb conjugations. Although the wow prefix of both the Weqata/ and Wayyiqtol verbs is not represented visually, it may easily be added to the forms given here (Weqatal: add conjunction wow to the suffix conjugation; Wayyiqtol: add wow progressive to the prefix conjugation).

I

VOCALIC (V)

;,_

I

i

T

CONSONANTAL (C)

I

n-

'I

Takes the last root consonant to form a new syllable. The subject suffix is a vowel marked by a

I

ABNORMAL

Light

on 1~

;,:i T

Has a silent sewa, so attaches to the previous syllable; does not form a new syllable.

These form a syllable in their own right, but do not attract an accent.

mater lectionis.

Suffix Conjugation Qal

Heavy

-

These form a new syllable and attract the accent.

Prefix Conjugation

T

ta

992

Niphal II

••

T •

EJ Hithpae/

Og on

0©on .. - ..

f=

EJ

I:J co]

EJ

Piel

Pua/

I I

I

EJ Hiphil

Hophal

OOc - : T

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

301

Explanation of the symbols: •

The first table describes the different types of subject suffixes you might encounter in a verb: •

Vocalic (v): These are indicated by the abbreviation 'v' in the second table.

•

Abnormal

•

Consonantal (c): There are two types of consonantal endings. Light endings do not attract the

accent to them, while heavy endings do take the accent. Both are indicated by 'c' in the second table. •

A dotted circle (O) represents a root letter.

•

The box beneath the verb form in the second table indicates how the theme vowel changes when different endings are added. •

The box[v :]indicates that when a vocalic ('v') ending is added, the theme vowel becomes a sewa.

•

The ox [c indicates -] that when a consonantal ('c') ending is added, the theme vowel becomes a patah (or, in the case of statives, whatever the theme vowel is for that verb).

•

The box ~ indicates that when a consonantal ending is added, the theme vowel becomes a patah and the yod infix is lost.

•

The box I c .. ~ indicates that when a consonantal ending is added, the theme vowel becomes a sere and the yod infix is lost.

302

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

~ Checklist for

lP Missing Root Consonants One thing you will be doing quite often in Hebrew is trying to figure out the three-consonant root of a verb. This is not as difficult as it might at first seem. The following is a checklist you should work down when you know you have a missing root letter. It works best with prefix conjugations.

Look for a dages forte in the first of the remaining root consonants (i.e., after any verbal prefix). A I-Nun root will insert adages forte into the second root consonant. A guttural cannot take a dages, but if the root is I-Nin and Il-Guttural, then Nin will generally not drop off.

Consult the Code Breakers. Most missing root consonants will cause changes of vowel notation, so that some will turn up in an unexpected category in the Prefix Verb Key. This step will usually yield I-Waw and hollow (II-Wow and Il-Yod) roots.

Consider a Ill-He root. Consult your Vocabulary or a lexicon to see if the root makes sense contextually.

If nothing has been yielded yet, try a Geminate root. These can imitate other patterns (e.g., INun, 11-Waw, etc.). If you arrive at an answer on the basis of the first three checkpoints, but cannot seem to find the root in a lexicon, you probably have a geminate root (e.g., V2).

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

303

Code-Breaker for Suffix Verbs This 'code-breaker' is a tool to help you recognise the stem of most suffix verbs on sight/ whether they are strong or weak verbs. By suffix verbs we mean the Qatal and Weqatal conjugations. The first step, however, is to determine whether you have a Qatal or a Weqatal verb. If you have a Qata/ verb, then you can go on to the next step. However, if you have a Weqatal verb, you will need to remove the wow

conjunction at the front (e.g., if you have 7\7), you will only be dealing with the '77 portion).

Qal, Piel, Pua/ These three stems have no additional intrinsic consonants at the beginning. Since vowels decrease in importance the further you go into a verb, the first vowel always distinguishes them from each other:

Stem

Paradigm

Significant Features No intrinsic prefix;

Qa/

A-class vowel or sewa in first syllable;

No dages forte in any root consonant. No intrinsic prefix; I-class vowel in first syllable;

Piel

Dages forte in second root consonant (if not guttural} No intrinsic prefix;

Pua/

O-class vowel in first syllable;

Dages forte in second root consonant (if not guttural).

Niphal, Hithpae/ These verbs will have absolutely distinctive prefix consonants:

Stem

1

Paradigm {

es

Significant Features

Niphal

Intrinsic nun prefix

Hithpael

Intrinsic -I77 prefix; Dages forte in second root consonant.

Inevitably ther , •c exceptions. For these, see Peculiar Verbs nos. 1-4.

304

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Hiphil, Hophal Hiphi/ and Hophal verb both have a he-prefix. The distinction between them is made on the exact vowel that accompanies this he-prefix:

Stem

Paradigm

Significant Features

'

Hiphil

Intrinsic he prefix; any vowel except those specified for Hopha/ (below)

Hophal

Intrinsic he prefix; any O-class vowel except holem or holem-waw ( / J).

You will note that some stems seem to have other distinctive features (e.g., Piel and Pua/ both double the second root consonant; Hiphil often adds a yod-infix, etc.). However, these are not always reliable markers.

Elem entary Biblical Hebrew

305

Code-Breaker for Prefix Verbs This section contains a 'code breaker' for analysing and understanding prefix verbal conjugations (i.e., Yiqtols,

Wayyiqtols and their derivatives). This tool seeks to take any Hebrew prefix verb and, through of process of identifying its significant features, enable you to 'unlock' the grammar of the verb and so be able to look it up in a lexicon and understand its meaning. It works by identifying the minimum amount of information needed to recognise the form of a verb. This 'code-breaker' can be done in six steps. Except for the Hithpoel stem, it is almost always only the vowels of the verb that are important. As such, being able to interpret vowel patterns in verbs is the key to understanding verbs. The focus of this tool, therefore, is the vowel pattern of the prefix verb being analysed. The 3.m.s. ("he") form of the prefix verb is presented as the example in the analysis tables. However, any prefix verb can be analysed when using the tables. It can also be used to interpret the vowel patterns of:

•

Participles with prefixed ~ (mem): treat the mem as the subject prefix of the verb (replacing the yodh in the examples of the tool).

•

Infinitive Construct with '7 (lamed): with no extra prefix, treat lamed as the subject prefix (replacing

the yodh in the examples of the tool e.g., treat '7D7 the same way as 7\7). If there is a he prefixed after the lamed, ignore the lamed and treat the he as the subject prefix (e.g., treat '72777 the same way as 'p:, and 7p777 as '7p)

The Code-Breaker for Prefix verbs is a six-step procedure. There are some highly irregular or idiosyncratic verbs Which are not covered by this procedure. Instead, these odd verbs are listed in the Code Breaker for Peculiar

Verbs for your reference.

A Handy Tip Most of the prefix-verbs in Biblical narrative are Wayyiqtols, which come packaged with a wow progressive. This wow progressive is easily recognised by its form: such

a wow progressive, you

-1

(or

-l

before an aleph). Therefore, if you encounter

can assume that:

For the Hth 4± 5st important item is the prefix before the root. it ipael stew,, the mo

306

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

•

the verb you are dealing with is a Wayyiqtol;

and •

since Wayyiqtols use subject prefixes to denote the subject, the consonant immediately following the wow-consecutive will not be a root consonant but one of the four subject prefixes: \,1, 8 or 2.

Root Consonants

Subject Prefix

Waw Progressive

Note: There will be occasional exceptions to this pattern. This will occur •

when the sewa of an ordinary waw conjunction will follow the Rule of Sewa and mimic the short vowel in a following composite sewa (see $2.8);

or •

when a waw conjunction joins two (or more) words which together form a familiar compound phrase (see §5.1.5).

Elem entary Biblical Hebrew

307

Procedure for the Prefix-Verb Key Step 1: Isolate Waw Prefixes Determine whether the verb being analysed has a waw progressive or waw conjunction prefixed to it. If it does, it must be separated from the rest of the verb. In other words, you isolate the wow and the vowel beneath it, taking it away from the rest of the verb for the moment (you will need it again at the end of the process). This must be done because it is what comes after a prefixed wow that is the actual verb. The first letter of the verb now will be one of four subject prefix letters(', n, K or J).

Step 2: Identify the Primary Vowel Look at the first vowel-that is, the vowel beneath the prefix letter-and figure out what class of vowel it is (Aclass, I-class, O-class, or Sewa class) by using the Vowel Key.

Step 3: Consult the Prefix-Verb Key Going to the relevant vowel class section of the Prefix-Verb Key, find which forms in the Paradigm column have this same vowel as their first vowel. The Paradigm column is only designed to draw your eye to the correct general area of the verb. You may encounter a paradigm which has all the exact same vowels as the verb you are analysing in your text, but you may not. You are more likely to find an example which has the same first vowel (this is necessary) but slightly different vowels following. The important thing is to find forms with the right first vowel. You should then read what is significant about the paradigm(s) you have spotted in the

Significant Features column. This will tell you what is important about the particular paradigm and allow you to compare whether you have the same significant features in the verb you are analysing in your text.

Step 4: Classify the Verb Type Once you have matched the significant features of the paradigm with your verb, read the Description column. This tells you what type of verb you are dealing with. Read the Additional Notes (if there are any) to inform you further about your verb. With all this information, you should now be able to work out what the threeconsonant root of your verb is, and also which stem it is in. You might also like to consult the Checklist for

Missing Root Letters.

Step 5: Consult a Lexicon In a lexicon, look up the meaning of the root in the relevant stem. Then apply the person, gender and number of your verb to the root meaning.

Step 6: Derive the Translation Add any wawp?·s that were removed in Step 1 and determine the final translation in the larger context.

308

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Example of the Procedure Let's imagine that you encountered the verb 17~1 in a Hebrew text. Let's run through the six-step procedure.

Step 1: Isolate Waw Prefixes The verb 11 has a waw progressive which we must remove. This leaves us with I1 as a working form.

Step 2: Identify the Primary Vowel The first vowel of our verb I1 is a sere. According to the Vowel Key, this is an I-class vowel.

Step 3: Consult the Prefix-Verb Key In the I-class vowel section, there are four paradigms which have sere as their first vowel. We must now see what is significant about each of the four paradigms we have found as potential matches: Otl~ has a sere as its first vowel, but the other significant feature is a patah as the second vowel. This does not, therefore, fit the verb we are dealing with (1),

273] has a sere as its first vowel, but is also significant for the guttural (J) and qames vowel which follow it. It, too, does not fit the verb we are dealing with. 2" has a sere vowel but is followed by a yod which is the first consonant of the root. Since our verb does not have a yod following the sere, this example does not match.

" has a sere vowel and the first consonant of the root is missing. Since the yod at the front of our verb (17~) is just the subject prefix, we clearly have a missing root letter. This example, then, fits our verb perfectly.

Step 4: Classify the Verb Type The Description column tells us that our verb is in the Qal stem and that it is a l-waw verb. The Additional Notes tell us that we must look up I-Wow verbs in the lexicon under yodh (as though they were 1-Yodh verbs). The root of our verb, therefore, must be ✓1i'.

Step 5: Consult a Lexicon In the BOB lexicon,

T means to come down. Our form happens to be a 3ms form => he comes down.

Step 6: Derive the Tranlsation We can now add our waw progressive to our verb again. Since this confirms the verb as a Wayyi,. wl, we can translate our verb accordingly (and he came down), noting the narrative momentum which our ve.

produces.

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

309

Vowel

Key In the vowel key below, the square box(

□) is used generically to mark the place of a consonant.

A-class

0

C

I-class

r

r ..

....

..

O-class

'.J

;.-,

;

__,

T

Sewa Class

;

'·

□

Note: The first vowel in the O-class category (_) is qames hatup (not qames).

Once you have identified the class to which the initial vowel belongs, proceed to the relevant section in the following pages.

310

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

A-Class Vowels

u°

Paradigm

A-1

7my

Significant Features

Description

Patah + guttural {with vowel)+ I-class

Hiphil I-Guttural

vowel A-2

7iy:

Patah + guttural {with vowel) + O-

Additional Notes

Ill-He forms like t,p~J or i17"P,~ could Qa/ I-Guttural

be either Qal or Hiphil.

I

11uyy

r

Patah + guttural (with vowel), ending

II

~

class vowel (or shewa - e.g.,

A-3

11 Ii

Qa/ I-Guttural, Ill-He

in h

A-4

7p:

Patah followed by non-guttural

Hiphil Regular

..

771= \1.»

consonant A-5

T

A-6

;:a,,

A-7

7;

- T! T

Patah + res+ sewa

Qa/ Ill-He

Qame~ (or Qames hatup) + Guttural

Hophal I-Guttural

NB: This rule overlaps with 0-1.

Qames + I-class vowel

Qa/ 11-Yodh

Wayyiqtol:

Hiphil 11-Waw/Yoq'

NB: Final guttural forms like

Cp~J

,ob are

11-Waw/Yoq' for Qa/ or Hiphi/.

A-8

p;

Qames + 0-class vowel

Qa/11-Waw

Wayyiqtol: p ) NB: Qal Geminate forms like

.::ib'r!

which look like II-wow forms (e.g., ~.::i;i

Elem entary Biblical Hebrew

311

I-Class vowels paradigm

N° Ii

2

1-1!

Significant Features I-class vowel + dages in

next 1 etter +

patafJ

Description

Additional Notes

Qo/1-NOn or

NB: Qal Ill-He forms

Niphal Geminate

NB: hp!

I

/-/freq+ following yod

II

1-3

~ ✓np?. See Peculiar Verbs

no 12.

y

p =4

I 1-2

ke r

The significant yoq' (the 2° one) can be

Qo/J-Yoq'

missing due to defective spelling.

9p:

/-/freq+ dages + qames

If the verb looks like it has only two

Niphol Regular

root letters (e.g., nP), then it is probably a pausal form. cc> Treat the

II

11

qames as a patah (see 1-1). 14

9pr:

I-class vowel+ infixed taw (n)

Look for the extra consonant tow (n)

Hithpoel

rather than the vowels for this one.

II

NB: Forms like (e.g., ✓

1-5

wp:

1-6

pis:

Hireq + sewa

Qol Regular

/-/freq+ doges in next letter+ 0-class

Qo/ I-Nun or

vowel

ipr; are

II-Wow

c:ip).

II

.

Nipho/ II-Wow or Qo/ Geminate

"

1-7

;5

1-8

mn;

I-class vowel + segol

Qal III-He

Sere + patah

Qol Geminate or Qa/ 1-Waw with IllGuttural

(look

up

under Yod in lexicon).

1-9

27D •• T ••

1-10

7y

Sere + guttural + qame~

Niphal I-Guttural

Sere + following yod (yod of root

Hiphil 1-Yoq

missing due to defective spelling.

retained)

1-11

2p;

Sere + first consonant of root missing

The significant yoq' (the 2° one) can be

~7~ or ''J?~

Qal 1-Waw (look up

NB: Qal Ill-He forms like

under Yod in lexicon)

(see Peculiar Verbs n° 17 and 19).

Qo/ I-Guttural

NB: Qa/, Niphol and Hithpoel lcs usually start with ~- These particular forms

-

1-12

pTr I - .., ..

Segol + guttural

should be read as though starting with

--

~ (ie, with a f/ireq).
Locative He

A verb which conveys an action rather than a state of being. It usually implies that the verb is not => stative. => Volitive Suffix.

A term describing a particle which does not ff h d" cc"nt/stress. al rect thie preceling a •

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Energic

A term d , . . . escnbmg something that either imparts or is characterised

321

by

vigorous/energetic action. Finite Verb

An

action which «is ir·ited cl limite

according to

person,

tcto a particular r» l; ibj subject,

gender

and

number.

It

the afc d leclinable an d therefore

is

the

opposite

of

the

⇒ Infinitive verb. Geminate

A root in which the second and third root letters are effectively one doubled consonant (e.g.

Glide

✓:l:lO). The name geminate comes from Latin gemini ('twins').

The residual sound produced occasionally as one starts or finishes pronouncing a

the 'y' sound produced between c and u in cube (cf. Luke), or the 'w' sound produced between k and o in koala.

vowel sound. E.g., in Glottal Stop

its absence

A short pause in pronunciation produced by closing the epiglottis. This is the normal pronunciation value of the 'aleph (unless it is => quiescent 'aleph).

Grammar

The whole system of a language's own logic structures. It consists of such things are => morphology,

Guttural

⇒ syntax and => semantics.

The term given to the letters ~, Although the letter

i

i1, n

and

lJ,

which ordinarily cannot take dages.

is not technically a guttural, it often functions as a guttural

by rejecting dages. HALAT

=>HALOT

HALOT

Common abbreviation for The Hebrew-Aramaic lexicon of the Old Testament {ed. L. Koehler & W. Baumgartner; transl. M. E. J. Richardson; Brill, Leiden 1994). The original was published in German (known as HALAT).

Head Verb

A non-Weqatal verb, which opens a thought that is subsequently expanded by a=> Weqatal verb.

Hollow Root

A root in which the second => radical is a wow or yod which functions effectively as

a vowel, rather than a fully fledged consonant. The roots \7171, N7TI and V/TS are not hollow because their second radicals are fully fledged consonants.

Homonym

A word which has the same spelling or root as another word but with a different meaning or origin. E.g., bear (meaning a type of animal) and bear (meaning to

carry or hold up) are homonyms.

Imperative

Imperative He

An urgent command in the second person. E.g., Speak! The :::> vo/itive suffix attached to an => imperative verb. An older term for the => Yiqtol verb, which was viewed as indicating an

Imperfect uncompleted action. A grammatical state which leaves a =>substantive or ==> verb as undefined. When Indefinite

referring to verbs, it is synonymous to the => irrealis

⇒ mode.

322

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Independent Clause

A clause which makes sense in and of itself, without the need for another clause to complete its sense and meaning.

Infinitive

An indeclinable form of the verb which is not limited to a particular subject. It is often packaged with a preposition. E.g., Eating is good; or It is good to eat; or Use a fork when eating; or It is good for me to eat.

Inseparable Preposition A term describing the three prepositions , , and '7, which never appear as independent words, but which are always prefixed onto a noun/substantive. Intransitive

A term describing a verb whose action cannot have a direct object. E.g., / live. It does not make sense to say I live you (i.e., use a direct object), though you may say I live with you (i.e., use an indirect object). Opposite of => transitive.

lrrealis

Jussive

The verbal => mode that presents an action or state as => indefinite. It is effectively a synonym for => indefinite. A verb conveying an expression of will in the third or second person. E.g., He must speak! or let him speak! Second person jussives usually occur in negative statements.

Jussive He Kethib

The => volitive suffix attached to a => jussive verb. (Pron. keTIV; Lit: what is written) A term given to the consonantal form of a word as it appears within the Masoretic Text, but which should be read in a way other than what the consonants suggest. This may be due either to a spelling mistake or a tradition which demands a variant reading. In the Masoretic Text, the vowels that should be read (=> Qere) are supplied on the consonantal form (the Kethib).

Labial

A term describing those consonants that are pronounced using the lips: .:i, ~ and :. They are also known as bumap or bump letters (based on acronyms that use the three labial consonants). A waw conjunction will take the form l when preceding a labial consonant.

Lexicon Locative He

A dictionary which gives the translation of words from one language to another. An => enclitic he suffixed to a word in order to indicate movement towards the word (e.g., 7il, tg there). It performs the same kind of function as the preposition "8 (to). It is also known as Directive He or Directional He.

LXx

Mappiq

=> Septuagint

A dot placed in a final

he

to distinguish it as a full consonant to be pronounced

(rather than as a silent ==> mater lectionis). Sometimes spelled mappeq. Maqqep

A dash which connects two Hebrew words. It demonstrates that the two words are closely related. Many prepositions are often connected to the following word with

a maqqep (e.g., Di777!), as are words in the => construct state

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Masorah

323

Scribal notes wr

. n ten by the Masoretes, intended for consistency in transmission of

the Ma

Soretic {

written .

h

ext. In

⇒

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia they appear as notes

In the m;

argins and footers of the Biblical text.

Masoretic Text

The text of th as th e Hebrew Bible pointed and preserved by a group of scribes known : B'bl e Masorete: s, and which has now become the standard text of the Hebrew 1 e. It is based Biblio Upon Codex Leningradensis B19A (L) and is the text used for the 1

Mater Lectionis

ia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. It is also represented by the symbol 21K.

(pl. matres lecticonis)·;) One of three consonants (71, ), ) that sometimes . act as a vowel or a vowel carrier.

Metathesis

The phenomenon in which two letters swap places in a word to ease pronunciation.

Meteg

(Lit: bridle) A small stroke placed beside a vowel to indicate full pronunciation of the vowel. It is commonly found beside a qames vowel to indicate that it should be pronounced as a qames ('a' vowel) rather than a qames hatup ('o' vowel).

Middle

That voice of the verb indicating that the subject is involved in the consequences of the verbal action.

Mode

A particular presentation of verbs that directs the reader to adopt a particular view or attitude towards the action or state of the verb. Biblical Hebrew has two basic modes: (1) definite (or realis); and (2) indefinite (irrealis). Mode is sometimes referred to as 'modality' or 'mood', though these terms can mean different things when applied to other languages. This book understands Biblical Hebrew verbs in terms of mode.

Morphology Narrative Momentum

A term describing the way individual words receive their particular form.

The

progression

of

a

narrative

as

conveyed

=> Wayyiqtol verb produces narrative momentum, while

by

the

verbs.

Each

every => Qatal verb halts

it. Narrative Reference Point Northwest Semitic

The point in a plot to ·which a narrative moves with each => Wayyiqtol verb. It represents the current step in a plot. The broad family of languages to which Biblical Hebrew belongs. Other languages in this family include => Phoenician, => Aramaic, and Moabite.

Noun

A word that denotes someone or something, and which may act as a subject or an object of a verb. A => substantive.

Object

The substantive that receives the action of a verb and which is not also the subject of the verb. A direct object receives the action directly (e.g., He threw the ball to her), whereas an indirect object is involved in the action indirectly (e.g., He threw the ball to her). An indirect object is usually be preceded by a preposition.

Open Syll. :!e

A syllable that does not end with a consonant.

324

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Orthography Paradigm

Paragogic He Participle

A term describing the conventions used in spelling and writing. A standard example demonstrating grammatical forms, and which may be used as a general model. => Volitive Suffix.

A verbal adjective-that is, a verbal root packaged as an adjective. It portrays an action as a process (adverbial), or characterises a substantive by that specific process {adjectival). E.g.,/ am speaking (adverbial) or/ am the speaker (adjectival).

Particle

A small word, or letter(s) that may add to the meaning of a wor.d. E.g., the prefixed preposition {and) is considered a conjunctive particle.

1

Passive

Pausal Form

The voice of the verb where the subject is receiving an action, as opposed to performing the action. E.g., he was killed {as opposed to he killed). The form that a word takes when it is the final word of a sentence or major structural unit. Since the text is meant to be chanted in a synagogue, final words of a sentence tend to resonate longer. Hence, the accented syllable in the final word of a sentence tends to be long, often longer than would normally be expected if

the text were not chanted. Such a word 'in pause' will commonly employ a qames vowel where it would otherwise be unexpected. E.g., T]'7 (to you [m.s.]) goes to T7'7 (to you [m.s.]) when in pause. The meaning remains unaffected. Penultimate; Penultima

The second last syllable of a word.

Perfect

An old term for the => Qatal conjugation, which was viewed as indicating a completed action.

Phoenician

The language of the ancient Phoenician city states (e.g., Tyre, Sidon) on the coast of modern-day Lebanon and Syria. It belongs to the => Northwest Semitic family of languages and, therefore, has many affinities with Hebrew. Hebrew was originally written in the Phoenician alphabet, though it later adopted the => Aramaic alphabet.

Phrase

A group of words within a clause which together form a meaningful unit. E.g., prepositional phrase, construct phrase.

Plene

A term describing the full use of => matres Jectionis in spelling. Opposite to => defective spelling. Latin for 'full'.

Pointed; Pointing Predicate Prefix

A text that includes vowel markings; the inclusion of vowel markings. That which is asserted about the subject. The addition of a letter or particle to the beginning of a word.

Prefix Verbal

A type of verb which employs (or is based upon) the use of a => subject prefix to

Conjugation · ·

· fc ·ti ib • convey information about its subject (e.g,, => Yiqtols, => Wayyiqtols, => J lUS ssIves > etc).

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Preformative Preposition

325

=> Subject Prefix

A Word or particle that specifies a relationship between two entities, or the location or timing of something. E.g., in, on, before, after, etc.

Preterite

A label given to the ancient Semitic 'short' verb yiqtul, from which the = Wayyiqtol is derived.

Pretonic

The syllable immediately before the => tonic (stressed/accented) syllable.

Proclitic

A term describing a particle which does not affect the subsequent stress/accent.

Pronoun

A noun indicating person. E.g., /, he, she, it, they.

Pronominal Suffix

A suffix that contains a pronoun. Such suffixes indicate either the direct object of a verb (e.g., me) or the possessor of something (e.g., my).

Propretonic

The syllable immediately before the => pretonic syllable, and two before the =>

tonic (stressed/accented) syllable. Protasis

The condition in a conditional sentence; the clause beginning 'if in an 'if...then .. .' sentence.

Qatal

⇒ apodosis.

A suffix verbal conjugation which conveys an action of focused significance that halts narrative momentum. It beckons the reader/listener to stop and consider an action in greater detail. Formerly understood as the => Perfect.

Qenemlui

The consonants D, J, 11, '7, 1and " which, in the Piel and Pual stems, sometimes reject the dages forte (as do the => sibilant consonants).

Qere

(Pron. keRAY) Literally,

what is reod.

A term given to what is actually read when a

= Kethib form is encountered in the Masoretic Text. The vowels to be read are attached to the Kethib form, but the consonants are written in the Masorah notes along the margin. (= Kethib) Quiescent 'Aleph

An 'aleph that closes a syllable. In such circumstances, the silent sewa that should 'aleph is never written, because the 'aleph is not vocalised (e.g., accompany the , C isequently, the 'aleph itself is not pronounced (i.e., there is no

pN) or s oiottat stop) Radical

Rea/is

or a root consonant. Another name f

de that presents an action or state as =s definite. It is effectively a The verbal z> mo for⇒ definite. synony m

Reciprocal

middle voice, in which the subject participates in an action with th A nuance of e ==> ne/thing else. E.g., they fought with eoch other is a reciprocal itself or with some9 verb. ddle voice, in which the subject of the verb is also the object.

Reflexive

A nuance O

fthe ==> TT

·11ed himself.

E.g., He kd

326

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Root

A combination of three consonants that convey a particular concept, to which vowels and/or consonants can be added to obtain more specific nuances of that concept. Each consonant in the root is known as a root consonant or=> radical.

Semantic

A term describing the way meaning is derived from words within a language. Thus, 'semantic range' refers to the range of different nuances and meanings a word may have.

Separable Preposition

A term describing the preposition ]l), which may appear as an independent word, but which may also appear in a form prefixed to a noun/substantive.

Septuagint

The Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, made in Egypt c.200-100 bce, which became the standard text of the Bible used by Diaspora Jews in Roman times. It is usually abbreviated to LXX or represented by the symbol •

Sewa

Sibilant

A notation beneath a consonant indicating the lack of a specific vowel. => silent sewa; => vocal sewa; => composite sewa. The consonants t, D, S, D> and DU, which are all variations on an essential 'hissing' sound. Along with the => qenemlui consonants, these sometimes reject the dages forte in the Piel and Pua/ stems, and will experience => metathesis in the Hithpael stem.

Silent Sewa

A sewa that is not pronounced at all. It will be the fourth item in a syllable.

Stative

A verb which conveys a state of being rather than an action. It usually implies that the verb is not z> dynamic.

Stem

One of the seven verbal conjugation in Hebrew (Qal, Niphal, Piel, Pual, Hiphil, Hophal, Hithpael).

Strong Verb Subject

A verb whose root contains no weak consonants. The entity that performs the action or state of a verb. It may be expressly stated, or simply implied by the person, gender and number of the verb.

Subject Prefix

In a verb, one of four consonants (",11, 8 or J) added to the front of a verbal root to indicate the person, gender and number of the subject. They are not used in a => suffix verbal conjugation. They are sometimes known as preformatives.

Subject Suffix

In a verb, a letter or combination of combinations of letters attached after the verbal root to indicate the person, gender and number of the subject. They are sometimes known as sufformatives or afformatives.

Substantive

Subordinate Clause

Any word that functioning as name or label to a person or thing (e.g., a noun, pronoun, adjective, participle, infinitive). A clause which requires an => independent clause to complete its sense and meaning. E.g., the underlined clause in the sentence, David is the man who sits on the thrane.

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Suffix suffix Verbal conjugation Syntax

327

The addin; 1

ion of a letter or particle to the end of a word.

A type 0 f verb Which employs (or is based upon) the use of a => verb suffix alone to convey information about its subject (the => Qatal and

⇒ Weqatal conjugations).

A term describing the way words and phrases relate to each other to produce meaning within a language.

Tense

A presentation of verbs that defines the actions or state according to its timing (e.g. past, present, future). Older grammars understood Biblical Hebrew verbs to have tense, but few grammarians still hold to this view. Most grammarians today view Biblical Hebrew verbs according to => mode or⇒

Tetragrammaton Theme Vowel Tonic Transitive

The divine name consisting of four consonants: ;,,;,\ The changeable vowel preceding the final root letter in a verb. The syllable which carries the stress/accent.

A term describing a verb whose action can have a direct object. E.g., / eat; to this verb may be added a direct object, such as

Transliteration Ugaritic

aspect.

I eat fruit. Opposite of => intransitive.

Writing Hebrew letters in English script. The language of ancient Ugarit (mod. Ras Shamra) on the coast of modern-day

⇒ Northwest Semitic language

Syria. It was a

and, therefore, had many affinities

with Hebrew and => Phoenician. It did not, however, employ the Phoenician alphabet, but rather an alphabet in => cuneiform script.

Ultimate; Ultima Unaccented Syllable

Un pointed

The final syllable of a word. Any syllable within a word that is not stressed when pronounced. A text that has no vowels marked. Also known as a

consonantal text

or form. (=>

Pointed; Pointing) Verb

Vocal Sewa

A word denoting an action or a state of being. A 5ewa that is given a very short pronunciation, similar to the

e in cinema, or the i

in family.

Vocalic

'bing something which draws the accent to itself. A term d lescfl

ifying the Voice

role of the subject within a verb. E.g., => active,

A term clas5l

:.

=> passive, OF

= middle.

expressing will

Volitive

Any ve rb

s Cohortative

or a command

(=> Jussive;

⇒ Imperative;

or

328

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Volitive Suffix

This is an otherwise extraneous he, suffixed to a volitive verb, which adds more

emphasis to the expressed will. The form is Tl--. Also known as emphatic he or T

paragogic he.

Waw Consecutive

One of two former labels given to the⇒ wow progressive (-l) with which the

⇒

Woyyiqto/ comes packaged. It was formerly understood to indicate the next consecutive action in time. => Waw Conversive. Waw Conversive

One of two former labels given to the => waw progressive, with which the

Woyyiqto/ comes packaged. The Woyyiqtol was formerly understood to be an

⇒ ⇒

Imperfect (=> Yiqtol) verb, and the prefixed waw (-l) was seen as inverting the tense of the Imperfect.⇒ Waw Consecutive.

Waw Progressive

A wow particle with which the => Wayyiqtol comes packaged. It has the specific function of producing narrative momentum. Formerly understood as a consecutive or => waw conversive.

Wayyiqtol

⇒ wow

A prefix verbal conjugation which conveys an action that produces narrative momentum. It beckons the reader/listener to move with the action and so creates a new => narrative reference point. Formerly understood as the (=> Yiqtol) with

⇒ Imperfect

⇒ wow consecutive or ⇒ wow conversive (=> Consecutive

Imperfect). Weak Verb

A verb whose root contains at least one consonant which may act irregularly in certain verb forms. It indicates that the verb is not a=>strong verb.

Weqatal

A suffix verbal conjugation which conveys an action that is => adjunctive to a previous action. The previous action is indicated by a => head verb that opens a thought. The Weqatal verb then expands this thought, but sustains the focus of the head verb. Formerly understood as the

⇒

Perfect (=> Qatal) with

⇒ wow

consecutive or => waw conversive (=> Consecutive Perfect).

Yiqtol

A prefix verbal conjugation which conveys a generalised or non-concrete action It may provide verbal 'scenery' within which other actions may occur. It has neutral narrative momentum. Formerly understood as the ⇒ Imperfect.

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

329

Difficulty Level of Biblical Texts One of the best ways to keep up your level of Hebrew knowledge is to translate Hebrew texts. The books of the Hebrew Bible present a large treasury of texts to work through. But where should you start? The following list gives some indication about the difficulty level of each book in the Hebrew Bible. Where possible, we have indicated units within a book which have a markedly different difficulty level to the rest of the book. This is a rough guide and is somewhat subjective in that it represents our personal opinion. However, it might provide some guidance about the 'landscape' of biblical texts.

Book

Difficulty

El El El El El El El El

Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Samuel Kings

El

Isaiah

E El

Jeremiah

El El E E E

~ Ezekiel ,.._Hosea Joel ,.__

--

Amos

D

r---.

Obadiah

E

Jonah r---.

D

Micah

t---

Nahum

-

E

n--

a

Basic

El

Intermediate

E

Hard

Comments Gen 49

EJ

Exod 15, 25-30, 35-40

El

om 2s-24 E] Deut 32-33

El

is s EI 2 Sam 1.19-27

El

2 sam 22,23.1-7 E]

In general, the first half of the book is harder than the second. Prose sections

a

Prophetic Prose

EJ

Poetry

El

330

Elem entary Biblical Hebrew

Habakkuk Zephaniah Haggai

E E E

Zechariah

E

Malachi

E E E

Psalms Proverbs Job Song of Songs Ruth Lamentations Qohelet* Esther Daniel Ezra Nehemiah Chronicles

E E

II E E II E

D D D

Some Psalms especially early on

Job 1-2, 42.7-17

oeo : pD

cE

IJ

(Dan 2.4b - 7.28 is in Aramaic)

(Ezra 4.8- 6.18; 7.12-26 is in Aramaic)

*Qohelet is also known as Ecclesiastes

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Word Bank

331

332

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

Word Bank LEXICAL FORM

UNIT TYPE

GLOSS

3

m.

21

verb

17

f.

10

n.pr.

1i8

2

m.

lord, master, sir

TN

2

m.

man, human, humanity

7

24

n.pr

Edom

2

f.

24

n.gent.

2718 - T

21

verb

5r

4

m.

i

19

conj.

i8

17

m.

light, light source. (pl.: niii~)

p

11

f

ear; segholate. (al.: 1]TN)

TR

10

m.

brother, kinsman; geminate. (pl.:

77

18

adj. (m.)

nirs

10

f

T28 - T

Oili.:l~ T T : -

TT

71HT8 T T:

T

T :

T

17T - T

father (irreg. pl.: ni::l~) G: to perish, be lost (1-'a/eph). 1.;l~,

stone, rock (item); segholate (A-class) (pl.:

verb

ground, earth (terra firma) Edomite G: to love, be loyal to (1-'a/eph). tent; segholate (O-c/ass) (pl.:

::liJ~, ::liJ~~, .:liJ~~j

0'Si1~) T T:

or

O'!J~)

one (single, solitary, same) sister, kinswoman. (pl.: ni'n~) T =;

G: to grab, seize (1-'a/eph).

rn~, inK\ -

7778

t:r~_;l~)

Abraham

•

21

1.;lK\ 1.;lK~J

12

adj.

R - - /·1nR .. -: -

5

prep.

nr: r~

18

adj. (f.)

one (single, solitary, same)

10

in terr.

where?

18

ptcp.

enemy (pl.:

10

in terr.

how?

4

m.

other after, behind, at the back of

0':;:l~~)

ram; contract (pl.:

0'~'~)

T

••

rm~;, '.'

-

Elementary Biblical Hebrew

333


,

object, vessel, piece of equipment, thing (tangible). (pl.:

O.,~_;.,)