Bible Lexicons

1. According to §26m a half-syllable, i.e. a consonant with Š^ewâ mobile (always weakened from a short vowel), can only occur in close dependence on a full syllable. If another half-syllable with simple Š^ewâ follows, the first takes a full short vowel again.^[1] This vowel is almost always Ḥireq. In most cases it is probably an attenuation of an original ă, and never a mere helping vowel. In some instances analogy may have led to the choice of the ĭ. Thus, according to §102d, the prefixes בְּ‎, כְּ‍‎, לְ‎ before a consonant with Š^ewâ mobile become בִּ‎, כִּ‍‎, לִ‎, e.g. בִּפְרִי‎, כִּפְרִי‎, לִפְרִי‎; before יְ‎ they are pointed as in בִּֽיהוּרָה‎ (from bi-yeh^edûā, according to §24c); so too with Wāw copulative, e.g. וִֽיהוּרָה‎ for וִיְ׳‎ attenuated from וַי׳‎. The first half- syllable, after the restoration of the short vowel, sometimes combines with the second to form a firmly closed syllable, e.g. לִנְפֹּל‎ Numbers 14:3 for lĭn^ephōl, and so almost always in the infin. constr. after ל‎ (§45g); in isolated cases also with כְ‍‎, as כִּזְכֹּר‎ Jeremiah 17:2.

2. If a guttural with Ḥaṭeph follows, the original ă of the prefixes is retained before Ḥaṭeph Pathaḥ, but before Ḥaṭeph S^eghol or Ḥaṭeph Qameṣ it is modified to the short vowel contained in the Ḥaṭeph. Thus arise the vowel groups ־ַֽ ־ֲ‎, ־ֶֽ ־ֱ‎, ־ָֽ ־ֳ‎, e.g. וַֽאֲנִי‎ and I, כַּֽאֲשֶׁר‎ as, לַֽעֲבֹד‎ to serve, לֶֽאֱכֹל‎ to eat, לָֽחֳלִי‎ in sickness. On the Metheg with every such short vowel, see §16f, δ. Sometimes here also a fully closed syllable is formed. In such a case, the prefix takes the short vowel, which would have belonged to the suppressed Ḥaṭeph, e.g. לַחְטֹב‎ for לַֽחֲטֹב‎; לַחְמָם‎ Isaiah 47:14 for לַֽחֲמָם‎ (see §67cc); לֶאְסֹר‎ but also לֶֽאֱסֹר‎; and even וַעְצֹר‎ Job 4:2, cf. Genesis 32:16. So always in the Infin. and Imperat. Qal of the verbs הָיָה‎ to be and הָיָה‎ to live, e.g. לִֽהְיוֹת‎ to be, וִֽהְיוּ‎ and be ye; even with מִן‎, as מִֽהְיוֹת‎, on which cf. §102b; but וֶֽהְיֵה‎ and be, וֶֽחְֽיֵה‎ and live, have ĕ instead of ĭ under the prefix. For the Metheg, cf. §16f, ε.

3. When a Ḥaṭeph in the middle of a word, owing to flexional changes, would stand before a vocal Š^ewâ, it is changed into the short vowel, with which it is compounded. This applies especially to cases in which the Ḥaṭeph stands under a guttural instead of quiescent Š^ewâ, as an echo of the preceding short vowel, e.g. יַֽעֲמֹד‎ he will stand (for יַעְמֹד‎), but plur. יַעֽמֲדוּ‎ for ya^am^edhû, and נֶֽהֶֽפְכוּ‎ for nĕh^äph^ekhû (they have turned themselves), פָּֽעָלְךָ‎ thy work, cf. §26k. The syllables are to be divided yăʿă-m^edhû, and the second ă is to be regarded exactly as the helping Pathaḥ in נַ֫עַד‎, &c.^[2]

4. At the end of words, syllables occur which close with two consonants (§10i, §26r), but only when the latter of the two is an emphatic consonant (ט‎, ק‎) or a tenuis (viz. בּ‎, דּ‎, ךּ‎, תּ‎^[3]), e.g. יֵשְׂטְ‎ let him turn aside, וַיַּשְׁקְ‎ and he caused to drink, אָמַ֫רְתְּ‎ thou (fem.) hast said, וַיֵּבְךְּ‎ and he wept, וְיֵרְדְּ‎ and let him have dominion, וַוִּשְׁבְּ‎ and he took captive.

This harsh ending is elsewhere avoided by the Masora,^[4] which inserts between the two final consonants a helping vowel, usually S^eghôl, but with medial or final gutturals a Pathaḥ,^[5] and after י‎ a Ḥireq, e.g. וַיִּ֫גֶל‎ and he revealed, for wayyigl; יִ֫רֶב‎ let it multiply, for yirb; קֹ֫דֶשׁ‎ holiness, ground-form qudš; נַ֫חַל‎ brook, ground-form naḥl; שָׁלַ֫חַתְּ‎^[6]for שָׁלַחְתְּ‎ thou hast sent; בַּ֫יִת‎ house, ground-form bayt. These helping vowels are, however, to be regarded as exactly like furtive Pathaḥ (§22f, g); they do not alter the monosyllabic character of the forms, and they disappear before formative suffixes, e.g. קָדְשִׁ֫י‎ my holiness, בַּ֫יְתָה‎ home-ward.

5. On the rise of a full vowel in place of a simple Š^ewâ, under the influence of the pause, see §29m; on initial אֵ‎ for אֱ‎, see §23h.