Bible Lexicons

Cf. the statistics collected by H. Petri, Das Verbum mit Suffixen im Hebr., part ii, in the נביאים ראשנים‎, Leipzig, 1890. W. Diehl, Das Pronomen pers. suff.... des Hebr., Giessen, 1895. J. Barth, ‘Beiträge zur Suffixlehre des Nordsem.,’ AJSL. xvii (1901), p. 205 f. Brockelmann, Semit. Sprachwiss., i. 159 f.; Grundriss, p. 638 ff.

1. The pronominal suffixes appended to the verb express the accusative of the personal pronoun. They are the following:—

2. That these suffixes are connected with the corresponding forms of the personal pronoun (§ 32) is for the most part self-evident, and only a few of them require elucidation.

The suffixes נִי‎, נוּ‎, הוּ‎, הָ‎ (and ךָ‎, when a long vowel in an open syllable precedes) never have the tone, which always rests on the preceding syllable; on the other hand, כֶם‎ and הֶם‎ always take the tone.

In the 3rd pers. masc. ־ָ֫ הוּ‎, by contraction of a and u after the rejection of the weak ה‎, frequently gives rise to ô (§23k), ordinarily written וֹ‎, much less frequently הֹ‎ (see §7c). In the feminine, the suffix הָ‎ should be pronounced with a preceding a (cf. below, f, note), as ־ָ֫ הָ‎ or ־ֶ֫ הָ‎, on the analogy of āhû; instead of ־ָ֫ הָ‎, however, it was simply pronounced ־ָהּ‎, with the rejection of the final vowel, and with Mappiq, since the ה‎ is consonantal; but the weakening to ־ָה‎ is also found, see below, g.

3. The variety of the suffix-forms is occasioned chiefly by the fact that they are modified differently according to the form and tense of the verb to which they are attached. For almost every suffix three forms may be distinguished:

(a) One beginning with a consonant, as ־֫נִי‎, ־֫הוּ‎, ו‎ (only after î), ־֫נוּ‎, ם (הֶם)‎, &c. These are attached to verbal forms which end with a vowel, e.g. יִקְטְל֫וּנִי‎; קְטַלְתִּ֫יהוּ‎, for which by absorption of the ה‎ we also get קְטַלְתִּיו‎, pronounced q^eṭaltîu; cf. §8m.

(b) A second and third with what are called connecting vowels^[2] (־ַ֫ נִי‎, ־ֵ֫ נִי‎), used with verbal forms ending with a consonant (for exceptions, see §59g and §60e). This connecting vowel is a with the forms of the perfect, e.g. קְטָלַ֫נִי‎, קְטָלָ֫נוּ‎, קְטָלָם‎ (on קְטָלֵךְ‎, the ordinary form of the 3rd masc. perf. with the 2nd fem. suffix, cf. below, g); and e (less frequently a) with the forms of the imperfect and imperative, e.g. יִקְטְלֵ֫הוּ‎, קָטְלֵם‎; also with the infinitive and participles, when these do not take noun-suffixes (cf. §61a and h). The form וֹ‎ also belongs to the suffixes of the perfect, since it has arisen from ־ָ֫ הוּ‎ (cf., however, §60d). With ךָ‎, כֶם‎, the connecting sound is only a vocal Š^ewâ, which has arisen from an original short vowel, thus ־ְךָ‎, ־ְכֶם‎, e.g. קְטָֽלְךָ‎ (q^eṭāl^ekhā), or when the final consonant of the verb is a guttural, ־ֲךָ‎, e.g. שְׁלָֽחֲךָ‎. In pause, the original short vowel (ă) reappears as S^eghôl with the tone ־ֶ֫ ךָ‎ (also ־ָ֫ ךְ‎, see g). On the appending of suffixes to the final וּן‎ of the imperfect (§47m), see §60e.

Rem. 1. As rare forms may be mentioned sing. 2nd pers. masc. ־ְכָה‎ Genesis 27:7, 1 Kings 18:44, &c., in pause also ־ֶ֫ כָּה‎ (see below, i); fem. כִי‎, ־ֵ֫ כִי‎ Psalms 103:4, Psalms 137:6. Instead of the form ־ֵךְ‎, which is usual even in the perfect (e.g. Judges 4:20, Ezekiel 27:26), ־ָךְ‎ occurs as fem. Isaiah 60:9 (as masc. Deuteronomy 6:17, Deuteronomy 28:45, Isaiah 30:19, Isaiah 55:5 always in pause); with Munaḥ Isaiah 54:6, Jeremiah 23:37.—In the 3rd masc. הֹ‎ Exodus 32:25, Numbers 23:8; in the 3rd fem. ־ָה‎ without Mappîq (cf. §91e) Exodus 2:3, Jeremiah 44:19; Amos 1:11, with retraction of the tone before a following tone-syllable, but read certainly שָׁמַר לָנֶ֫צַח‎.—The forms ־֫מוֹ‎, ־ָ֫ מוֹ‎, ־ֵ֫ מוֹ‎ occur 23 times, all in poetry^[3] (except Exodus 23:31) [viz. with the perfect Exodus 15:10, Exodus 23:31, Psalms 73:6; with the imperfect Exodus 15:5 (מוּ‎ for מוֹ‎), Exodus 15:79912151717, Psalms 2:5, Psalms 21:1013, Psalms 22:5, Psalms 45:17, Psalms 80:6, Psalms 140:10; with the imperative Psalms 5:11, Psalms 59:1212, Psalms 83:12]. On the age of these forms, see §91l 3; on ־ַן‎ and ־ָן‎ as suffixes of the 3rd fem. plur. of the imperfect, §60d.—In Genesis 48:9 קָֽחֶם־נָא‎ (cf. וַיַּכֶּם־שָׁם‎ 1 Chronicles 14:11 according to Baer), ־ֵם‎ has lost the tone before Maqqeph and so is shortened to ־ֶם‎.—In Ezekiel 44:8 וַתְּשִׂימוּן‎ is probably only an error for וַתְּשִׂימוּם‎.

2. From a comparison of these verbal suffixes with the noun-suffixes (§ 91) we find that (a) there is a greater variety of forms amongst the verbal than amongst the noun-suffixes, the forms and relations of the verb itself being more various;—(b) the verbal suffix, where it differs from that of the noun, is longer; cf. e.g. ־֫נִי‎, ־ַ֫ נִי‎, ־ֵ֫ נִי‎ (me) with ־ִי‎ (my). The reason is that the pronominal object is less closely connected with the verb than the possessive pronoun (the genitive) is with the noun; consequently the former can also be expressed by a separate word (את‎ in אֹתִי‎, &c.).

4. A verbal form with a suffix gains additional strength, and sometimes intentional emphasis, when, instead of the mere connecting vowel, a special connecting-syllable^[4] (ăn)^[5] is inserted between the suffix and the verbal stem. Since, however, this syllable always has the tone, the ă is invariably (except in the 1st pers. sing.) modified to tone-bearing S^eghôl. This is called the Nûn energicum^[6] (less suitably demonstrativum or epentheticum), and occurs principally (see, however, Deuteronomy 32:10 bis) in pausal forms of the imperfect, e.g. יְבָֽרֲכֶֽנְהוּ‎ he will bless him (Psalms 72:15, cf. Jeremiah 5:22), אֶתְּקֶ֫נְךָּ‎ Jeremiah 22:24; יְכַ֫בְּדָ֥נְנִי‎ he will honour me (Psalms 50:23) is unusual; rarely in the perfect, Deuteronomy 24:13 בֵּֽרְכֶךָּ‎. On examples like דָּנַ֫נִּי‎ Genesis 30:6, cf. §26g, §59f. In far the greatest number of cases, however, this Nûn is assimilated to the following consonant (נ‍‎, כ‍‎), or the latter is lost in pronunciation (so ה‎), and the Nûn consequently sharpened. Hence we get the following series of suffix-forms:— 1st pers. ־ַ֫ נִּי‎ (even in pause, Job 7:14, &c.), ־ֶ֫ נִּי‎ (for ־ַ֫ נְנִי‎, ־ֶ֫ נְנִי‎).

2nd pers. ־ֶ֫ ךָּ‎ (Jeremiah 22:24 in pause ־ֶנְךָּ‎) and, only orthographically different,

־ֶ֫ כָּה‎ (Isaiah 10:24, Proverbs 2:11 in pause).

3rd pers. ־ֶ֫ נּוּ‎ (for ־ֶ֫ נְהוּ‎),^[7] fem. ־ֶ֫ נָּה‎ for ־ֶ֫ נְהָ‎.

[1st pers. plur. ־ֶ֫ נּוּ‎ (for ־ֶ֫ נְנוּ‎), see the Rem.]

In the other persons Nûn energetic does not occur.

Rem. The uncontracted forms with Nûn are rare, and occur only in poetic or elevated style (Exodus 15:2, Deuteronomy 32:10 [bis], Jeremiah 5:22, Jeremiah 22:24); they are never found in the 3rd fem. sing. and 1st plur. On the other hand, the contracted forms are tolerably frequent, even in prose. An example of ־ֶ֫ נּוּ‎ as 1st plur. occurs perhaps in Job 31:15 [but read ־ֵנוּ‎ and cf. §72cc], hardly in Hosea 12:5; cf. הִנֶּ֫נּוּ‎ behold us, Genesis 44:16, Genesis 50:18, Numbers 14:40 for הִנְנוּ‎ (instead of הִנְּנוּ‎; see §20m).—In Ezekiel 4:12 the Masora requires תְּעֻגֶ֫נָה‎, without Dageš in the Nûn.

That the forms with Nûn energicum are intended to give greater emphasis to the verbal form is seen from their special frequency in pause. Apart from the verb, however, Nûn energicum occurs also in the union of suffixes with certain particles (§100o).

This Nûn is frequent in Western Aramaic. In Arabic the corresponding forms are the two energetic moods (see §48b) ending in an and anna, which are used in connexion with suffixes (e.g. yaqtulan-ka or yaqtulanna-ka) as well as without them.