Bible Lexicons

So far as א‎ retains its full consonantal value as a guttural, these verbs share all the peculiarities of verbs primae gutturalis, mentioned in § 63. They are, however, to be treated as weak verbs, when the א‎ loses its value as a consonant, and coalesces with the preceding vowel (originally short) to form one long syllable. This takes place only in the following very common verbs and forms, as if through phonetic decay:—

1. In the imperfect Qal, five verbs (viz. אָבַד‎ to perish, אָבָה‎ to be willing, אָכַל‎ to eat, אָמַד‎ to say, אָפָה‎ to bake) regularly make the א‎ quiesce in a long ô, e.g. יֹאכַל‎.^[1] In a few others the ordinary (strong) form is also in use, as יֹאחֵז‎ (18 times) and יֶֽאֱחֹז‎ (3 times) he takes hold; יׄסֵף‎ (see h), also יֶֽאֱסֹף‎, he collects. This ô has primarily arisen from an obscuring of ô (§9q), and the â from ־ַאְ‎, the weak consonant א‎ coalescing with ă to â; cf. §23a.

In the second syllable ō (for original ŭ) never appears, but either ē^[2] or ă; and in pause almost always ē, even before the tone-bearing heavy afformative וּן‎, e.g. יֽאֹכֵלוּן‎ Deuteronomy 18:1, without the pause יֹֽאכְלוּן‎ Deuteronomy 4:28. In the 3rd sing. masc. and 1st sing. of אָמַר‎, however, ă is always retained in pause, יֹאמַ֫ר‎ and אֹמַ֫ר‎; but in the 2nd masc. תֹּאמֵ֑ר‎ 1 Kings 5:20, in the 3rd fem. תֹּאמַֽר‎ Proverbs 1:21; in the plural יֹאמֵ֑רוּ‎ Jeremiah 5:2, Psalms 145:611, תֹּאמֵ֫רוּ‎ Jeremiah 23:38, with S^egolta; cf. also תּאֹכַֽל‎ 1 Samuel 1:7, &c. But with conjunctive accents in the body of the sentence, ă (as being a lighter vowel) is used, e.g. תֹּאבַ֖ד לָעַֽד‎ Psalms 9:19, but in pause תּאֹבֵֽד‎ Psalms 1:6; cf. a similar interchange of ē and ă in §65c. The 3rd fem. plur. impf. always has the form תֹּאכַ֫לְנָה‎ Zechariah 11:9.

When the tone moves back, the final syllable of the imperfects of אָבַד‎ and אָכַל‎, with a conjunctive accent, also always takes Pathaḥ, e.g. יֹ֣אבַד יוֹם‎ Job 3:3, וַיּ֫אֹכַל‎ and he did eat; in אָמַר‎ the loss of the tone from the final syllable only occurs in the form with wāw consecutive (but never in the 1st sing. וָֽאֹמַר‎; cf. וָֽאֹכַל‎), and then the final syllable, if without the pause, always takes S^eghôl, וַ֫יֹּאמֶר‎ and he said (except וַתֹּ֫אמַר לוֹ‎ Proverbs 7:13).

In pause, however, the imperfect consecutive (except the 1st pers. of אָכַל‎, see below) always has the form וַיֹּאכַ֫ל‎ (but plur. always יֹאכֵ֫לוּ‎, וַיֹּאכֵ֫לוּ‎), וַיֹּאמַ֫ר‎; except וַיֹּ֫אמַר‎ in the poetic portion of the book of Job, as 3:2, 4:1, &c., but not in 32:6, in the middle of the verse. The weak imperfect of אָחַז‎ is always יֹאחֵז‎ and וַיֹּאחֶז‎, but in the 1st sing., according to §49e, וָֽאֹחֵ֫ז‎ Judges 20:6; cf. וָֽאֹכֵ֫ל‎ Genesis 3:1213 in pause.—אָבָה‎ and אָפָה‎ are, at the same time, verbs ל״ה‎, hence imperfect יֹּאבֶה‎ (§75c).

Before light suffixes the vowel of the second syllable becomes vocal Šewâ, as יֹֽאכְלֵם‎, תֹּֽאכְלֶ֫נּוּ‎ but תֹּֽאכַלְכֶם‎.—In a few cases, instead of the ô in the first syllable an ê is found, which is due to contraction from the group ־ֶֽ ־ֱ‎ (or ־ֶ ־ְ‎) in place of ־ַ ־ְ‎; e.g. תֵּאתֶה‎ it shall come, Micah 4:8, from תֶּֽאֱתֶה‎ (from אָתָה‎); אֵהָ֑ב‎ (for אֵהַב‎) I love, Proverbs 8:17, also (four times) אֹהַב‎ Malachi 1:2, &c., with suffixes אֹֽהֲבֵ֫הוּ‎ Hosea 11:1, Hosea 14:5, &c. (but only in 1st sing., otherwise יֶֽאֱהַב‎, &c., from אָהֵב‎, אָהַב‎); וָֽאֵחַ֫ר‎ and I stayed, Genesis 32:5. The infinitive construct of אָמַר‎ with לְ‎ is always לֵאמֹר‎ dicendo, for לֶֽאֱמֹר‎.—According to Barth (ZDMG. 1889, p. 179) וַיָּ֫אצֶל‎ Numbers 11:25 is to be regarded as an imperfect Qal, without the obscuring of ־ָא‎ to ô, not as imperfect Hiphʿîl, since אצל‎ elsewhere occurs only in the perfect Qal and Niphʿal; on the original i in the second syllable, see above, §67p. For תְּאָכְ֫לֵהוּ‎ Job 20:26 we should simply emend תֹּֽאכְל׳‎; the view that it is imperfect Pôʿēl (which nowhere else occurs) can, as regards the change of ô to ŏ, be supported only by the very doubtful analogies of Psalms 62:4 (see §52q) and Psalms 101:5 Q^erê (see §55b), while the view that it is Piʿēl (תְּאָכְ׳‎=תְּאָֽכְ׳‎=תְּאַכְּ׳‎) rests on no analogy whatever. It would be more admissible to suppose that תְּאָכְ׳‎ stands for תְּאֻכְּ׳‎, Puʿal (cf. אֲכֶלְךָ‎ for אֲכַלְּךָ‎, §27q); but no reason has been discovered for this departure from the natural punctuation תֹּאכְ׳‎.

2. In the 1st pers. sing. imperfect, where two א‎’s would ordinarily come together, the second (which is radical) is regularly dropped (§23f), as אֹמַר‎^[3] (for אֹאמַר‎), &c., and even plene וָֽאוֹמַר‎ Nehemiah 2:7, &c., אֽוֹמְרָה‎ Psalms 42:10. In the other cases, also, where the א‎ is ordinarily regarded as quiescing in ô or ê, it is only retained orthographically, and on etymological grounds. Hence the possibility of its being dropped in the following cases:—

Always in the contracted forms of אָסַף‎, as תֹּסֵף‎ for תֹּאסֵף‎ Psalms 104:29; וַיֹּ֫סֶף‎ 2 Samuel 6:1 (but for יֵאָֽסֵף‎Job 27:19 read יֹאסִף‎=יוֹסִף‎ with the LXX); cf. also in the 1st pers. Micah 4:6 and אֹסִֽפְךָ‎ 1 Samuel 15:6, which is apparently (from the Metheg with the i), intended for an imperfect Hiphʿîl: instead of it, however, read, with the Mantua edition, אֹֽסִפְךָ‎ (with ĭ, according to §60f). But תֹּֽאסִפוּן‎ Exodus 5:7 (for תּֽוֹס׳‎), וַיֹּ֫אסֶף‎ 1 Samuel 18:29 (for וַיּ֫וֹסֶף‎), and יאסף‎ Job 27:19 (see above) are due to a mistake, since all three forms must be derived from the stem יָסַף‎. Furthermore, יֽׄמְר֫וּךָ‎ Psalms 139:20 (where certainly יַמְר׳‎ is to be read); תֹּבֵא‎ Proverbs 1:10 (cf. §75hh); וַתֹּפֵ֫הוּ‎ 1 Samuel 28:24; יוֹכְלוּ‎ Ezekiel 42:5; תֹּֽמְרוּ‎ 2 Samuel 19:14; וַתֹּ֫חֶז‎ 2 Samuel 20:9; תֵּֽוְלִי‎ thou gaddest about (from אָזַל‎), Jeremiah 2:36; וַיֵּ֫תֵא‎ Deuteronomy 33:21 (for יֶֽאֱתֶה‎), according to other readings (on the analogy of the cases mentioned in §75p) וַיֵתֵ֫א‎, וַיֵּ֫תֶא‎ or וַיֶּ֫תֶא‎.

Paradigm I shows the weak forms of the imperfect Qal, and merely indicates the other conjugations, which are regular.

Rem. 1. In the derived conjugations only isolated weak forms occur: Perfect Niphal נֹֽאחֲזוּ‎ Numbers 32:30, Joshua 22:9; Hiph. וַיָּ֫אצֶל‎ Numbers 11:25 (but the statement in verse 17 is וְאָֽצַלְתִּי‎, therefore Qal); equally doubtful is the punctuation of וַיָּ֫רֶב‎ (for וַיַּֽאֲרֵב‎?) and he laid wait, 1 Samuel 15:5, and אָזִין‎ I listen, Job 32:11 (on the analogy of verbs ע״וּ‎); cf. also אוֹכִיל‎ (ô from â) I give to eat, Hosea 11:4; אֹבִ֫ידָה‎ (ô from â) I will destroy, Jeremiah 46:8; וַיּוֹחֶר‎ 2 Samuel 20:5 Q^erê (for וַיָּאח׳‎); the K^ethîbh appears to require the Piʿēl וַיְיַחֵר‎, from יחר‎ as a secondary form of אחר‎; but וַיֵּיחַר‎=וַיֵּאחַר‎ for וַיֶּֽאֱחַר‎ as imperfect Qal is not impossible. On וָאֽוֹצְרָה‎ Nehemiah 13:13, cf. §53n.—Infinitive לְהָכִיל‎ Ezekiel 21:33 (=לְהַֽאֲכ׳‎ unless it is rather infin. Hiph. from כּוּל‎); Participle מֵזִין‎ giveth ear, Proverbs 17:4 (clearly by false analogy of verbs ע״וּ‎, for מַֽאֲזִין‎); Imperative הֵתָ֫יוּ‎ bring (from אָתָה‎) Jeremiah 12:9. (On the same form used for the perfect in Isaiah 21:14, cf. §76d.)

2. In the Piʿēl the א‎ is sometimes elided (like ה‎ in יְהַקְטִיל‎, יַקְטִיל‎), thus מַלֵּף‎ (as in Aramaic and Samaritan) teaching, for מְאַלֵּף‎ Job 35:11; יַהֵל‎ (if not a mere scribal error) for יְאַהֵל‎ Isaiah 13:20; וַתַּזְרֵ֫נִי‎ thou hast girded me, 2 Samuel 22:40, for וַתְּאַזְּרֵ֫נִי‎ as Psalms 18:40; וָֽאַבֶּדְּךָ‎ Ezekiel 28:16; cf. §23c.