Bible Lexicons

W. Diehl, Das Pronomen pers. suffixum 2 u. 3 pers. plur. des Hebr., Giessen, 1895; A. Ungnad, ‘Das Nomen mit Suffixen im Semit.,’ Vienna Oriental Journal, xx, p. 167 ff.

With regard to the connexion of the noun with pronominal suffixes, which then stand in a genitive relation (§33c) and are, therefore, necessarily appended to the construct state of the noun, we shall first consider, as in the verb (§ 57 ff.), the forms of the suffixes themselves, and then the various changes in the form of the noun to which they are attached. The nouns are also tabulated in the Paradigms of the flexion of the noun in § 92 ff. Cf. also Paradigm A in the Appendix. We are here primarily concerned with the different forms of the suffixes when added to the singular, plural, and dual.

1. The Suffixes of the singular are—

With nouns ending in a—

Rem. 1. There is less variety of forms in these than in the verbal suffixes; the particular forms are used as follows:—

(a) Those without a connecting vowel (on the derivation of these ‘connecting vowels’ from original stem-vowels, see note on §58f) are generally joined to nouns of a peculiar form (see § 96), the constr. st. of which ends in a vowel, as אָבִ֫יךָ‎, אָבִ֫יהוּ‎ and אָבִיו‎, אָבִ֫יהָ‎, אָבִ֫ינוּ‎, אֲבִיכֶם‎, אֲבִיכֶן‎, אֲבִיהֶם‎, אֲבִיהֶן‎, sometimes also to segholate forms ending in î from ל״ה‎ stems (see §93x, y), e.g. פְּרִיהֶם‎ the fruit of them, Amos 9:14 (also פִּרְיָם‎ Isaiah 37:30, &c.), פּרִיהֶן‎ Jeremiah 29:28 (also פִּרְיָן‎ verse 5); cf., moreover, חֶלְבְּהֶן‎ Leviticus 8:1625 and similar examples with הֶן‎ (Isaiah 3:17 הֵן‎) Genesis 21:28, Ezekiel 13:17, Ezekiel 16:53.^[1] Also in Genesis 1:21, Genesis 4:4, Ezekiel 10:12, Nahum 2:8, &c., the K^eth. perhaps intends the singular, לְמִֽינְהֶם‎, &c., but the Masora requires the plural with defective ê.

(b) The forms with connecting vowels (§58f) are joined to nouns ending in a consonant. The connecting vowel is regularly a in the 3rd sing. fem. ־ָהּ‎ (for aha) and 3rd plur. ־ָם‎, ־ָ֫ מוֹ‎, ־ָן‎, also in the 3rd sing. masc. (הֹ) וֹ‎, since the ô is contracted from a[h]û, and in the pausal form of the 2nd masc. ־ֶ֫ ךָ‎ (a modification of original ־ַ֫ ךָ‎).

The forms with ē in the above-mentioned persons are common only with nouns in ־ֶה‎ (from stems ל״ה‎), constr. st. ־ֵה‎ (cf. §89f), e.g. שָׂדֵ֫הוּ‎ (from sadaihû) his field; עָלֶ֫הָ‎ its leaf, Isaiah 1:30; מַרְאֶ֫הָ‎ the appearance thereof, Leviticus 13:4 (from mar’aihā; on the S^eghôl see k); but שָׂדָהּ‎ her field. The orthographic retention of the י‎, e.g. מַֽעֲשֶׂ֫יךָ‎, מַֽעֲשָׂיו‎, gives to many forms the appearance of plurals; see the instances in §93ss.

Apart from these ל״ה‎ forms the connecting vowel ē in the 3rd pers. occurs only in isolated cases; אוֹרֵ֫הוּ‎ his light, Job 25:3; לְמִינֵ֫הוּ‎ after its kind, Genesis 1:1225 [+ 12 times]; Nahum 1:13; in Judges 19:24 read פִּֽילַגְשׁוֹ‎ as in vv. 2, 25. On the other hand ־ֵךְ‎ in the 2nd sing. fem. and ־ֵ֫ נוּ‎ in the 1st plur. are by far the more common forms, while ־ָךְ‎, ־ָ֫ נוּ‎ are of rare occurrence; see e.—Instead of ־ְךָ‎ (־ְכָה‎ in Genesis 10:19, Exodus 13:16, Jeremiah 29:25, &c., cf. בְּכָה‎, לְכָה‎ §103g), ־ְכֶם‎, ־ְכֶן‎ (with Š^ewâ mobile), if the last consonant of the noun is a guttural, the forms are ־ֲךָ‎, ־ֲכֶם‎, ־ֲכֶן‎, e.g. רֽוּחֲךָ‎ thy spirit, בֹּרַֽאֲךָ‎ thy creator, Isaiah 43:1, רֵיֽעֲכֶם‎ your friend, Job 6:27 (on such cases as בְּחֶוֹכְכֶם‎ Haggai 2:5, see §10g).—With Nun energicum (cf. §58i, and on עוֹנֶ֑ךָּ‎ Job 5:1, &c., cf. §61h) דֶַיּ֑ךָּ‎ occurs in Proverbs 25:16, in principal pause.

2. Rare or incorrect forms are—

Sing. 1st pers. ־ֵ֫ נִי‎ in בְּשׁוּבֵ֫נִי‎ Ezekiel 47:7 (certainly only a scribal error, caused by וַיְשִׁבֵ֫נִי‎ in verse 6). 2nd pers. m. in pause ־ֶ֫ כָה‎, e.g. כַּפֶּֽכָה‎ (thy hand), Psalms 139:5, cf. Proverbs 24:10; once חֹנָ֑ךְ‎ Psalms 53:6 (cf. the analogous cases in the verbal suffix §75ll); fem. ־ֵיךְ‎ Ezekiel 5:12 (in Ezekiel 16:53 also for שְׁבִיתַ֫יִךְ‎ probably שְׁבִיתֵיךְ‎ is intended), ־ֵ֫ כִי‎ Jeremiah 11:15, Psalms 103:3, Psalms 116:19, Psalms 135:9 (corresponding to the Aramaic suffix of the 2nd fem. sing.; on the wholly abnormal ־ֵ֫ כֵה‎ Nahum 2:14, cf. l), לֵכִי‎ K^eth. 2 Kings 4:2, Song of Solomon 2:13. Also ־ָ֫ ךְ‎ Isaiah 22:1, Ezekiel 23:28, Ezekiel 25:4.

3rd pers. ־ֹה‎ (cf. §7c), e.g. אָֽהֳלֹה‎ Genesis 9:21, Genesis 12:8, Genesis 13:3, Genesis 35:21 (always with Q^erê אָֽהֳלוֹ‎); נֻחֹה‎ Numbers 10:36; לֵחֹה‎ Deuteronomy 34:7; בֻּלֹּה‎ Jeremiah 20:7, Nahum 2:1 Q^erê; קִצֹּה‎ 2 Kings 19:23 K^eth., for which קִצּוֹ‎ is read in Isaiah 37:24; עִירֹה‎ and סוּתֹה‎ Genesis 49:11, cf. Exodus 22:26 (Q^erê עִירוֹ‎, סוּתוֹ‎); סֻבֹּה‎ Psalms 10:9, Psalms 27:5 K^eth.; הֲמוֹנֹה‎ Ezekiel 31:18, &c., K^eth.; תְּבוּאָתֹה‎ Ezekiel 48:18 [altogether fourteen times in the Pentateuch, and some forty times in other books: see Driver, Samuel, p. xxxv, and on 2 Samuel 2:9, 2 Samuel 21:1].

3rd fem. ־ָה‎ for ־ָהּ‎ (with the softening of the Mappiq, cf. §23k, and the analogous cases in §58g) occurs repeatedly before B^eghadhk^ephath and other soft consonants, Exodus 9:18 (before וְ‎, if the text is right), Leviticus 13:4 (before ל‎), Numbers 15:2831, 1 Samuel 1:9 (unless אָכְלָה‎, the infin. with fem. termination, is intended; שָׁתֹה‎ follows), Ezekiel 16:44, Ezekiel 24:6 (before ב‎), 1 Samuel 20:20, 2 Kings 8:6, Proverbs 12:28 (before א‎), Nahum 3:9 (before וּ‎), Psalms 48:14 (before פ‎), Ezekiel 47:10, Job 31:22 twice (before ת‎), Isaiah 21:2, Jeremiah 20:17 (before ה‎), Numbers 32:42, Amos 1:11 (before ן‎), Leviticus 6:2 (before ע‎); even in pause, Leviticus 12:4 ^a and ^{5 b}; Isaiah 23:17, Proverbs 21:22, also with Zaqeph, Isaiah 45:6, Jeremiah 6:6 (probably), Jeremiah 44:19; on הָשַּׁמָּה‎ Leviticus 26:34, &c., see §67y. Cf. also ־ָא‎ Ezekiel 36:5.—Sometimes the Masora appears (but this is very doubtful) to regard the ־ָהּ‎ with feminines as a shortening of ־ָתָהּ‎, e.g. נִצָּהּ‎ Genesis 40:10 for נִצָּ֫תָהּ‎, פִּנָּהּ‎ Proverbs 7:8 for פִּנָּ֫תָהּ‎; also ־ָם‎ for ־ָחָם‎ in כִּתְבוּנָם‎ Hosea 13:2, and עָרְמָם‎ Job 5:13. The examples, however, are for the most part uncertain, e.g. in Isaiah 28:4 the reading is simply to be emended to בִּכּוּרָה‎, and in Zechariah 4:2 to גֻּלָּה‎, Job 11:9 to מִדָּה‎, Nehemiah 5:14 to פֶּחָה‎. [See also, after prepositions, §103g.]

Plur. 1st pers. ־ָ֫ נוּ‎, in pause קִימָ֫נוּ‎ Job 22:20 (where, however, קָמֵ֫נוּ‎ is certainly to be read); cf. Ruth 3:2 [Isaiah 47:10, cf. §61c, h], and so always כֻּלָּ֫נוּ‎ all of us, Genesis 42:11, &c [cf. בָּנוּ‎, לָנוּ‎, אִתָּנוּ‎, עִמָּנוּ‎].

2nd pers. fem. כֶ֫נָה‎ Ezekiel 23:4849.

3rd pers. masc. ־ָ֫ מוֹ‎ Psalms 17:10 (on מוֹ‎ in פִּ֫ימוֹ‎ in the same verse, and in Psalms 58:7 see .l); ־ָ֑ הַם‎ 2 Samuel 23:6, according to Sievers probably to call attention to the reading כלהם‎. fem. ־ָ֫ הְנָה‎ 1 Kings 7:37, Ezekiel 16:53 (in pause); ־ֶ֫ נָה‎ Genesis 41:21; ־ֶ֫ נָּה‎ Genesis 30:41; ־ָ֫ נָה‎ Ruth 1:19; elsewhere generally in pause (Genesis 21:29, Genesis 42:36, Jeremiah 8:7, Proverbs 31:29, Job 39:2); finally הֵן‎ as suffix to a noun, only in Isaiah 3:17.

For examples of singulars with plural suffixes see l.

2. In the plural masc. and in the dual the suffixes are to be regarded primarily as affixed to the original ending of the construct state (־ַ֫ י‎, cf. §89d). This ending, however, has been preserved unchanged only in the 2nd fem. In most cases it is contracted to ־ֵי‎, as in the constr. st. without suffixes (so throughout the plur. and in the poetical suffix ־ֵ֫ יהוּ‎ of the 3rd sing. masc.); in the 2nd masc. and 3rd fem. sing. it is ־ֶי‎ (cf. k). On the 1st pers. and 3rd masc. sing. see i.—Thus there arise the following

Thus the original ־ַי‎ is (a) contracted in the 3rd sing. masc. ־ֵ֫ יהוּ‎ and throughout the plural, as סוּסֵ֫יהוּ‎, סוּסֵ֫ינוּ‎, &c.; (b) retained unchanged in the 1st sing. סוּסַי‎, the real suffix-ending י‎ (see b) being united with the final Yôdh of the ending ־ַי‎; and in the 2nd fem. sing. סוּסַ֫יִךְ‎, with a helping-Ḥireq after the Yôdh. On the other hand (c) the Yôdh of ־ַי‎ is lost in pronunciation and the ă lengthened to ā in the 3rd masc. sing. סוּסָיו‎, i.e. sûsāw (pronounced susā-u).^[2] The 2nd masc. sing. סוּםֶ֫יךָ‎ and the 3rd fem. sing. סוּסֶ֫יהָ‎ were formerly also explained here as having really lost the י‎, and modified the a of sûsakā, sûsahā to S^eghôl; but cf. the view now given in g and k.

Rem. 1. As סוּסֵ֫ינוּ‎ represents sûsai-nû, so סוּסֶ֫יךָ‎ and סוּסֶ֫יהָ‎ represent sûsai-kā, sûsai-hā, and the use of S^eghôl instead of the more regular Ṣere is to be explained from the character of the following syllable,—so P. Haupt who points to יִקְטְלֶ֫הָ‎ as compared with יִקְטְלֵ֫הוּ‎. In support of the view formerly adopted by us that the י‎ is only orthographically retained, too much stress must not be laid on the fact that it is sometimes omitted,^[3] thereby causing confusion in an unpointed text with the singular noun. A number of the examples which follow may be due to an erroneous assumption that the noun is a plural, where in reality it is a singular, and others may be incorrect readings. Cf. דְרָכֶ֫ךָ‎ thy ways (probably דַּרְכְּךָ‎ is intended), Exodus 33:13, Joshua 1:8, Psalms 119:37; for other examples, see Joshua 21:11 ff. (מִגְרָשֶׁ֫הָ‎; but in 1 Chronicles 6:40 ff. always ־ֶ֫ יהָ‎), Judges 19:9, 1 Kings 8:29, Isaiah 58:13, Psalms 119:414398 (probably, however, in all these cases the sing. is intended); אֱסָרֶ֫הָ‎ Numbers 30:8 (cf. v. 5); מַכֹּתֶ֫הָ‎ Jeremiah 19:8, Jeremiah 49:17; מְבִיאֶ֫ה‎ Daniel 11:6. For the orthographic omission of י‎ before suffixes cf. רֵעִ֫הוּ‎ for רֵעֵ֫יהוּ‎ his friends 1 Samuel 30:26, Proverbs 29:18; Job 42:10 (but it is possible to explain it here as a collective singular); עֲוֹנֵ֫נוּ‎ our iniquities, Isaiah 64:56, Jeremiah 14:7; Exodus 10:9, Nehemiah 10:1 (לְוִיֵּ֫נוּ‎ from לְוִיִּם‎ which is always written defectively); נִסְכֵּכֶם‎ Numbers 29:33; רָעֹֽתֵכֶם‎ Jeremiah 44:9; יְדֵכֶם‎ Psalms 134:2; לְמִֽינֵהֶם‎ after their kinds, Genesis 1:21 (but see c), cf. Genesis 4:4 and Nahum 2:8. The defective writing is especially frequent in the 3rd masc. sing. ־ָו‎, which in Q^erê is almost always changed to ־ָיו‎, e.g. חִצָּו‎ his arrows, Psalms 58:8, Q^erê חִצָּיו‎. On יַחְדָּו‎, only three times יַחְדָּיו‎, cf. §135r.

2. Unusual forms (but for the most part probably only scribal errors) are—Sing. 2nd pers. fem ־ֵיךְ‎ (after אַשְׁרֵי‎ happy! Ecclesiastes 10:17, which has become stereotyped as an interjection, and is therefore unchangeable; cf. Delitzsch on the passage); ־ַ֫ יְכִי‎ (cf. Syr. ־ֵכי‎) 2 Kings 4:3, and ⁷ in K^eth., Psalms 103:382115, Psalms 116:7 (־ָ֫ יְכִי‎ in pause).—In Ezekiel 16:31 ־ַ֫ יִךְ‎ (so ־ֵיכֶם‎ in Ezekiel 6:8) occurs with an infin. ending in וֹת‎, the וֹת‎ being therefore treated as a plural ending; similarly, the plural suffix is sometimes found with the feminine ending וּת‎ (Numbers 14:33, Isaiah 54:4, Jeremiah 3:8, Ezekiel 16:15, Ezekiel 23:7, as well as in Ezekiel 16:20 Q^erê, and Zephaniah 3:20), with the ending îth (Leviticus 5:24, reading חֲמִֽשִׁתוֹ‎), and even with the ordinary feminine ending ath; Isaiah 47:13, Ezekiel 35:11, Psalms 9:15, Ezra 9:15.—Wholly abnormal is מַלְאָכֵ֫כֵה‎ thy messengers, Nahum 2:14, evidently a case of dittography of the following ה‎: read מַלְאָכַ֫יִךְ‎.

3rd masc. ־ֵ֫ יהוּ‎ Habakkuk 3:10, Job 24:23; ־ֵ֫ הוּ‎ 1 Samuel 30:26, Ezekiel 43:17, Nahum 2:4; וֹ֫הִי‎ (a purely Aramaic form) Psalms 116:12.—3rd fem. ־ֶ֫ יהָא‎ Ezekiel 41:15.

Plur. The strange 2nd pers. masc. תְּפוֹצֽוֹתִיכֶם‎ (with î, so Qimḥi; cf. Norzi) Jeremiah 25:34, is probably a mixed form combining תָּפ֫וּצוּ‎ and הֲפִיצֽוֹתִיכֶם‎; fem. ־ֵיכֶ֫נָה‎ Ezekiel 13:20.

3rd masc. ־ֵיהֵ֫מָה‎ Ezekiel 40:16; fem. ־ֵיהֶ֫נָה‎ Ezekiel 1:11.

3. The termination ־ֵ֫מוֹ‎ (also with the dual, e.g. Psalms 58:7, Psalms 59:13), like מוֹ‎ and ־ָ֫ מוֹ‎, occurs with the noun (as with the verb, §58g) almost exclusively in the later poets [viz. with a substantive in the singular, Psalms 21:11, Psalms 17:1010, Psalms 58:7, Psalms 59:13, Psalms 89:18; with a dual or plural, Deuteronomy 32:27323738, Psalms 33:29, Psalms 2:33, Psalms 11:7, Psalms 35:16, Psalms 49:12, Psalms 58:7, Psalms 59:14, Psalms 73:57, Psalms 83:1212, Psalms 140:410, Job 27:23; after prepositions, see §103f, o, notes], and cannot, therefore, by itself be taken as an indication of archaic language. On the other hand there can be no doubt that these are revivals of really old forms. That they are consciously and artificially used is shown by the evidently intentional accumulation of them, e.g. in Exodus 15:579 Psalms 2:35, and Psalms 140:410, and also by the fact observed by Diehl (see the heading of this section) that in Ex 15 they occur only as verbal suffixes, in Dt 32 only as noun suffixes.

3. It is clear and beyond doubt that the Yôdh in these suffixes with the plural noun belongs, in reality, to the ending of the construct state of the masculine plural. Yet the consciousness of this fact became so completely lost as to admit of the striking peculiarity (or rather inaccuracy) of appending those suffix-forms which include the plural ending ־ֵי‎, even to the feminine plural in וֹת‎ (סֽוּסוֹתֵ֫ינוּ‎, סֽוּסוֹתֶ֫יךָ‎, &c.), so that in reality the result is a double indication of the plural.^[4]

Such is the rule: the singular suffix, however (see b), also occurs with the ending וֹת‎ (probably through the influence of Aramaic), e.g. צֵֽדְוֹתִי‎ Psalms 132:12 (unless it be sing. for עֵֽדוּתִי‎, as, according to Qimḥi in his Lexicon, תַּֽחֲנֹתִי‎ 2 Kings 6:8 is for תַּֽחֲנוּתִי‎); מַכֹּֽתְךָ‎ Deuteronomy 28:59 (treated on the analogy of an infin. ל״ה‎); אַֽחֲיוֹתֵךְ‎ Ezekiel 16:52. On the other hand מִצְוֹתֶ֑ךָ‎ (so Baer, Ginsb.; but Opit. ־ֶ֫ יךָ‎) Psalms 119:98, Daniel 9:5 is merely written defectively, like גַּרְגְּרֹתֶ֫ךָ‎ according to Baer (not Ginsb.) in Proverbs 1:9, &c. In the 3rd plur. the use of the singular suffix is even the rule in the earlier Books (see the instances in Diehl, l. c., p. 8), e.g. אֲבוֹתָם‎ (their fathers) oftener than אֲבֹֽתֵיהֶם‎ (this only in 1 Kings 14:15, and in Jer, Ezr, Neh, and Ch [in 1 K, Jer, Ezr, however, אֲבוֹתָם‎ is more common]); so always שְׁמוֹתָם‎, שְׁמוֹתָן‎ their names, דּוֹרותָם‎ their generations. From parallel passages like 2 Samuel 22:46 compared with Psalms 18:46, Isaiah 2:4 with Micah 4:3, it appears that in many cases the longer form in ־ֵיהֶם‎ can only subsequently have taken the place of ־ָם‎.

4. The following Paradigm of a masculine and feminine noun with suffixes is based upon a monosyllabic noun with one unchangeable vowel. With regard to the ending ־ַת‎ in the constr. st. of the fem. it should be further remarked that the short ă of this ending is only retained before the grave suffixes כֶם‎ and כֶן‎; before all the others (the light suffixes) it is lengthened to ā.