Bible Lexicons

In the following Paradigms,^[1] pp. 282 to 284, a number of frequently used nouns are arranged, whose flexion presents more or less striking peculiarities. These peculiarities, however, are almost always subordinate to the usual phonetic laws, and the usual designation of the nouns as irregular is, therefore, not justified, when once the ground-forms are properly recognized on which the present forms are based. Remarks.

אָב‎ father; the constr. אֲבִי‎, like אֲחִי‎ and בְּנִי‎ (which occurs once), belongs to the connective forms discussed in §90k, which serve as the model for the Ḥireq compaginis. However, אַב‎ also occurs in compound proper names, e.g. אַבְשָׁלוֹם‎, beside אֲבִֽישָׁלוֹם‎, &c.; also Genesis 17:4 אַב־הֲמוֹן‎ for the purpose of explaining the name אב[ר]הם‎. On the plur. אָבוֹת‎ see §87p.

אָח‎ brother. The plur. absol. אַחִים‎ has Dageš forte implicitum (§22c); אֶחָיו‎ stands for אַחָיו‎ according to the phonetic law stated in §27q, and so also אֶחָֽי‎ in pause for אַחָֽי‎. The sharpening of the ח‎ merely serves to keep the preceding Pathaḥ short, as in גְּמַלִּים‎, &c. (§93ee).

אֶחָד‎ one (for אַחָד‎, likewise with Dageš forte implicitum, §22c, cf. §27q), constr. and otherwise in close connexion, אַחַד‎, Genesis 48:22, 2 Samuel 17:22, Isaiah 27:12,

Zechariah 11:7; and especially before מִן‎ (מֵ‍‎) Genesis 3:22, Exodus 30:14, Numbers 16:15, Judges 17:5, 1 Samuel 9:3, Ezekiel 18:10; fem. אַחַת‎ una (for אַחַדְתְּ‎, according to §19d), in pause אֶחָֽת‎. Once חַד‎ masc. (by aphaeresis, §19h), Ezekiel 33:30, as in Aramaic; plur. אֲחָדִים‎ some, but also iidem.

אָחוֹת‎ sister, from ʾăḥăwăt or ʾăḥăyăt, with elision of the ו‎ or י‎, and with the â, which has arisen from ăă, obscured to ô.^[2] In Numbers 6:7 אַחֹתוֹ‎ stands for אֲחֹתוֹ‎ (with virtual sharpening of the ח‎). The plur. absol. (אֲחָיוֹת‎) does not happen

to occur. In Ezekiel 16:52 אַֽחֲיוֹתֵךְ‎ occurs (for אַחְיֹתַ֫יִךְ‎). In the forms אֲחוֹתַי‎ Joshua 2:13 K^eth., אֲחוֹתַ֫יִךְ‎ Ezekiel 16:515561 (to be read also in verse 45 for אֲחוֹתֵךְ‎, which has been erroneously assimilated to the singular occurring in vv. 48, 49, 56), and אֲחֽוֹתֵיכֶם‎ Hosea 2:3 (for which, however, read אֲחֽוֹתְכֶם‎), the third radical has been entirely lost.

אִישׁ‎ man, according to the common opinion either incorrectly lengthened for אֵשׁ‎ (from ʾišš, with assimilation of the Nûn of the ground-form ʾinš, which again has been attenuated from ʾanš from the stem אָנַשׁ‎), or softened directly from ʾinš. It is, however, probable that a separate stem (אישׁ‎ to be strong?) is to be assumed for the singular^[3]; consequently the stem אָנַשׁ‎ to be sociable, would be connected only with the plur. אֲנָשִׁים‎ (אִישִׁים‎ is found only in Isaiah 53:3, Psalms 141:4, Proverbs 8:4).

אָמָה‎ slave, handmaid; with the plur. אֲמָהוֹת‎, with consonantal ה‎, cf. in Aram. אֲבָהָן‎ fathers, and similarly in Phoen. דלהת‎ from דלת‎, also Arab. ʾabahât (fathers), ʾummahât (mothers), with an artificial expansion into a triliteral stem.

אִשָּׂה‎ woman, probably for אִנְשָׁה‎; from אָנַשׁ‎ i.e. not (as Aram. אִתְּתָא‎ shows) אָנַשׁ‎ to be sociable (see above, on אִישׁ‎) but אָנַשׁ‎ to be weak (Arab. ʾănŭṯă). So De Lagarde, Uebersicht, p. 68; König, Lehrgeb., ii. 159 f. The form אֵ֫שֶׁת‎ (for ʾišt, with ת‎ fem., from ʾišš, after rejection of the doubling and lengthening of the ĭ to ē) occurs in Deuteronomy 21:11, 1 Samuel 28:7, Psalms 58:9, even in absol. st. [cf., however, below, §130. 4, 5].—In Psalms 128:3 אֶשְׁתְּךָ‎ is found for אִשְׁתְּךָ‎. Instead of the plur. נָשִׁים‎, we find in Ezekiel 23:44 אִשֹּׁת‎.^[4]

בַּ֫יִת‎ house, locative בַּ֫יְתָה‎, הַבַּ֫יְתָה‎, in pause בָּ֫יְתָה‎, הַבָּ֫יְתָה‎, constr. בֵּ֫יתָה‎, plur. בָּֽתִּים‎ (but in Deuteronomy 6:11, 1 Chronicles 28:11 בָּתִּים‎ without Metheg), pronounced bâttîm. The explanation of the Dageš in the ת‎ is still a matter of dispute. The Syriac bâttîn, however, shows that the Dageš is original, and belongs to the character of the form.^[5] According to Wright, Comparative Grammar, p. 88, בָּֽתִּים‎ is simply contracted from bai-tîm (as אָן‎ from אַ֫יִן‎, עֵינָם‎ from עֵינָיִם‎, &c.), and the Dageš, therefore, is lene; König, Lehrgeb., ii. 56, proposes the name Dageš forte orthoconsonanticum; on the other hand Rahlfs, ThLZ. 1896, col. 587, suggests that the י‎ is assimilated to the ת‎, while Philippi, ZDMG. xlix, p. 206, assumes for the plural a stem distinct from that of the singular. A definite solution is at present impossible. The incorrectness of the formerly common pronunciation bottîm is sufficiently shown by the Babylonian punctuation (see §8g, note 3), which leaves no doubt as to the â.

בֵּן‎ son (Genesis 30:19 בֵּֽן־שִׁשִּׁי‎) constr. usually בֶּן־‎ (also with a conjunctive accent as an equivalent for Maqqeph, Genesis 17:17, Isaiah 8:2, &c., 1 Chronicles 9:21; even with smaller disjunctives, especially in the combination מִבֶּן‎, Exodus 30:14, Leviticus 27:3, &c. [מִבֶּן־‎ only after וְאִם‎ and before חֹ֫דֶשׁ‎, also in Isaiah 51:12; see Strack on Exodus 30:14]), rarely בִּן־‎ (Deuteronomy 25:2, Jonah 4:10 twice, Proverbs 30:1, and so always in the combination בִּן־נוּן‎, and in the proper names בִּנְיָמִין‎ [but בֶּן־יִמִינִי‎ Benjamite] and בִּן־יָקֶה‎ Proverbs 30:1), once בְּנִי‎ (cf. §90l) Genesis 49:11, and בְּנוֹ‎ (§90o) Numbers 23:18, Numbers 24:315.—In Genesis 49:22 בֵּן‎, for which בֶּן־‎ ought to be read, is intended by the Masora for the absol. st., not the constr. בַּת‎ daughter (from bant, and this again, according to the law stated in §69c, for bint, fem. of בֵּן‎), with suff. בִּתִּי‎ for בִּנְתִּי‎. Plur. בָּנוֹת‎, from the sing. בָּנָה‎, comp. בָּנִים‎ sons.

חָם‎ husband’s father, only with suff. חָמִיךְ‎, חָמִ֫יהָ‎; and חָמוֹת‎ husband’s mother, only with suff. חֲמוֹתֵךְ‎, חֲמוֹתָהּ‎. Cf. אָב‎, אָח‎, and especially אָחוֹת‎.

יוֹם‎ day (Arab. yaum),^[6] dual יוֹמַ֫יִם‎; the plur. יָמִים‎ is probably from a different sing. (יָם‎ yām), constr. יְמֵי‎ and (poetically) יְמוֹת‎, Deuteronomy 32:7, Psalms 90:15.

כְּלִי‎ vessel, in pause כֶּ֫לִי‎ (with suff. כֶּלְיְךָ‎ Deuteronomy 23:25) from כָּלָה‎ to contain, plur. כֵּלִים‎ (as if from כֵּל‎, כֵּ֫לֶה‎; according to König, ii. 63, shortened from kilyîm).

מַ֫יִם‎ water; on the plur. cf. §88d.

עִיר‎ city. The plur. עָרִים‎ is scarcely syncopated from עֲיָרִים‎, as it is pointed in Judges 10:4 (no doubt erroneously, in imitation of the preceding עֲיָרִים‎ ass colts), but from a kindred sing. עָר‎, which still occurs in proper names.

פֶּה‎ mouth, constr, st. פִּי‎ (for original פֵּי‎ = פֵּה‎?). Its origin is still disputed. According to Gesenius and König (ii. 103), פֶּה‎ stands for פֵּאֶה‎ (ground-form piʿay) from פָּאָה‎ to breathe, to blow; according to Olshausen, for פַּי‎, from a stem פָּיָה‎ or פָּוָה‎. But parallel with the Hebrew פֶּה‎ are Assyr. pû, Arab. fû, fam, famm, fumm, bibl. Aram. פֻּם‎, פֻּמָּא‎, Syr. pûm, pûmā, so that Barth, ZDMG. xli, p. 634, assumes two forms of development from the same stem (פמו‎), viz. fm and fw. פִּי‎ my mouth, from pi-y; for פִּיהֶם‎ we find in Psalms 17:10, Psalms 58:7, Psalms 59:13 פִּ֫ימוֹ‎. The supposed plur. פִּים‎ 1 Samuel 13:21 is generally explained as a contraction from פִּיִּים‎, but the text is altogether corrupt. The plur. פִּיּוֹת‎, for the edges of a sword, occurs in Proverbs 5:4; reduplicated פִּֽיפִיוֹת‎ Isaiah 41:15, Psalms 149:6.

רֹאשׁ‎ head (obscured from רָאשׁ‎=răʾš); plur. רָאשִׁים‎ (for רְאָשִׁים‎, §23c); רֹאשָׁיו‎ only in Isaiah 15:2.

שֶׂה‎ a head of small cattle (sheep or goat), constr. st. שֵׂה‎, with suff. שְׂיֵ֫הוּ‎ 1 Samuel 14:34 and שֵׂיוֹ‎ Deuteronomy 22:1, according to König, ii. 131, from a ground-form siʾay, but according to De Lagarde, Uebersicht, 81 f., from a stem ושי‎ (שֶׂה‎=say=wĭsay).

שֵׁם‎ name, constr. generally שֵׁם‎ (only six times שֶׁם־‎); cf. בֵּן‎.

שָׁמַ֫יִם‎ heaven (§88d).