Demonstratives In English, demonstratives are this, that, and those.

Demonstratives can be used as either pronouns or adjectives.

Pronouns (stand alone):

This is my house. That is his book.

Adjectives (modify a noun):

This house is mine. That book is his.

Demonstratives Demonstrative Pronouns

Singular Plural

This (near) These (near)

Masculine זה Common Plural הל א Feminine זאת

That (far) Those (far) Masculine או ה Masculine המ ה/ םה Feminine איח Feminine הנ ה/ ןה Be aware, demonstrative pronouns do not have the definite article or person; they do have number and gender.

Demonstratives Demonstrative Adjectives

Singular Plural

This (near) These (near)

Masculine ז הה Common Plural אל הה Feminine ז אתה

That (far) Those (far) Masculine או הה Masculine המ הה/ םהה Feminine איהה Feminine הנ הה/ ןהה Be aware, demonstrative pronouns do not have the definite article or person. Demonstrative adjectives always have the article.

Demonstratives The masculine and feminine singular forms או ה and

איה are identical to the 3rd person masculine and feminine independent personal pronouns.

Rely on context for proper translation.

Demonstratives Characteristics of Demonstratives

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative Adjectives

Agrees w/ Noun in Gender Yes Yes

Agrees w/ Noun in Number Yes Yes

Agrees w/ Noun in Definiteness

No Yes

Definite Article No Yes

Precedes/Follows Noun Precedes Follows

Precedes/Follows Adjective Precedes Follows

Demonstratives Examples of Demonstrative Pronouns:

Genesis 2:4 הת ולדות אל ה ש םמי These are the generations of the heavens

Genesis 2:23 ע זאת ימ רש מ ר מב ש בו מעצמי םעצ םהפ

This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh

Genesis 17:10 יתיב מ ר זאת This is my covenant

Demonstratives Examples of Demonstrative Pronouns:

Exodus 1:1 ב נית ומש אל הו אלש י מ ר Now these are the names of the sons (children) of Israel

Exodus 6:14 א אל ה םאבת ביתי ש מ ר These are the heads of their father’s houses

Leviticus 11:31 םלכ יםהט מא אל ה These are unclean to you

Demonstratives Examples of Demonstrative Adjectives:

Deuteronomy 1:19 א ווהנ ל והג ד המ דב מ ר כ ל את ךנ לו מ ר

או הה And we went through all that great and terrible wilderness

Isaiah 19:21 דעו ו י או הה םוב י יהוה את םמצמ רי And in that day, the Egyptians shall know Yehovah

Jeremiah 39:17 או הה םובי ךיהצ לת ו But I will deliver you in that day (note lack of dagesh lene due to preceding vowel)

Demonstratives In the next slide we will see the feminine הוא instead of היא

Whenever הוא was construed as feminine instead of

masculine ( או ה ), it was pointed as הוא as a qere perpetuum. This is a qere-ketiv problem. (BDB 2301)

Qere is a marginal note of the Masoretic Text that became Scripture; ketiv is the actual Scriptural text.

From what I’ve noticed, היא is mainly used as the independent personal pronoun she.

Demonstratives Examples of Demonstrative Adjectives:

Genesis 2:12 בוט ההוא ץהאמ רזהב ו And the gold of that land is good

Genesis 17:14 ההוא ש הנ פ ונכמ רתה מעמ יה And that soul (person) will be cut off from his people

Isaiah 39:1 ההואב עת At that time

Independent Personal Pronouns Biblical Hebrew A Compact Guide, Miles Van Pelt,

Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan, copyright 2012.

Biblical Hebrew An Introductory Grammar, Page H. Kelly, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, copyright 1992.

The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon, Oxford: Clarendon Press 1907. Entry for BDB אחו 2301 (page 214).