John C. Beckman

14 Pronominal Suffixes

2016.09.28

Reading Biblical Hebrew

2Pronominal suffixes are very frequent in the Hebrew Bible• 45,389 times total• 24,515 times on a noun ‘our father’• 11,364 times on a preposition ‘to us’• 7,022 times on a verb ‘he brought her’• 1,701 times on the definite direct object marker ‘me’• 258 times on an interjection ‘behold me’• 214 times on an adverb ‘still/yet it’• 191 times on an adjective ‘your elders’• 115 times on a number ‘the two of them’• 9 times on an interrogative ‘where are you?’

3GoalUnderstand any vocabulary word with any pronominal suffix• Be able to parse it• Be able to translate it

Examples• נוּאָ ִ֫בי = ִבאָ MS+1cp ‘our father’ noun• וּ ל י = ל +1cp ‘to us’ preposition• וּאָ ָת י = ָתאָ +1cp ‘us’ definite direct object• נוּ נו י ְזק = ןז קָ MP+1cp ‘our elders’ adjective (substantive)

4OutlineMeaning of a pronominal suffix• On a noun or substantive adjective• On a preposition• On the definite direct object marker

Memorizing the pronominal suffixes

How to parse a word with a pronominal suffix• Preposition• Definite direct object marker• Noun or substantive adjective• Easily confused words

The Meaning and Translationof a Pronominal Suffix

6Meaning of a Pronominal SuffixOn a noun: Possession (loosely defined)• Her house, our father, my God English possessive case

On an adjective (always substantive): Possession (loosely defined)• Her sinners, our elders, my holy one English possessive case

On a preposition: Object of the preposition• To her, from us, with me English objective case

On the definite direct object marker: Direct object• Her, us, me English objective case

7The Pronominal Suffixes Have Person, Gender, & NumberPerson• 1st person = the speaker(s) ‘my, me, our, us’• 2nd person = the one(s) spoken to ‘your, you’• 3rd person = anyone else ‘his, him, her, their, them’

Gender• Common = no distinction between masculine & feminine in the Hebrew

• 1st person is always common gender in Hebrew• Masculine, Feminine

Number• Singular, Plural

8Translating the Pronominal SuffixesPerson Gender Number Possessive (on Noun) Objective (on Prep or DDO)

1 Common

S

my me

2F your youM your you

3F her herM his him

1 Common

P

our us

2F your youM your you

3F their themM their them

The Pronominal Suffixes

10Memorize the Pronominal SuffixesPerson Gender Number Pronominal Suffixes Nun-Type

1 Common

S

נ◌ ֫ונ◌ ֫ננ

2F ְך◌M ָך◌ ךָ ◌

3F ּהָ הָ ◌ נ ה◌M ֹו◌ הָ ו◌ הּ◌ נּ◌

1 Common

P

וּ◌ נּ◌

2F ןכָ ◌M םכָ ◌

3F ןהָ ◌ ן◌M םהָ ◌ ם◌ מֹו◌

11Comments on the Pronominal Suffixes2nd person IFF has kaf• 2fs ְך, 2ms ָך ךָ / 2fp ָןכ 2mp ָםכ

FP IFF ends in nun• 2fp ָןכ 3fp ָןה . ן /• Some other forms begin with nun, but they never end in it

MP IFF ends in mem• 2mp ָםכ 3mp ָםה . .ם / מֹו /

‘Nun type’ (aka ‘energic’) all have a dagesh. All but ָך begin with nun.• Occur on the preposition ָ֫ןמ . and on certain verb forms• On verbs they help with verb parsing, so know one when you see it.

Parsing a Prepositionwith a Pronominal Suffix

13Parsing a Preposition with a Pronominal SuffixIdentify the pronominal suffix• E.g., ָ֫םתָ א has the pronominal suffix ם, which is 3mp

Figure out what the preposition is• Remove the pronominal suffix and any vowel leading into it

• E.g., ָ֫םתָ א תאָ֫• Remove any final doubling dagesh

• E.g., ָ֫םתָ א תאָ֫ ָתאָ֫• If you don’t recognize the preposition, modify the vowels until you do

• E.g., ָ֫םתָ א תאָ֫ ָתאָ֫ ָתאָ • So ָ֫םתָ א is ָָתא +3mp ‘with them’

14Article Never Occurs on a Word with a Pronominal SuffixThis never happens in English• *‘To the her’, *’the her dog’

This never happens in Hebrew• Therefore, we can ignore the vowel with the ִבכל prepositions• With prepositions, always ignore the vowel that connects the pronominal

suffix to the preposition

15Parse & Translate Prepositions with Pronominal Suffixes1. הָ םל 2. ֫בנ3. כָ םכ 4. ם֫מכָ 5. נועָ ל 6. נהָ אָ ל י7. ַדנעָ 8. וּעָ֫ ָּמ י

לְָ +3mp ‘to them’בְָ +1cs ‘in me’כְָ +2mp ‘like you’ןמָ֫ +2mp ‘from you’לעַָ +3ms ‘over him’לאָ +3fs ‘to her’דעַָ +1cs ‘until me’םעָ֫ +1cp ‘with us’

16Spelling ָ֫ןמ . with a Pronominal SuffixMP is as expected FP is very rare (+3fp) or never occurs (+2fp)• ם֫מכָ = ןמָ֫ +2mp ‘from you’• הָ םמ = ןמָ֫ +3mp ‘from them’

Other forms use ֫מָּמ base• ֫ננ ֫מָּמ י = ןמָ֫ +1cs ‘from me’ Nun-type suffix• ְך֫מָּמ ָי = ןמָ֫ +2fs ‘from you’• ָך֫מָּמְָ = ןמָ֫ +2ms ‘from you’• נ ה ֫מָּמ י = ןמָ֫ +3fs ‘from her/it’ Nun-type suffix• נּ ֫מָּמ י = ןמָ֫ +3ms/1cp ‘from him/it/us’ Nun-type suffix

The Definite Direct Object Marker (DDO)with a Pronominal Suffix

18The DDO ָת ָאָ /ָתָאָ Becomes ָָתא with Most Pronominal Suffixesָ֫תנאָ ָתאָ = +1cs ‘me’ְךָתָ אָ ָתאָ = +2fs ‘you’ָךָתְָאָ ָתאָ = +2ms ‘you’ּהאָ ָת ָתאָ = +3fs ‘her’ָתֹואָ ָתאָ = +3ms ‘him’וּאָ ָת י ָתאָ = +1cp ‘us’םְָתכָ אָ ָתאָ = +2mp ‘you’ (+2fp never occurs)ןְָתהָ אָ ָתאָ = +3fp ‘them’םָתָ אָ ָתאָ = +3mp ‘them’

19Distinguishing ָָתא DDO from Preposition ָָתא ‘With’Indistinguishable without a pronominal suffix• Both are spelled ָָתא or ָָת א• Distinguish by context

With a pronominal suffix, ָָתא ‘with’ takes the vowel ḥiriq ( ָ֫)• Hiriq makes the ‘i’ sound of ‘with’• וּאָ֫ ת י ‘with us’ vs. ָוּא ָת י ‘us’ (DDO)• םְתכָ אָ֫ . ‘with you (mp)’ vs. ָםְָתכָ א . ‘you (mp)’

Nouns (and Substantive Adjectives)with a Pronominal Suffix

21Noun Ending Changes when Adding a Pronominal SuffixNumber Gender Absolute Construct Before Suffix Adjective?

Singular

Masculine הָ הָ י None י rareMasculine? None None None yes

Feminine

הָ ָתָ י ַי ָתָ ַ or ָת yesָתָ י ָתָ י ָת◌ noָתָ י ָתָ י תָ ְ rareַ ָתָ י ַ ָתָ י תָ ְ rare

Dual Eitherנָָ֫ םַי נָ None י noנָ֫ םַָתי נ ָת י ָת◌ no

PluralMasculine? נָ י יָ / ם֫ ם֫ נָ None י yesFeminine? ֹוָתָָ ָת / י ֹוָתָָ י ָת / י yes ָת / ֹוָת◌ י

22Noun and Pronominal Suffix Have Separate Gender & Number

The gender and number of a pronominal suffix and a noun are separate

• E.g., ‘her brother’ = brother (ms) + her (fs)

• E.g., ‘their brother’ = brother (ms) + their (fp)

• E.g., ‘her brothers’ = brothers (mp) + her (fs)

• E.g., ‘their brothers’ = brothers (mp) + their (fp)

23How to Parse a Noun with a Pronominal Suffix

Identify the pronominal suffix from the pronominal-suffix table

• E.g., ָָךקֹול has the pronominal suffix ָך, which is +2ms

Identify the gender, number, and lexical form of the NOUN

1. The noun number comes from the vowel that begins the pronominal suffix

2. The noun gender comes from the noun ending in the lexical form

3. The lexical form of the noun comes from chopping everything off

and maybe changing the vowels and ending

24How to Identify the Number of a Noun with a Pronominal SuffixA noun with a pronominal suffix is plural IFF

the pronominal suffix begins with vowel+yod, but not ḥiriq-yod• ֶ֣נָך ד ֲעִב has a plural noun ‘your servants’ because נ ָך

begins with vowel+yod that is not ḥiriq-yod• ַעְִבְדָךֶָ֣ has a singular noun ‘your servant’ because ְָָך

does NOT begin with vowel+yod• ם ֶ֖ נה ֲאח has a plural noun ‘their (mp) brothers’ because ָנה ם

begins with vowel+yod that is not ḥiriq-yod• ם ֶ֥ ֲא֫חנה has a singular noun ‘their (mp) brother’ because ָנה ם֫

begins with ḥiriq-yod

25How to Identify the Gender of a Noun with a Pronominal SuffixAs always, to find the gender of a noun, look at the ending in the lexical form

• ה is masculine י ה ד ש • הָ ָתor anything that ends in י is feminine

• E.g., ֫רנָת ב and ה מ ֫מְלח • Two exceptions: ֫נָת ַבי and ו ָת מ י are masculine

• An endingless noun is masculine unless you memorized otherwise

• E.g., ִָבא and רעַַָשָי are masculine• But ץר ָא ָי . and נ ד are feminine, even though they lack an ending

26Finding the Lexical Form of a Noun with a Pronominal Suffix֫מָּ֫מְשַפְח֫תנ נלָ ְךְבח נאְֲָולַָ ָת י ָךִב

1. Remove prefixes ( וְָ/הֲָ & ֫מּ ָ/לְָ/כְָ/בְָ ) ֫מְשַפְח֫תנ נלָ ְךח נאֲָ ָת י ָךִב 2. Remove pronominal suffix & prec. vowel ֫מְשַפְחת נל ח ָתאֲָ ִב 3. Remove finalָת and preceding vowel ֫מְשַפח ִבאֲָ4. Change the base if needed (rare)5. Add singular ending if needed ה ֫מְשַפח 6. Remove word-final doubling dagesh7. Change internal נ to ָ֫נ ַי ֫נל ַחי8. Other vowel changes if needed ה ח ֫מְשפ ִבאָ

27Finding the Lexical Form of a Noun with a Pronominal Suffixנהָ עַָמָ ָּמ י נואֲָלַָ ו ש ָתָ אַָבְָ ֹ םְר

1. Remove prefixes ( וְָ/הֲָ & ֫מּ ָ/לְָ/כְָ/בְָ ) נהָ עַָ ָּמ י נואֲָ ו ש ָתָ אַָ ֹ םְר2. Remove pronominal suffix & prec. vowel םָּעַָ ו שאֲָ ָתאַָ ֹ ְר3. Remove finalָת and preceding vowel ץְרָאַָ4. Change the base if needed (rare) נשאָ֫5. Add singular ending if needed6. Remove word-final doubling dagesh םעַָ7. Change internal נ to ָ֫נ ַי8. Other vowel changes if needed ץר ָא ָי

28Parse and Translate1. ֫מָּ֫מְשַפְח֫תנ

2. ָך׃ ֶֽ נל ְבח

3. ֶ֑נָך ָת ֲאִב ְוַלֶֽ

4. ֶ֑נהָ ַעָּמ ֶֽ מ

5. נו ַלֲאו ש ָׁ֜

6. ם ָת ָ֔ ֹ ְבַאְר

ה ח ֫מְשפ fs+ ןמ +1cs from my clan

֫נל ַחי ms+2+ִבms in your wealth

ִבאָ mp+2+ל+וms and to your fathers

םעַָ mp+ ןמ +3fs from her people(s)

נשאָ֫ mp+3+לms to his men

ץר ָא ָי fp+3+ִבmp in their lands

לאָ 29 ‘to’ vs. ָלא ‘God’ with a Pronominal Suffix• ֫לנ א ‘my God’ (Psalm 22:2) is the only form of ל א ‘God’ or ֫לנם א ‘gods’

with a pronominal suffix in the Bible• Anything else is ל א ‘to’+pronominal suffix

Singular Plural1C to me ַלנאָ to us נוּאָ ל י2F to you נָ֫אָ ְךַלי 2M to you נאָ ָךל י to you נכָ אֲָ םל 3F to her נהָ אָ ל י to them נהָ אֲָ ןל 3M to him נואָ ל to them נהָ אֲָ םל