Pronouns Part 2

Pronouns Part 2

Interactive Learning Module

Pronouns

1. Introduction

  • This is the second module relating to Biblical Hebrew pronouns.
  • The first module discussed personal pronouns, looking at both the form and function of subject, object, and possessive pronouns.
  • In this unit we will learn about:
    • Demonstratives (pronouns such as "this" and "these" used to point to a specific person, place, or thing)
    • Interrogatives (pronouns such as "who" or "what" which are used to ask questions)
    • Indefinite pronouns (words like "anyone", "something", or "everyone" which refer to an unspecified referent)
    • Relative pronouns – (pronouns like "which" or "who", that serve to connect two clauses in a sentence, thereby providing more information about the noun or pronoun which precede them)
  • The coming slides will explore each of the above categories to understand both the various meanings and usages of these Biblical Hebrew pronouns and (where applicable) any unique forms they might take.

2. Demonstratives: Terms

  • Demonstratives are words such as "this", "that", "these" and "those", which serve to highlight a specific person, place, or thing by answering the question "which".
  • In English, demonstratives have distinct forms for both number and relative location. One uses the singular "this" and plural "these" when speaking of something nearby, and "that" and "those" when speaking of something more distant.
  • In Biblical Hebrew, demonstratives are differentiated also for gender, with seven common forms (see footnotes for rare variants and comparisons to Rabbinic and modern Hebrew):
    • זֶה – this (masculine, singular)
    • זֹאת – this (feminine, singular)Two variants, "זוֹ" and "זֹה", appear only a handful of times in Tanakh. However, "זוֹ" is the predominant form in Rabbinic Hebrew. As such, in Modern Hebrew "זֹאת" and "זוֹ" are used interchangeably. The poetic term "זוּ" is also often assumed to be another variant for the feminine "this". However, in Biblical Hebrew such usage is questionable as the term is used indiscriminately with masculine, feminine, plural, and singular antecedents, leading some to suggest it is instead a relative pronoun. See further discussion later in the module.
    • אֵלֶּה – these (common,In other words, the same term is used for both masculine and feminine., plural)An abbreviated variant, "אֵל", also appears nine times in Tanakh. In contrast, the modern Hebrew "אלו" never appears in Tanakh; its origin is in Rabbinic Hebrew where it is the predominant form. In Modern Hebrew the two words "אלה" and "אלו" are interchangeable, both being used for either masculine or feminine.
    • הוא – that (masculine, singular)
    • הִוא / הִיא – that (feminine, singular)
    • הֵם / הֵמָּה – those (masculine, plural)
    • הֵן / הֵנָּה – those (feminine, plural)
  • These terms can all serve as either pronouns (where they act predicatively: "this is the boy") or as adjectives (where they directly modify a noun: "this boy").The two usages can easily be differentiated; when acting as pronouns the words do not take a definite article, whereas when serving as adjectives they do. Compare, for example, the pronomial usage: "זה הילד" (this [one] is the boy) with the adjective: "הילד הזה" (this boy). In addition, some of the terms (זה and זאת) may also serve an emphatic role. In the coming slide, we will explore the first and third of these functions; for discussion of demonstrative adjectives, see the module on adjectives.

3. Demonstratives: Usage

  • Demonstrative Pronouns – Demonstratives often function predicatively as pronouns, taking the meaning: "this [one] is...", "these [ones] are..." and the like.
    • In such usage, they almost always appear before the noun and agree with it in number and gender, but not in definiteness. [The noun takes a definite article, but the demonstrative pronoun does not.]This all stands in contrast to demonstrative adjectives which usually follow the noun and agree with it not only in number and gender but also in definiteness.
    • When there are other adjectives that modify the noun, the demonstrative will not interrupt the adjective phrase, but rather appear before it.
      • For example, Zephanyah 2:15 reads: "זֹאת הָעִיר הָעַלִּיזָה", (This is the joyous city).
    • Exercise – Write the following in Biblical Hebrew:
      • a) This is my name (check yourself here.).
      • b) These are the commandments (check yourself here.).
  • Emphatic Function – The demonstrative pronouns "זה" and "זאת" sometimes also serve a slightly emphatic role, being added to interrogatives to impart more force or directness to a question. [When functioning in this role, they might be translated literally, not at all, or as: "indeed", "now" and the like.]

4. Interrogative Pronouns

5. "מי" & "מה": Other Functions

6. Interrogative Pronouns: Form

  • "מָה" - The basic form of the interrogative is "מַה" (with a patach) followed by a dagesh chazak in the opening letter of the next word.Some have postulated that originally the word "מה" had a consonantal heh at the end which was assimilated, and gets marked by the dagesh (P. Jouon, A Grammar of BIblical Hebrew). It is usually, but not always, connected to the next word with a makkaf.
  • When the following word opens with one of the gutturals which do not take a dagesh (האחר"ע), the vocalization changes. [These changes are not as consistent as with the definite article or conjunctive vav.]
  • "מִי" - This is the basic form of the word. It, too, is often followed by a makkaf.
  • Exercise - Vocalize the word "מה" in the following phrases:

7. More Indefinite Pronouns

  • We saw above that, depending on context, the words "מי" and "מה" can serve as either interrogatives or indefinite pronouns. This slide will introduce several other indefinite pronouns.
  • מְאוּמָה - This word means "anything", and is often used in negative sentences, as follows:
  • כל - The word כל often serves as an adjective meaning "each" or "every,"See, for example,"כֹּל בְּכוֹר" (every firstborn). but it can also serve as indefinite pronoun, meaning "everybody", "everything", "whoever" etc.
    • "כֹּל אֲשֶׁר בָּאָרֶץ יִגְוָע" (everything on the earth will perish)
    • "כֹּל שַׁתָּה תַחַת רַגְלָיו" (You have placed everything under his feet)
    • "כֹּל נָשִׂיא בָהֶם" - Here, the meaning is ambiguous, and the phrase can either mean: "every prince who is among them" or: "everyone, a prince among them" (Ibn Ezra, R"Y Bekhor Shor).See also Rashbam, though he understands "נשיא" to mean "volunteer". He further notes that the cantillation marks, which put a pause between the word "כל" and "נשיא", support this latter reading. According to the first reading, the verse is commanding that the tribes send all 12 princes to scout the land. According to the second, they are commanded that all whom they send should be one who is considered a prince. This second reading is motivated by a second question in the text: why the people listed here are different than the princes listed in Bemidbar 1. It suggests that the people are not commanded to send the known 12 princes, but rather anyone who is considered like a prince.
  • דבר and איש - These two words generally act as nouns, meaning "person" and "word", but in certain verses, they might translate as indefinite pronouns meaning "something", "anyone", "no one" etc. In most cases, the original meaning of the noun is actually maintained; context simply suggests an indefinite meaning.

8. Relative Pronouns

  • Relative pronouns are words like "who," "that", and "which," that connect two clauses of a sentence so as to provide more information about the noun or pronoun that precedes them. For example, see usage of the word "who" in the sentence: "The mother comforted the boy who had fallen."
  • "אֲשֶׁר" – In Biblical Hebrew there is one main relative pronoun, the word "אֲשֶׁר". The term is used to modify all types of nouns, whether they are people or objects.This is in contrast to English, where "who" is used for people, "which" for things, and "that" for either..
  • General Usage
  • Exercise – Write the following in Biblical Hebrew:
    • a) the men who came to you (check yourself here).
    • b) all the prisoners in the jail (check yourself here).
    • c) this is Achashverosh who was reigning (המולך) (check yourself here)..

9. "אֲשֶׁר" and Resumptive Pronouns

  • In English, relative pronouns often take prepositions to make phrases such as: "to whom", "in which" or "from whom".
  • In Biblical Hebrew, these ideas are instead expressed through the use of resumptive pronounsThese are pronouns, found in the relative clause (i.e. the clause which began with the word "אשר"), which refer back to the original noun or pronoun which was being modified. or the word "שם" as follows: follows:
  • When "אשר" refers to the direct object of the verb, the resumptive pronoun is optional.
    • Thus, one can say either הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הִשְׁמִיד אותם י־ְהֹוָה or הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הִשְׁמִיד י־ְהֹוָה (more common).
  • Exercise – Translate the following (checking yourself by clicking on the link and opening the English):
    • וְזֶה אֲשֶׁר לֹא תֹאכְלוּ מֵהֶם (Devarim 14:12)
    • זֶה אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁתֶּה אֲדֹנִי בּוֹ (Bereshit 44:5)
    • הָאִישׁ אֲשֶׁר אֶבְחַר בּוֹ (Bereshit 17:20)

10. Less Common Relative Pronouns

  • The prefix "שֶׁ" – A second, less common relative pronoun is the prefix "שֶׁ", equivalent in meaning to "אשר"‎.Compare "כַּחוֹל אֲשֶׁר עַל שְׂפַת הַיָּם לָרֹב " in Yehoshua 11:4 with "כַּחוֹל שֶׁעַל שְׂפַת הַיָּם לָרֹב" in Shofetim 7:12.
  • The poetic form term "זוּ" – A third possible relative pronoun is the poetic form term "זוּ".
    • Though the word appears to be a variant of "זה" or "זאת", suggesting that it might function as a demnostrative, many assume that it is instead a relative pronoun, equivalent in meaning to "אשר" (see Shadal Yeshayahu 42:24).
    • Like relative pronouns, the term is used indiscriminately with masculine, feminine, plural, and singular antecedents. In addition, often context supports the meaning of "which".
    • Nonetheless, in many places, commentators dispute the word's meaning, with some suggesting it means "this" and others "which".

11. For Further Study