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  • From: Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>
  • To: Richard Benton <rcbenton AT wisc.edu>
  • Cc: B-Hebrew Hebrew <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] HITPAEL as mutual action
  • Date: Wed, 1 Apr 2009 18:16:16 -0400

What is possibly meant by "middle voice" is a case where the actor is not a "real" actor, for instance, HA-BASAR HIT-BA$EL BA-SIR, literally meaning 'the meat cooked itself in the pot'.
There is no question that WA-YIT-XAL of 2 Samuel 13:6, is 'and he made himself ill'. If )AMNON entirely faked and pretended (HIT- XAZAH), or if he aided the show with a draught of castor oil is not revealed to us, and is beyond mere grammar.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Apr 1, 2009, at 2:38 PM, Richard Benton wrote:

Not all can be interpreted as reflexive. One clear passive is Qoh 8:10
$kx. A common use of the Hitpael is "act like" something, such as xlh
in 2 Sam 13:5-6. I wouldn't say that this would be a reflexive, but
maybe more of a middle sense.

I believe Russian has some -sya verbs that could not be translated as
reflexive.

For a definition of "middle" I refer to Suzanne Kemmer's (1993), "The
middle voice."

Richard Benton

Vadim Cherny wrote:
IMO, all instances of hitpael in Hebrew are reflexive: doing something
to someone or, more specifically, to cause someone to cause something.
That is the only plausible interpretation of the suffix ht = hh, two
casuatives (double hiphil, so to say).
That sense of reflective action is obfuscated in translation because
equivalent English words lack the sense of reflexion, but I venture that
careful examination shows such sense for every hitpael.

Vadim Cherny

Isaac Fried wrote:

In present day Hebrew the BINYAN of HITPAEL is often used for mutual
action, for example, HIT-XABQ-U, 'they embraced, XBQ, each other'. Is
there an instance of similar usage in the Hebrew bible?

Isaac Fried, Boston University




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