Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Trevor Peterson <06PETERSON AT cua.edu>]

>===== Original Message From Ian Goldsmith <iangoldsmith1969 AT yahoo.co.uk> 
=====
>I'm curious too. Why the 'ay' suffix?
>Isn't 'B:(OZ:RAY','with my helper'? Why not an 'iy'
>suffix? Is it just because the subject is the LORD?

Well, this is part of the issue. The -ay suffix usually indicates a plural 
noun. So my ozrim should be ozray, to distinguish it from ozriy--my helper 
(singular). Now, we do have forms like adonay, which takes a plural form 
regularly with divine reference, or elohim, which is often plural, even 
referring to a pagan deity. So there are places where the plural form doesn't 
have to mean actual plural entities. But if it's something like "among my 
helpers," this is the form we expect. (Indeed, it would be somewhat harder to 
explain what's going on with beozriy--"in my helper?")

Trevor Peterson
CUA/Semitics