Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Karl Randolph" <kwrandolph AT email.com>]

Dear Jason:

The question here deals not with the nouns, but with the -MW suffix. There is 
some controversy about that suffix, has anyone done a study on it?

There are at least 172 verses where words with that suffix are found. Some of 
the verses have more than one occurrence of the suffix.

Things that I noticed:
• the meaning of the suffix could either be plural or singular, though 
usually plural
• it occurs more often in poetry than prose, Deuteronomy 32 is poetry
• it is more often attached to a single letter prefix than to a noun or verb 
e.g. KMW or LMW
• where it is plural, it usually refers to a natural group or assemblage, 
such as a people, tribe
• it seems to emphasize the subject of the -MW more so than the noun or 
prefix it’s appended to
• it seems to indicate that very subject, possibly a reflexive emphasis, not 
a general subject 

Does anyone have any corrections or additions to this?

Karl W. Randolph.


From: "Jason Hare" <jason AT hareplay.com>

> In Deuteronomy 32.37-38, I came across two forms that I thought were odd. I
> did an MTR search, and this is the only ocurrence of either of these words
> in this form:
> 
> )LHYMW [elohei/mo] from verse 37
> ZBCYMW [z'vachei/mo] from verse 38
> 
> Is there indeed something odd here? I don't recall ever running across forms
> like this before. What would cause them *not* to use the regular -YW [-av]
> ending??
> 
> I looked in Rashi, and he commented nothing on the form. He just added this
> in his notes:
> *)LHYMW* $(BDW [*elohei/mu* she'av'du] - *his gods* whom they served
> 
> Any pointers?
> 
> Thanks,
> Jason
-- 
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