Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Dan and/or Nancy Storm" <danstorm AT comcast.net>]

I am somewhat of a beginning student of Hebrew, so I hope this question isn't 
too basic for this list. In Genesis 1:21 we read that God created "every 
winged bird according to its kind". What I'm interested in is two words: (OP 
KFNFP, "winged bird". (Please let me know if I have mistransliterated this.)

Koehler and Baumgartner list KFNFP as a substantive, meaning wing, but it 
seems to be used here adjectivally. From this I assume that substantives can 
be used as adjectives in Hebrew, like when we say in English sports car, fire 
truck, and so forth. I also wondered whether this might be an example of the 
construct state. However, with the construct state, the second noun takes the 
definite article. And even then we would have to translate the words 
something like "bird of a wing". Since the definite article is lacking here, 
I am assuming that we can safely rule out the construct state. 

Please help me construe these words.

D. Anthony Storm
danstorm AT comcast.net
>From klriley AT alphalink.com.au  Thu Aug 26 02:06:49 2004
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From: "Kevin Riley" <klriley AT alphalink.com.au>
To: <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: RE: [b-hebrew] Gen. 1.21, Winged Birds
Date: Thu, 26 Aug 2004 16:06:43 +1000
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>-----Original Message-----
>From: b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org
>[mailto:b-hebrew-bounces AT lists.ibiblio.org]On Behalf Of Dan and/or Nancy
>Storm
>
>I am somewhat of a beginning student of Hebrew, so I hope this
>question isn't too basic for this list. In Genesis 1:21 we read
>that God created "every winged bird according to its kind". What
>I'm interested in is two words: (OP KFNFP, "winged bird". (Please
>let me know if I have mistransliterated this.)
>
>Koehler and Baumgartner list KFNFP as a substantive, meaning wing,
>but it seems to be used here adjectivally. From this I assume that
>substantives can be used as adjectives in Hebrew, like when we say
>in English sports car, fire truck, and so forth. I also wondered
>whether this might be an example of the construct state. However,
>with the construct state, the second noun takes the definite
>article. And even then we would have to translate the words
>something like "bird of a wing". Since the definite article is
>lacking here, I am assuming that we can safely rule out the
>construct state.
>
>Please help me construe these words.
>
>D. Anthony Storm
>danstorm AT comcast.net
>
The construct state does not have to be definite.  I would take this as a
construct, but KFNFP probably needs to be translated as an adjective.  It is
not that unusual for words to change from one part of speech to another in
translation.

Kevin Riley