Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

On 17/12/2004 08:51, Vadim Cherny wrote:

> > > The fact that very few instances of lmo may possibly relate to singular
> > >      
> is easily understandable, since smihut form evolved into preposition, and
> its semantics expanded.
>  
>
> > Possible, but unlikely in my opinion.
> >    
>
> In your example of panim, lifney tzohoraim is wider than "face." A word,
> which is an object itself, evidently has narrower sense than the same word
> only referring to the object. The latter has, so to say, wider degree of
> freedom.
>
>  
Well, clearly lifney can be used in various non-literal ways, originally 
metaphorical extensions which have become partially frozen. But the same 
is true of the English equivalent "in the face of" which can be used of 
such inanimate concepts as "difficulties".

And the absolute form PANIYM also has its metaphorical uses e.g. in 
mippaniym in 2 Samuel 10:9 which means something like "in front", and 
lepaniym which means "forward" in Jer 7:24, and "formerly" in several 
other places.


--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/