Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Vadim Cherny" <vadim_lv AT center-tv.net>]

> >
> >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.
> >
> 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.
>

It's quite clear that the smihut form is much more flexible semantically.

But, anyway, the question boils down to the meaning - and, essentially,
etymology of lamo.

Vadim Cherny