Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Dr. Joel M. Hoffman" <joel AT exc.com>]

>In Ezekiel 37:7 the subject is third person, the verb is second person, (we
>don't need to worry about the masc and fem interchange at this point), this
>also occurs in Jeremiah 49:11, What I would be interested in though would be 

The verbs in both cases are in fact 3rd person.

Hebrew has:

1.       a verbal suffix VAV indicating plural
2.       a verbal prefix YUD indicating future
3.       a verbal prefix TAF indicating second person future
4.       a verbal prefix TAF indicating feminine future

Verbs by default are singular, masculine, 3rd-person, past, but these
affixes can mix and match to modify the verbs.  From QTL, we find:

    QTL:    he killed (sing., 3rd, past, m.)
    YQTL:   he will kill (sing., 3rd, fut., m.)
    TQTL:   you will kill (sing., 2nd, fut, m.)
    TQTL:   she will kill       etc.
    QTLW:   they killed
    YQTLW:  they will kill
    TQTLW:  y'all will kill
    TQTLW:  they (f) will kill

Additionaly, we have a (more common) suppletive form TQTLNH "they
(f)/you (f) will kill."

-Joel


Joel M. Hoffman, PhD
http://www.exc.com/JoelHoffman