Biblical Hebrew Forum

[JoeWallack AT aol.com]

"Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar_ treats the definite article here as special 

but as an example of a category of usage (section #126 q-r). They say: 

"Peculiar to Hebrew is the employment of the article to denote a single 

person or thing (primarily one which is as yet unknown, and therefore 

not capable of being defined) as being present in the mind under given 

circumstances. In such cases in English the indefinite article is mostly 

used."



The go on to speak particularly of this article in Isaiah 7:14: "H(LMH, 

i.e., the particular maiden, through whom the prophet's announcement 

shall be fulfilled; we should say "a maiden."



For other examples of this class of usage they give, among others, Gen 

42:23; 1 Kings 19:9; Job 9:31.



Yours,

Harold Holmyard"
 
Gesenius is dated, so in my opinion it should generally not be used. The 
above is an example of why. That the Hebrew word for the definite article 
would sometimes have a meaning of the indefinite article is a 
contradiction. Specifically here Gesenius changed his opinion in general 
regarding the meaning of the Hebrew definite article as well as its
application to 7:14 (that the definite article is indeed intended) in a
subsequent publication.
 
Joseph




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