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  • From: David Kummerow <farmerjoeblo AT hotmail.com>
  • To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] Definite Article 7:14
  • Date: Fri, 23 Mar 2007 10:37:21 +1100

I don't have time to go into this, but good reading in my opinion on the so-called "indefinite use" of the definite article is treated by the following works:

Ehrensvärd, Martin. 2000. “Determination of the Noun in Biblical Hebrew.” Scandinavian Journal of the Old Testament 14: 301-314.
Ehrensvärd, Martin. 2000. “Studies in the Syntax and the Dating of Biblical Hebrew.” PhD diss., University of Aarhus.
Müller, Augustin R. 1991. “Zu den Artikelfunktionen im Hebräischen.” Pages 313-329 in Text, Methode, und Grammatik: Wolfgang Richter zum 65. Geburtstag. Edited by Walter Gross, Hubert Irsigler, and Helmut Satzinger. St. Ottilien: EOS Verlag.

Regards,
David Kummerow.



"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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