Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Isaac Fried <if AT math.bu.edu>]

Yaakov,

1. We need to distinguish between what something actually is, and  
what something is merely "As a matter of fact so-called", as Dr.  
Reinhard G. Lehmann puts it.
2. An ulterior stress makes YAMAH = YAM-HI), into a 'lake, small  
sea' [in common use now but not found in the Hebrew bible], with the  
feminine pronoun ending HI) used I think for diminution, as in KAP,  
'table spoon', versus KAPIT = KAP-HI)-AT, 'tea spoon'. Also in  
existence is YAMAH = YAM-HI), 'her YAM, her sea', with a mapik in the  
closing H.
3. In YAMAH = YAM-HI), 'to the sea, westward', the personal pronoun  
is for the sea itself in lieu of "he hayedi(ah".
4. In RIBAH = RIB-HI) the personal pronoun is for the addressee  
[address-he?], whereas in NA-LIN-AH and NA-$KIM-AH, of Song of Songs  
7:12-13, both NA and HA are personal pronouns standing for the  
courting pair. [I don't think this NA is "nu hazeruz", as in the  
commonly heard from impatient children NU KBAR.]
In the form NA-$KIB-AH, 'we will lay her down', the initial NA is ) 
ANU for the speakers portending the act, and the last HI) is for the  
person intended to receive the benefit of the act.
In Song of Songs 7:13 we also find PARX-AH = PARAX-HI), 'bloomed',  
with HI) referring here to the vines themselves.
6. In Exodus 15:16 )EYMATAH = )EYM-ATAH = )EYM-AT-HI), the final  
pronoun ATAH [or the compound AT-HI)] is for the terror itself. In  
Daniel 7:7 we find V-EMTANI, prompting the later derivatives: )EYMTAN  
= )EYM-AT-AN, 'terorist', )EYMTANI = )EYM-AT-AN-HI) 'dreadful,  
fearful' and )EYMTANUT = )EYM-AT-AN-HU)-AT, 'terrorization'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Sep 30, 2007, at 4:34 AM, Yaakov Stein wrote:

> > OK I will state my case again. There are no "paragogic" letters in
> > Hebrew, and there can not be "paragogic" letters in Hebrew. The
> > ancient Hebrews did not construct their language out of "paragogic"
> > letters and "thematic" vowels. The Hebrews did not slap a extra  
> > H  ...
>
> There are two main reasons for adding a "he" at the end of a word.
> The "directive he", which is usually unaccented (YMH, QDMH, ...),
> and what is frequently called the "paragogic he", which is usually
> accented
> and used to express urgency ("he hazeruz"), such as LKH, N$QYMH, RYBH
> ...
>
> There are certainly other final he forms, remnants of archaic
> constructions
> (e.g. )YMTH in the song of the sea).
>
> Y(J)S
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