Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Kirk Lowery <klowery AT whi.wts.edu>]

Jason Hare wrote:
> Exodus 18:26
> וְשָׁפְטוּ אֶת-הָעָם בְּכָל-עֵת אֶת-הַדָּבָר הַקָּשֶׁה יְבִיאוּן
> אֶל-מֹשֶׁה וְכָל-הַדָּבָר הַקָּטֹן יִשְׁפּוּטוּ הֵם׃
> W$P+W )T-H(M BKL-(T )T-HDBR HQ$H YBY)WN )L-M$H WKL-HDBR HQ+N Y$PW+W HM
> 
> I'm just wondering what the form Y$PW+W is there. Shouldn't it be
> יִשְׁפְּטוּ Y$P+W instead of יִשְׁפּוּטוּ Y$PW+W? Is there a special
> significance to this form?

According to Gesenius-Kautzsch-Cowley (§47g), it is an "anomalous" pausal form
with  long û, where the expected pausal form would be  ‏יִשְׁפּ֫וֹטוּ‎ 
Y.$:P.OW+W.
"...in virtue of a retrogressive effect of the pause;" although I'm not sure
what he means by that. Some sort of phonological effect of the accentuation, I
suppose. I also don't understand the reference to "pausal" form, since it is 
the
next word, H"M, that has silluq. Perhaps he is thinking that H"M would have
originally been suffixed to the verb. Or this "pausal" influence is
"retrogressive" from the silluq. Yeah, that's probably what he means.

Two other places are cited for similar pausal forms:

Ruth 2:8 - ‏תַעֲבוּרִ֖י T"(:ABW.RIY

Proverbs 14:3 -  ‏תִּשְׁמוּרֵֽם‎ T.$:MW.RFM

One could also speculate there was a textual error in the transmission of the
vocalization. No manuscript evidence, however.

Blessings,

Kirk
-- 
Kirk E. Lowery, PhD, Director
The J. Alan Groves Center for Advanced Biblical Research
Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia
--
"While religion prescribes brotherly love in the relations among
the individuals and groups, the actual spectacle more resembles
a battlefield than an orchestra."
                                         -- Albert Einstein