Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Randall Buth <randallbuth AT gmail.com>]

vattishal Karyn
>In Gen 42:33 (and six other places) we find the hiphil m pl imperative
of the root nun-waw-chet (hannichu). For other middle weak verbs, the
form usually has a long vowel under the preformative. However, in this
form we find the preformative heh with a patah followed by a nun with
a dagesh. Why the vowel reduction and dagesh? So, why hannichu?
>
>Thank you,
>Karyn Traphagen

Hebrew developed two Hif`il verbs using the root n.v.H.

One verb  le-haniaH basically means 'to give rest'
and the second verb
le-hanniaH basically means 'to place something.
Both are still used in modern Hebrew, though most speakers mix
and or merge the forms
"meniaH" 'giving rest' with
"manniaH" 'placing, assuming'.
The "correct" form for 'assume' is manniaH//manniHa//manniHim.

While le-hanniaH is the wider and more metaphorical in the biblical
text, there is also overlap with a few examples of le-haniaH with
'place/leave'.

And the above should reinforce the principle that the verbs in a binyan
are to be learned as individual verbs and not 'produced out of roots'.
The latter would be none other than the etymological fallacy.

blessings
Randall


-- 
Randall Buth, PhD
www.biblicalulpan.org
randallbuth AT gmail.com
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