Biblical Hebrew Forum

[K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Thank you, Noam:

On Sun, Mar 14, 2010 at 12:00 PM, Noam Eitan <noameitan AT yahoo.com> wrote:

> >Noam,
> >Can you give us some examples, other than the common "dying you shall die"
> (Gen 2:16) type?
>
> Sincerely,
> -Steve Miller
> >Detroit
>
> I have encountered many passages in the Hebrew Bible in which the
> infinitive absolute stands all by itself, but of course when I try to find
> them I can't. Here is what I was able to come up with for now:
>
> Exodus 32:6 eat and drink,


This infinitive does not stand alone, rather the context of another verb in
the phrase requires a following infinitive.


> related to Isaiah 22:13
>

Context indicates that this is an imperative. Different from above.


> Deut 1:16a hear out
>

Context indicates that this is an imperative. Wrong pointing.


> 2Sam 24;12 go
>

Context indicates that this is an imperative.


>
>
> Noam Eitan,
>
> Brooklyn, NY
>
> And from another posting:

Ecclesiastes 4:2, a participle
Esther 9:1 is in a context that requires an infinitive, it does not stand
alone.
Zechariah 7:5, is this another imperative?

And so on.

But there are some that appear to be exactly as you say, e.g.

Genesis 30:32 removing
Judges 1:19 (he could not) drive out (An argument can be made that this is a
subordinate clause that requires an infinitive.)
Psalms 35:16 (they) gnash their teeth at me

Many of them look like they are wrongly pointed from other grammar forms,
and then others raise questions even in a text that lacks points.

Could many imperatives have been mistakenly pointed as infinitives, as the
two forms sound so similar in the Masoretic system?

Thanks again. This is food for thought.

Karl W. Randolph.