Biblical Hebrew Forum

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

I agree that "adds nothing to the meaning of the word" is harsh for the Hebrew bible. 

In many instances a Hebrew variant form (due to changes over time, or to a different 

provenance) may not change the meaning of the word, unless one contrives for it a 

mutated meaning, for instance, the piel and paal forms of a Hebrew verb. 

I agree with George that it is "lingering archaic ending". It seems to me that it is the 

N that is left now in the personal pronoun הן HEN, as opposed to the M 

left in הם HEM. Still, as you say, it is יוכלו YUKL-U, and not YUKL-EM =YUKL-HEM, 

possibly as it may clash and be confused with יוכלם YOKL-EM, 'he will eat them'.

Isaac Fried, Boston University

On Oct 26, 2012, at 1:47 AM, Pere Porta wrote:

No, Karl. In most of your examples the end nun is the so called "paragogic" nun. It adds nothing to the meaning of the word.  It is a literary "device"...

 

In 2Sa 17:17 we find יוכלו which has exactly the same meaning as יוכלון in Gn 43:32...

 

Heartly

 

Pere Porta

 

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