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  • From: James Spinti <jspinti AT eisenbrauns.com>
  • To: Michael Abernathy <mabernathy AT conwaycorp.net>
  • Cc: "b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org" <b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [b-hebrew] הוּא after pronouns
  • Date: Thu, 15 Nov 2012 09:00:43 -0500

Mike,

This is discussed in "The Verbless Clause in Biblical Hebrew," pages 227-230,
in the article by Alviero Niccacci, Types and Functions of the Nominal
Sentence. He specifically mentions and translates 2 Sam 7:28 in footnote 50:
50. Literally, ‘It is you that are he, namely the (only) God’.

HTH,
James
________________________________
James Spinti
E-mail marketing, Book Sales Division
Eisenbrauns, Good books for more than 35 years
Specializing in Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Studies
jspinti at eisenbrauns dot com
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Phone: 260-445-3118
Fax: 574-269-6788

On Nov 15, 2012, at 1:07 AM, Michael Abernathy wrote:

> I notice there are a number of passages where הוּא follows a pronoun and is
> usually translated into English something like "I am," "you are," or "he
> is."
> See for example 2 Sam. 7:28, Psalm 44:4, Isaiah 37:16, 43:25, Jeremiah 14:22
>
> If the pronoun is not used as a copula, what is its meaning? It may be a
> stretch but in some cases I could see it as a substitution to avoid using
> the name of God. I believe this is how Baumgarten understood its use in
> Isaiah. I understand some take it that it emphasizes the prounoun. So 2
> Sam 7:28 would read something like "You and only you are God."
>
> Do we have any consensus here?
> Sincerely,
> Michael Abernathy
>
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