LAN 404_IV_Definite article and Waw

LAN 404 BEGINNING
HEBREW II
Class IV: Definite Article and Conjunction Waw
Dr. Esa Autero
Definite article and conjunction Waw
1.1 Introduction

Definite and indefinite article in English

Noun is definite when preceded by “the” (definite article)


Noun is indefinite when preceded by “a/an” or no article


The teacher, the mountain
An apple, a teacher (indefinite article) OR apple, teacher (no article)
Definite article in Hebrew


There is only definite article in Hebrew (no indefinite article in Hebrew)
‫מֶ֫לְֶ֫ך‬
may be translated as “king” or “a king”
 Hebrew words w/o definite article are indefinite

Exceptions: proper nouns (e.g. Egypt) & nouns w/ possessive pronouns (my ear)
Definite article and conjunction Waw
2.1 Hebrew Definite Article

Form of Hebrew definite article


‫ מֶ֫לְֶ֫ך‬ “king” or “a king”
(ֶ֫‫)ה‬
A noun is made definite by adding the Hebrew definite article
in front of
the noun AND adding Daghesh Forte in the first consonant of the noun
Definite article
‫המלְֶ֫ך‬

‫ מֶ֫לְֶ֫ך‬
“king” or “a king” 
‫המלְֶ֫ך‬
 “the king”
Definite article and conjunction Waw

Hebrew words with a definite article – examples
Indefinite noun
Definite noun
‫נ ִָביא‬
A prophet
‫הנ ִָביא‬
‫זָקֶ֫ן‬
An elder
‫הזָ קֶ֫ן‬
The elder
‫סּוס‬
A horse
‫הּסּוס‬
The horse
‫שֹׁפט‬
A judge
‫השֹׁפט‬
The judge
The prophet
Definite article and conjunction Waw

The article and initial begadkephat consonants

With begadkephat  initial Daghesh Lene changes into Daghesh Forte

Nothing visibly changes, but Daghesh Lene is now Daghesh Forte
Indefinite noun
Definite noun
‫ביִת‬
A house
‫הביִת‬
The house
‫רְך‬
ֶ֫ ‫ד‬
A road
‫הדרְֶ֫ך‬
The road
‫גִ בֹור‬
A warrior
‫הגִ בֹור‬
The warrior
Definite article and conjunction Waw

The article and initial guttural consonants

What to do with Daghesh Forte when first consonant is guttural (or ‫?)ר‬
 guttural consonants do not take Daghesh Forte
1) Compensatory lengthening

Initial Pathach (short a) of the definite article (ֶ֫‫ )ה‬lengthens
to Qamets (long a)  ‫ה‬
ֶָ֫
Basic patterns for compensatory
vowel lengthening:

Definite article compensates for the loss
of Daghesh Forte by lengthening vowels
1) Pathach to Qamets (ֶ֫‫)בָ ֶֶֶ֫֫֫ב‬
2) Hireq to Tsere (‫ֶֶֶֶ֫֫֫֫ב‬
ִֶ֫ ‫)ב‬
3) Qibbuts to Holem (ֶ֫‫)בֶֶֶֶֹׁ֫֫֫֫ב‬
Definite article and conjunction Waw

Examples of vowel lengthening
Indefinite noun
Definite noun
‫אִֶ֫יש‬
A man
‫האִֶ֫יש‬
ֶָ֫
The man
‫אִֶ֫ ָשה‬
A woman
‫האִֶ֫ ָשה‬
ֶָ֫
The woman
‫ר ֹׁאש‬
ֶ֫
A head/leader
‫ר ֹׁאש‬
ֶ֫ ָ‫ה‬
The head
‫עיר‬
ִֶ֫ ‫ה‬
ֶָ֫
The city
‫עיר‬
ִֶ֫
A city
Definite article and conjunction Waw
2) Virtual doubling

When
‫ ה‬or ‫ ח‬is the first consonant of a noun  virtual doubling
 Nothing happens – (rejection of Daghesh Forte w/o the lengthening of Pathach)
Indefinite noun
Definite noun
‫היכָל‬
A palace
‫ההיכָל‬
The palace
‫חֹומה‬
ָ
A wall
‫חֹומה‬
ָ ‫ה‬
The wall
 Pathach does not lengthen in either example
Definite article and conjunction Waw
3) Irregular Seghol vowel

Unaccented nouns that begin with ‫ע‬
ֶָ֫ , ‫ה‬
ֶָ֫ or ‫ח‬
ֶָ֫ (‫ח‬
ֶָ֫ may also be accented), have
Seghol (short e) without the Daghesh Forte ( ֶ֫‫) ה‬
Indefinite noun
‫חָ ֶָ֫כם‬
Wise man
Definite noun
‫החָ ֶָ֫כם‬
The wise man
Definite article and conjunction Waw

The article with initial

ֶ֫‫ י‬and ֶ֫‫מ‬
With few exceptions, words that begin with ֶ֫‫ י‬or
Indefinite noun
ֶ֫‫מ‬
give up Daghesh Forte.
Definite noun
‫ילָ ִדים‬
Boys
‫הילָ ִדים‬
The boys
‫מרג ִלים‬
Spies
‫המרג ִלים‬
The spies
 Daghesh Forte given up but Pathach is not lengthened

This is similar to virtual doubling with gutturals – however, the Shewa under
the first consonant is Vocal per similarity to basic form of the article w/
Daghesh Forte
Definite article and conjunction Waw

Vowel changes


Basic rules (see previous slides) + exceptions
NOTE: concentrate on stable elements – things that do not change
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- ֶ֫‫ ה‬prefix (vowels and Daghesh change)
Stem of the word does not change (almost always)
Examples of words that have slight irregularities (Qamets under 1st consonant)
Indefinite noun
‫רץ‬
ֶ֫ ‫א‬
ֶ֫
‫עֶ֫ם‬
‫גֶ֫ן‬
‫הר‬
‫ארֹון‬
ֶ֫
Earth
People
Garden
Mountain
Ark
Definite noun
‫האֶָ֫רֶ֫ץ‬
ֶָ֫
‫עם‬
ֶָ֫ ‫ה‬
ֶָ֫
‫ה ֶָ֫גן‬
‫הָ הָ ר‬
‫רֺן‬
ֶֹׁ֫ ‫א‬
ֶָ֫ ‫ה‬
ֶָ֫
The earth
The people
The garden
The mountain
The ark
Definite article and conjunction Waw
2.2 The Conjunction ‫ְו‬

ֶֺ֫ is the most frequent word in the Hebrew Bible (<50,000x)
On average 2.5x per verse
 Always prefixed to another word (never stand-alone)


ֺ has four basic spelling possibilities depending on the word it is attached to
1) Before most consonants, the conjunction appears as ֶֺ֫



ֶ֫‫ ֶֺ֫עֶ֫בד‬and a servant
ֶ֫‫א ָשה‬
ִֶ֫ ֶֺ֫ and a woman
‫א ָשה‬
ִֶ֫ ‫ה‬
ֶָ֫ ֺ and the woman
Definite article and conjunction Waw
2) Two situation when the conjunction appears differently
a) It is spelled ‫ ּו‬before labials (‫ב‬

,‫ מ‬,‫)פ‬
 “BUMP” rule
begadkephat consonants will loose the Daghesh Lene with the conjunction
Conjunction Waw and the “BUMP” rule
‫ בין‬+ֶֺ֫
‫ּובין‬
and between
‫ ביִת‬+ֶֺ֫
‫ּוביִת‬
and a house
‫ מלְֶ֫ך‬+ֶֺ֫
‫ּומלְֶ֫ך‬
and a king
‫עה‬
ֶֹׁ֫ ‫ר‬
ֶ֫ ‫ פ‬+ֶֺ֫ ֶֶֶֶֶ֫֫֫֫֫‫עה‬
ֶֹׁ֫ ‫ר‬
ֶ֫ ‫ּופ‬
and Pharaoh
Definite article and conjunction Waw
b) The conjunction ֺ is also spelled as Shureq (‫ )ּו‬before most
consonants having Vocal Shewa
Conjunction Waw and Shureq
‫ע ִרים‬
ֶָ֫ ֶ֫‫ נ‬+ֶֺ֫
‫ע ִרים‬
ֶָ֫ ֶ֫‫ּונ‬
‫ע ִרים‬
ֶָ֫ ֶ֫‫ ז‬+ֶֺ֫
‫ע ִרים‬
ֶָ֫ ֶ֫‫ּוז‬
‫ ספָ ִרים‬+ֶֺ֫ ‫ּוספָ ִרים‬
‫ שמּואֶ֫ל‬+ֶֺ֫ ֶֶ֫֫‫ּושמּואֶ֫ל‬

and young men
and seeds
and books
and Samuel
Exception to the rule: if the conjunction ֺ is prefixed to a word that
begins with the syllable ֶ֫‫ י‬then the syllables contract to

‫הּודה‬
ָ ‫ י‬+ֶֺ֫ ֶֶֶֶ֫֫֫֫‫ִהּודה‬
ָ ֺ
and Judah
Definite article and conjunction Waw
3) Before a reduced Hateph vowel – the conjunction is spelled with
the corresponding short vowel of the Hateph vowel.
Conjunction Waw and Hateph volwels
‫אנ ִָשים‬
ֶ֫ +ֶֺ֫ ‫ֶֺ֫אֶ֫נ ִָשים‬
‫אמת‬
ֶ֫ +ֶֺ֫ ֶֶֶֶֶ֫֫֫֫֫‫ֶֺ֫אֶ֫מת‬
‫ חֳ ִלי‬+ֶֺ֫
‫ָֺחֳ ִלי‬

One important exception: ֺ
+ ‫ֹלהים‬
ִ ֶ֫‫א‬
and men
and truth
and sickness
‫ֹלהים‬
ִ ‫ֶֺ֫א‬
Definite article and conjunction Waw
4) The conjunction may be spelled with a Qamets ֶָֺ֫ before
monosyllabic words and certain word with initial accent
Conjunction Waw and Qamets vowel

‫ ֶ֫צ ֹׁאן‬+ ֶֺ֫
Sheep
‫ֺ ֶָ֫צ ֹׁאן‬
and sheep
‫ לחֶ֫ם‬+ ֶֺ֫
Bread
‫חם‬
ֶ֫ ‫ָֺל‬
and bread
How do you know when a word starts with
conjunction?
ֺ
and when it is a
Only six words in the Hebrew Bible that start with the consonant ֺ
 The words occur only 18x in the Hebrew Bible in total

 When you see a word with an initial ֺ it is most likely the conjunction ֺ
Definite article and conjunction Waw

Practice

Workbook p. 21, no: 1-5, 10-15


p. 22, no: 1-10
Homework

Workbook p. 23, no:1-9 “Bible Translation”

Practice letters and reading (out loud) – e.g. words on vocabulary & workbook

Vocabulary quiz (Ch. 5) on words pp. 46-47 (5.9)

EXAM I POSTPONED BY ONE WEEK

Exam I: Tue 9/29/2015