b. Transposition. The of the passive preformative regularly changes places with the first radical, when that happens to be a sibilant (3, 0, 1,

or ); e. g.

c. The following letters are dropped. (1) and in some forms in which they would stand in the beginning of a word without a vowel; e. g. p instead of p, [Imp.] for "77.—(2) Consonants destitute of vowels, by

-in תְּרֵיסַר אִתְאֲשֶׁר instead of אִתְּשַׁר .contraction; e. g

stead of 70. Here belong also instead of TN 72NN, NA instead of N2 Ex. 9:31. Jon.—(3) 】 without a vowel and in the end of a syllable, of partici

- קָטְלִינְתּוּן for קָטְלִיתוּן .ples changed into tenses ; e. g

in the end ofת (5)- חזאהי instead of חֲזָהִיאמְרוּן

(4) Very frequently the quiescents; e. g. 77 instead of

words, constantly in the absolute state of feminine forms like also in the later Targums " for a Gen.

22: 19. Jonath.

instead

d. Commutation takes place, especially of quiescents ; (1) When one quiescent letter is exchanged for another capable of quiescing in the same vowel; as 7 of N, (which is merely an orthographical change;) (2) When a quiescent, homogeneous with the characteristic vowel of a particular form, is substituted for one

.(אַקְוִם) אֲקום for אֲקִים which would be heterogenous ; as

But those numerous cases of verbs do not belong here, in which▾ appears instead of N; nor such instances as N instead of NN7; for in these cases the is only the original consonant (which had been displaced by another), restored. See above.

e. Insertion. prosthetic is sometimes inserted in cases where otherwise a syllable would commence with two consonants; e. g., . Here belong also

instead of אִתַּקְטֵל, אִתְאַבֵּר instead of אתגר such cases as

SPN. For Dagesh forte is here euphonic, being primarily designed to shorten the pronunciation, (see Gesenius Lehrgeb. p. 860) though it constantly indicates the doubling of the consonant; and for this purpose the vowel of the falls back to the of the prefix.

$7. Vowel changes.

The derivation and inflections of words are effected, in the second place, by vowels, when forms of words derived from the same ground-form are characterized by different vowels; ex. 20 from 20. It is impossible to decide, in each particular case, why such and such vowels have been selected as characteristic of the form. We can distinctly ascertain, however, what are the characteristics of particular forms; and this again must be referred to the details of etymology. Only Only some variations from the general principles which regulate these forms, and some other modifications of vowels which result from facility of pronunciation, will be noticed here. Vowels, in the course of formation and inflection, are commuted, transposed, dropped,

or inserted.

a. Commutation of vowels; (1) Short for long, when a mixed syllable loses the tone; as from , const. state of p. generally becomes

and

In these casesʼn pure

When the long vowel

remains unchanged, either that is impure, or the last consonant of the ground-form is thrown forward and pronounced with the suffix; e.g.

stantly in Hebrew; as 7777. 7727.

:IT:

Dan. 3: 31. So con

See above § 2. 2

(2) Long vowels take the place of short;-in pause; as

IT ::

IT T

Dan. 2: 32.2 Dan. 4:6, N Gen. 4: 11. Ex. 4: 13. (though this is not universally the case; comp. Dan. 2: 9, 17.);-before a guttural which would regular

-in מֵאַרְעָא מְבַּרַךְ instead of מְבָרַךְ ly be doubled; as

איקָרוֹן

stead of N, (although this likewise is not without ex ceptions, especially if the guttural be or . Dan. 4: 16, 24.);—before other consonants, less frequently; as instead of 11 Gen. 38: 9. Ps. Jon. see § 6. a. ;—when a quiescent which would regularly have a composite Sheva, drops it and quiesces in the preceding vowel; as 177 instead of 77.-(3) It is for the sake of euphony that, in final syllables which terminate in a guttural, Pattahh is usually found before it, instead of the usual characteristic vowel; as

instead שַׁבַּח, יִשְׁלַח instead of יִשְׁלַח

of a; also that when a syllable terminates in a quiescent preceded by a heterogeneous vowel, that vowel be

. אַנְסִיף instead of אוֹסִיף .comes homogeneous ; e. g

The case of simple syllables, in which long vowels have displaced the short ones, does not belong here. In most of these instances, the punctuators probably employed the short vowels; and such forms as

.occur only in particular editions בַּקְרוּ, שְׁמָעוּ

b. Transposition of vowels takes place in some monosyllabic forms of verbs, the vowel of which is between the two last radicals, when they receive a pronominal suffix; as up from ;—also in some contracted forms for P-and finally, in cases like

, when the moveable or ,מְאַתִּי for מַתִּי קְדֵם for קוּם

of verbs; as

etc. throws back to the preceding consonant its own

vowel, for the sake of quiescing in it.

c. Vowels are dropped, in the final syllable of ground

8. PERSONAL AND POSSESSIVE PRONOUNS.

27

forms, only when formative syllables are added, and then much less frequently than in Heb.; e. g. 2 from hy,

The vowels most frequently omitted are Pattahh, Tseri and Hhireq.

d. Finally, vowels are inserted; (1) When two consonants would otherwise stand together without a vowel in the beginning of a syllable; as from 72. The vowel most commonly employed in such cases to facilitate pronunciation is Hhireq. But when the following consonant is a guttural, and has a composite Sheva, the preceding consonant takes the short vowel corresponding with this Sheva; as NN, 'S.—(2) In cases like 777 Ez. 7: 18, 7 Ez. 4: 15, instead

where three consonants would come ;הֶחָרְבַת, תַּעַבְדוּן of

r:

together, in the beginning of a syllable, without a vowel.

Note. In case (1) the inserted vowel regularly belongs to the first of the two consonants which would have been without vowels. In the later Targums, a practice somewhat different prevails to considerable extent. Instead of a short vowel under the first consonant, a long vowel appears under the second; e. g. instead of 2 Gen. 3: 1. Ps. Jon. et passim. 2 instead of 27 Gen. 3: 24. Ps. Jon.

2

CHAP. II.

PRONOUNS.

8. Personal and Possessive Pronouns.

1. Personal pronouns are divided, as in Hebrew, into two classes, separate and suffixed. The former express, with some exceptions, the nominative case, and the latter the oblique cases.

TABLE OF THE SEPARATE PRONOUNS OR GROUND-FORMS.

2. The suffix (or inseparable) pronouns are appended to verbs, to the signs of cases (§ 60) and prepositions, or to nouns. In the last case they are usually translated by possessive pronouns, though the Genitive of personal pronouns would more exactly express them; exactly as in Greek, πατήρ μου, &c. The following are the suffixes attached to verbs.

Which of the forms is to be used in each particular case, is explained in § 16. where also will be found an explanation of the so-called Nun epenthetic, which is frequently inserted between the verbal form and its suffix.

3. The suffixes of nouns are divided again, into two classes, viz. those attached to nouns singular, and those attached to nouns plural. The latter are expressed by somewhat lengthened forms, in which the of the plural termination commonly appears. They are generally the following.