Berachah Bible InstituteHebrew

Grammar I

Chapter 7: Hebrew Adjectives

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Grammar IHebrew Adjectives

Function just like English adjectives• Limit nouns

Section 7.1 – Introduction

• May be used in one of three ways Attributive Adjectives The red ball

Predicate Adjectives The ball is red

Substantive Adjectives Red is a color

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Grammar IHebrew Adjectives

Adjectives must match the noun they modify in both gender and number

Section 7.2 – Inflection of Adjectives

Thus, adjectives may be either masculine or feminine and either singular or plural.(* dual nouns are matched with plural adjectives)

Adjective endings match noun endings. See page 61 of book.

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Grammar IHebrew Adjectives

1. Adjectives must agree in gender and number with the nouns they modify.

Section 7.3 – Notes on Inflection

vAdq' yAg

~yvidoq. ~yIm:

hb'Aj #r<a,

tAbAj tAlWtB.

M F

S

P

Note: Dual noun matched with plural adjective

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Grammar IHebrew Adjectives

2. Plural adjectives are singular in translation value unless used substantively.

Section 7.3 – Notes on Inflection (cont.)

Attributive Adjectives A wise king OR Wise kings

~k'x' %l,m,ñ~ymik'x] ~ykil'm. Predicate Adjectives a king is wise OR Kings are wise

%l,m,ñ ~k'x' ~ykil'm. ~ymik'x] Substantive Adjectives A wise person OR Wise people

~k'x' ~ymik'x]

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Grammar IHebrew Adjectives

3. Adjectives undergo vowel changes when the inflectional endings are added.

Section 7.3 – Notes on Inflection (cont.)

Good Ship Hebrew

E.g, ~k'x' ~ymik'x]

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Grammar IHebrew Adjectives

First, review their three uses:

Section 7.4 – Use of Adjectives

Attributive Adjectives The red ball

Predicate Adjectives The ball is red

Substantive Adjectives Red is a color

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Grammar IHebrew AdjectivesSection 7.4 – Use of Adjectives (cont.)

How do you know how an adjective is being used?

1) Attributive (The red ball)• Follows the noun• Agrees with noun in number and gender• Agrees with noun in definiteness

2) Predicate (The ball is red)• May precede or follow the noun• Agrees with noun in number and gender• Does not have the definite article (may or may not match noun)

3) Substantive (Red is a color)• No noun for it to modify• No noun for it to agree with• May or may not have the definite article

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Grammar IHebrew AdjectivesSection 7.4 – Use of Adjectives (cont.)

Some definitive questions you can ask (in this order)…1) Is there a noun for the adjective to modify? If not, SUBSTANTIVE

3) Does the adjective have the definite article? If so, ATTRIBUTIVE

2) Does the adjective precede the noun? If so, PREDICATIVE

If none of these questions work, that means…1) There a noun for the adjective to modify.

2) The adjective follows the noun

3) Neither the adjective nor the noun has the definite article.

4) Does the noun have the definite article? If so, PREDICATIVE

Must examine the context…

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Grammar IHebrew AdjectivesSection 7.4 – Use of Adjectives (cont.)

tAn=b' yTeäv. !b"ßl'l.Wha'êle

‘hl'doG>h; ~veÛ

Gen 29:16

And to Laban [were]twodaughters

The name ofthe great one [was]

lxe(r" hN"ßj;Q.h; ~veîw>

Leah

And thename of

the small one [was]Rachel

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Grammar IHebrew AdjectivesSection 7.4 – Use of Adjectives (cont.)yMiê[i bK;äv.li ‘yl;ae

aB'ÛlAd)G" lAqïB. ar"Þq.a,w"

Gen 39:14

He came into meto lie

and I cried outwith a sound

with me

Grammatically, could be “with a sound is great” “with a great sound”

great

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Grammar IHebrew AdjectivesSection 7.4 – Use of Adjectives (cont.)

‘daom. lAdÜG" hv,ªmo vyaiäh'

~yIr:êc.mi #r<a,äB.

Exod 11:13

The manMosesgreat

in the land ofEgypt

very

Grammatically, could be “The man was a very great Moses” “The man Moses was very great”

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Grammar IHebrew AdjectivesSection 7.5 – Lexical Form

To find an adjective in the lexicon (dictionary), you must look for the masculine, singular form.~yqiAxr>

qAxr"

tAqAxr>

qAxr"

hq"Axr>

qAxr"

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Grammar IHebrew AdjectivesSection 7.6 – Directional Ending

• Don’t be confused…Has nothing to do with Hebrew Adjectives.• But, you have to talk about it somewhere…

• When you add a non-accented h 'on the end

of a noun, it is like adding the preposition la, to the front of it.

• If you add it to a feminine noun already ending

in h ', the final h of the noun becomes a t (see the first example below).

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Grammar IHebrew AdjectivesSection 7.6 – Directional Ending (cont.)

At‡ao !Waåc.m.Ti !KEå ry[iäh' ~k,äa]boK.

lkoªa/l, ht'm'øB'h; hl,’[]y: •~r<j,B.

When you enterthe citythusyou will find

(Definite direct object marker)

him

before

1 Sam 9:13

he goes up

hm'B' = “high place”

to the high placeto eat

Ch. 7 vocabulary word

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Grammar IHebrew AdjectivesSection 7.6 – Directional Ending (cont.)

hr"h'ªh' ~V'ømi

qTe’[.Y:w:

And he movedfrom thereto the hill country

Gen 12:8

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Grammar IHebrew AdjectivesSection 7.6 – Directional Ending (cont.)

hl'êAdg> h['äWrT. ‘~['h' W[yrIÜY"w:

And they shouted

the peoplea shout

Joshua 6:20

h'yT,ªx.T; hm'øAxh;( lPo’Tiw:‘hr"y[i’h' ~['Ûh'

l[;Y:“w:

a great (Ch. 7)

Notice how context tells us this is an attributive adjective.

And it fellthe wall (fs)in its place

And they went upthe peopleto the city

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Grammar IHebrew Adjectives

• Know the “inflectional endings” on page 61 (#1).

Section 7.7 - Summary

• Know the three ways adjectives are used (#4, a-c). Know this item exactly and in all details!

• Know how the Hebrew directional ending works (#5)

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Grammar I

Reminder

• Vocabulary and Grammar Quiz this week.

• Don’t forget to be doing journal (turn in @ end)

• After chapter 6, you know 51% of all OT words

• After chapter 7, you will know 53% of all OT words

• MIDTERM THIS WEEK. Will cover grammar and vocabulary from chapters 1-6 • No class Oct 15 and Oct 22, but study! Assignments due on Oct 29.