An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

ְ ֶ ָ ִ֫
ִ ְ ֶ ְ ְ ְ
b Most of the construct chains in Biblical Hebrew involve two items, construct or
head (C), and genitive or absolute (G). If the head involves two or more nouns
rather than one, all but the first come after the genitive, often linked to the head
with a pronominal suffix.
5. ת ַלּ ִפתּ־לא תינ
ָפוּ And turn to the prayer and supplication of your
וֹת ָנּחתּ־לאו ךָדּב ַע servant (lit., the prayer of your servant and his
supplication).
1 Kgs 8:28
There are exceptions to this rule; such construct overrides usually occur in
verse or elevated prose. 6
6. ןוֹנ ָבל־בוֹט ְ וְ רחַ ְב ִמ the choice and best of Lebanon
Ezek 31:16
ַ֫
ַ ֵ ֱ
ֶ ֑֫ ָ ָ ֵ ֵ
If the rectum or modifier involves two or more nouns, the construct is often
repeated with each genitive.
7. םִימ ָשּׁ ה יהלֹא הוהי YHWH, God of heaven and earth (lit., God of heaven
ץראה יהלֹאו and God of earth)
Gen 24:3
ְ ַ ְ ָ
However, the construct may govern a coordinate noun phrase. The more
closely related the genitives are, the more likely they are to form such a phrase.
8. ׃וי ָלגרו וידָי תוֹנֹה ְבּ his thumbs and big toes (lit., the major digits of his
hands and his feet)
9.
Judg 1:6, cf. 1:7
׃ץרֶ א֫ ָ ו ַ םִימ ַ֫
ָשׁ ה ֵנֹק creator of heaven and earth
10. ךָיתֹנ ֶ֫
ְבוּ ךָינֶ֫ ָבּ שׁפֶ ֫
ֶנ
שׁפֶ ֶנ֫ ו ְ ךָי ֶשׁ ֫ נ ָ שׁפֶ ֶנ֫ וְ
׃ךָי ֶשׁ ֫ ֹגְ ַל ִפּ
Gen 14:19
the lives of your sons-and-daughters, and the lives of
your wives and the lives of your secondary wives
2 Sam 19:6
[Page 140] c It is possible for the dependency to extend beyond two (sets of)
entities; the genitive of one construct may be the construct of another noun, etc.
11. ץרֶ א֑ ָ֫
ה־ם ָ ַע י ֵשׁארָ בלֵ the heart of the heads of the people of the land
Job 12:24
In this example there are three construct-genitive relations, בל
ישׁאר , ישׁאר
םע, and ץראה־םע, fused in a single chain. Such chains are not common, and
6 For other construct overrides see Prov 16:11 (verse), Dan 1:4 (prose); see, generally,
O’Connor, Hebrew Verse Structure, 308–11.