An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

26.
Gen 12:18
הוהי ַל אוּה ךְוּר ָבּ May he be pronounced blessed to YHWH. 72
27. לוֹק ְל תָּ ְע ַמ ָשׁ י ִכּ
ךָתֶּ ְשׁ אִ
Ruth 2:20
Because you listened to (or, heeded) the voice of your
wife…
ָ ַ֫ ְ
֑֫ ִ ָ ֵ ְ
Gen 3:17
The lamed of interest or (dis)advantage (dativus commodi et incommodi) marks
the person for or against whom an action is directed (## 28–33); the term “benefactive
dative” is sometimes used of this l.
[Page התּ ְפס ְכ ִנ ףֹסכ ִנ־י ִכּ You long for your father’s house.
208]
28.
ךָיבא תיבל 29.
30.
31.
ת ֵמ ל ְ וּכּבְ תּ־ל ִ ַ
בֵ יוֹא ְל םהֶ ָל ךְפֵ הֵיּ ָ ַ
Gen 31:30
א Do not weep for the dead (one).
Jer 22:10
ו He became their enemy (lit., he turned against them
to [become] an enemy). 73
Isa 63:10
תוֹא ָב ְצ הוהי ַל םוֹי י ִכּ There is a day [prepared] for YHWH of Hosts.
32. ת ַעדַ֫ ָל ם ֶכל ָ אוֹלהֲ ׃ט ָפּ ְשׁ מִּ ה־ת ַ אֶ
33. בהָ זָ ו ְ ףסֶ כּ ֶ֫
דֹמחְ ת־אֹ ַ ל
ךְ ָל תָּ חְ קַ ָלוְ םהי ֶ ֵל ֲע
Isa 2:12
Isn’t it your affair to know the customs?
Mic 3:1
You shall not desire the silver and gold that is on
them (abandoned idols) and you shall not take (the
silver and the gold) for yourself.
Deut 7:25
A special variety of the lamed of interest is a use that some label dativus ethicus or
“ethical dative.” 74 T. Muraoka points out that this term means that a person other than
the subject or object is concerned in the matter, but “the hallmark of the Semitic
construction is the identity of grammatical person of the subject of the verb with that
of the pronoun suffixed to the preposition.” 75 Many scholars refer to this use as
“reflexive”: l marks the action as being of interest to the performer (# 32); the term
“ingressive” is also used. Muraoka suggests the nomenclature “centripetal.” He
72 Not ‘by.’ See Pardee, UF 8: 221–23, cf. 230; 9: 209.
73 See also Job 30:21. Cf. Pardee, UF 8: 228.
74 GKC §119s / p. 381; for this treatment we follow T. Muraoka, “On the So-called
Dativus Ethicus in Hebrew,” Journal of Theological Studies 29 (1978) 495–98.
75 Muraoka, “Dativus Ethicus,” 495.