An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

25.
26.
רב֑ ָ דּ ָ הוהימ ֵ א ֵל ָפִּי הֲ 24
Is anything too hard for YHWH?
םידִ סָ חֲ ה ַ לֹכּ ִמ יתִּ ְנֹט֫ ָ
Gen 32:11
This use is frequent with infinitives.
27. ׃אֹ שׂנְּ ִמ י ִ גָּ
28. בר ָ ם ָשׁוּכר ְ הָיהָ ודּ֑ ָ חַי ְ ת ֶב ֶשּׁ ֫ מִ
29. . . . ת ֶשׁ ֹח֫ ְנּה ַ ח ַבּז ְמִ
ה ָלֹעה־ת ָ א ֶ לי ִכהָ מ ֽ ֵ ןֹטקָ Gen 18:14
ק I am unworthy of all the love.
נוֹ ֲע לוֹד My punishment is more than I can bear.
Gen 4:13
Their possessions were too great for them to remain
together.
Gen 36:7
The bronze altar…was too small to hold the ˓ōlâ
ִ ִ ָ ַ
֑ ָ ְ ְ ִ ֶ
֫ ָ ֫
[Page יתּתּ ִמ . . . ם ָעה בר 1 Kgs 8:64
The people are too many for me…to give Midian into
267]
30.
םדָיבּ ןָידמ־תא their hands.
Judg 7:2
It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between a positive comparison and a
comparison of capability.
31. ׃דֹא ְמ וּנּ ֶמּ ִמ תּ ְמ
powerful than us.
32.
ַצ ָע You are much too powerful for us. / You are much more
Gen 26:16
ם ֶכּ ִמ תֹא ְמ י ִל־ר ַמ I am much too bitter for you. / I have more bitterness
than you.
Ruth 1:13
14.5 Superlative Degree
a There are two kinds of superlatives, the comparative superlative and the absolute
superlative. In the former some person or object is judged to surpass all others in its
class with respect to some quality; in the latter some person or thing is judged to excel
in some quality, state, or condition. We will analyze these two kinds of superlative
and note the expressions employed for each.
b The absolute superlative can be expressed with the anarthrous cognate genitive: a
singular cognate noun stands before the same noun in the plural, without an article. (A
determined construct chain expresses a comparative superlative; see 9.5.3j and 14.5d.)
1.
םי ִלבָ ה ֲ לבֵ ה ֲ futility of futilities, utter futility
Qoh 1:2
24 Other examples with pl˒ in the Piel in Deut 17:8; Jer 32:17, 27.