An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

[Page 295]
When another grammatical element intervenes before a subject, it is necessary to
add a resumptive personal pronoun.
9. םִי ר֫ ַ ְצ ִמּ ִמ םרָ ְבא ַ לאַיּ ַ וַ
וֹתּ ְשׁ אִ ו ְ אוּה
And Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife.
Gen 13:1
An apposition, however, does not constitute such a separation.
10. ה ֶשֹׁמ ןתֹח ֵ וֹרתִי ְ אֹ בָ יּוַ וינָ ָבוּ
And Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, and his sons came.
Exod 18:5
d A second group of uses of independent personal pronouns with finite verbs involves
logical structure. The referent of the pronoun may be involved in an explicit antithesis
with another person or group of persons. 23
11. וּנ ָמּ ֫ ִע התָּ א־ר ַ ֵבּדּ
ַ You speak to us, and we will hear; but let not God
ר ֵבּדְי־ל ַ אַ ו ְ ה ָעמ֑ ָ֫
ְשׁ נִ וְ
speak.
םיהלֹ ִ א ֱ וּנ ָמּ ֫ ִע
12. ץ ַעָי תאֹ ז ָכו ְ תאֹ ז ָכּ
תאֹ ז ָכוְ . . . ל ֶפ ֹתי ֫ חִ אֲ
׃ינִ א ָ֫
יתִּ ְצ ַעָי ֫ תאֹ ז ָכוְ 13. י ִכֹנ אָ ו ְ יתא ִ ט֫ ָ ח ָ י ִכֹנ אָ
ןאֹ צּה ַ ה ֶלּא֫ ֵ ו ְ יתי ִ וֵ֫ ֱעהֶ וּ ֑שׂ ָע ה ֶמ
14. ה ָשׁ ֹב֫ א־ל ֵ אַ ו ְ יפַ דֹר ְ וּשׁ ֫
ֹבֵ י
ה ָמּ ה ֵ֫
וּתּחֵי ַ֫ ינִ א֫
ָ
ינִ א ֑֫ ָ התָּ חַ֫ א־ל ֵ אַ וְ
Exod 20:19
Ahithophel has advised…to do such and such, but I
advised them to do so and so.
2 Sam 17:15
I am the one who has sinned; I have done wrong.
These are but sheep. What have they done?
2 Sam 24:17
Let my persecutors be put to shame, but let me not be
put to shame; let them be terrified, but let me not be
terrified.
Jer 17:18
In some cases both parties to the antithesis are referred to with pronouns.
15. שׁאֹ ר ךָפוּשְׁי ְ אוּה
׃בקֵ ָע וּנּ ֶפוּשׁ ֫ תּ ְ התָּ אַ וְ
He will crush your head, but you will crush his heel.
Gen 3:15
In other cases the antithesis is only implicit; the other, contrasting party is not
ִ ְ ֫ ֶ ִ ֲ
mentioned.
16. יתּר ַשׁ ֱעה ינ 23 Muraoka, Emphatic Words, 54–56.
א I [not YHWH] have made Abram rich.