An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

. . . רֹמא ֵל לאֵ רָ ְשִׂי
ה ֶשׂ שׁיא ִ םהֶ ָל וּח ְקִי וְ
shall take for themselves, each one, a lamb.’
Exod 12:3
d A non-perfective of prohibition expresses negative instruction in legal literature. The
use of אֹ ל with the non-perfective is common in legislative contexts.
8.
7. וּנּ ֶמּ ֫ ִמ וּריתוֹת־אֹ ִ֫
לוְ רקֶ ֹבּ־ד ֑֫
ַע
Do not leave any of it till morning.
Exod 12:10
׃ח ָצרְ תּ ִ אֹ ל You shall not murder.
Exod 20:1–3
31.6 Further Contingent Uses of the Non-Perfective
a Three uses of the non-perfective verb form may be gathered under the heading of
other uses based on contingency. Two of the three are related to the irreal senses, and
two of the three are associated with particles.
31.6.1 With Particles Expressing Contingency
a Related to the use of the unmarked prefix conjugation with irreal modal nuances
(31.4) is its use with particles expressing uncertainty or contingency. These may be
divided into conditional particles introducing the protasis (the ‘if’ clause in an ‘ifthen’
sentence) and telic particles introducing the apodosis (the ‘then’ clause).
b The most common of the conditional particles is םא ִ ‘if.’ The conjunction י ִכּ can be
similarly used. The counterfactual conditional particle is וּל ‘if only (…but it is not
so). 31
1.
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2.
קדָּ ְצא־ם ֶ אִ If I were innocent…
. . . א ָצ ְמ א־ם ֶ אִ
ם ִקידִּ ַצ םי ִשּׁ מִ חֲ
Job 9:20
If I find…fifty righteous people…
Gen 18:26
3. יחִ א ָ ו ָשׁ ֵע ךָ ְשׁ גָּ ְפִי י ִכּ When my brother Esau meets you…
4.
Gen 32:1–8
ישׂ֑ ִ ֲע ַכּ לקֵ ָשִּׁי לוֹק ָשׁ וּל If only my anguish could be weighed!
Job 6:2
c The telic particles may be positive (ן ַע ַמ ֫ ְ
negative (ן ֶפּ, יתִּ לְ בִ ְ
ל, רוּב ֲע ַבּ, ‘so that’; ר ֶשׁ ֲ
א is also so used) or
ל ‘so that not = lest’). 32 In Latin, telic particles are used not with
31
The particle ˒m occurs 1,060 times (SA/THAT); lû (in various spellings) occurs
about 22 times. Note that ˒m is gapped over four clauses in Ps 139:8–9.
32
Cf. GKC §107q / p. 318; lm˓n occurs 270 times (SA/THAT) and pn 133 times (SA/
THAT); lblty is found 85 times and b˓b(w)r about 50 times.