An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

49.
אוֹבל ָ שׁמֶ ֶשּׁ ֫ ה ַ יהְי ִ וַ The sun was about to set.
Gen 15:12
36.3 Verbal Uses
36.3.1 Syntactic Features
a An infinitive construct can manifest its verbal character in various ways. 36 It may be
associated with its subject only (## 1–2) or its object only (## 3–5) or a preposition
only (## 6–7). Less often both subject and object follow the infinitive; the object may
be unmarked (# 8) or signaled by תא (# 9) or a prepositional phrase may be used (#
10; cf. 10.2.1c–d) 37
1. ח֑ ַצֹר
ֵ ה ָ ה ָמּ ָשׁ ֫ סנֻ ָל so that the killer can flee there
2. וּנחְ ַנ֫ א ֲ ם ָשׁ תוּמלָ ׃וּנרי ֫ ֵ ִע ְבוּ
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3.
4.
5.
6.
Num 35:6
so that we and our cattle might die there
Num 20:4
ם ֶכתְ א ֶ הרָ סַּי ְ ְל 38
to punish you
Lev 26:18
יתֹא ִ האָ רִי ְ ְל to fear me
Deut 4:10
ד֑ וִדּ־ת ָ א ֶ תימִ הָ ְל to kill David
1 Sam 19:1
יתֹנ ֑ ָ ְבל ִ ו ְ ינַ ָבל ְ ק ֵשּׁ נַ ְל to kiss my sons and daughters
7. לֹשׁמְ ה ַ ם ֶכל ָ בוֹטּ־ה ַמ
ם ֶכבָּ 8. הוהי תוֹשׂ ֲע םוֹיבְּ ׃םִימ ָ֫
ָשׁ ו ְ ץרֶ א ֶ֫
םיהלֹ ִ אֱ
Gen 31:28
What is better for you—that the ruling over you…?
Judg 9:2
when YHWH God made earth and heaven
36 Many of the examples cited above are relevant here and may be consulted. In
Biblical Hebrew, the nouns governed by an infinitive follow it, while in Aramaic and
in Qumranic Hebrew the opposite order is attested for objects; see Qimron, Dead Sea
Scrolls, 74.
37 For an infinitive with two objects, note har˒ōtəkā ˒et-kōḥî ‘that (1) make you see my
strength’ (Exod 9:16). The object of an infinitive may itself be an infinitive governing
an object with ˒t, e.g., ham˓aṭ qaḥtēk ˒et-˒îšî,’Isn’t it enough that you took my
husband?’ (Gen 30:15).
38 The shape of the feminine endings here and in # 4 reinforces the Masoretic
conviction that such forms are not construct.