An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

16.
ןדֶ ֵע֫ ֵמ א ֵצֹי רהָ ָנ ְ
17. ה ֶלֹע ךְימִ ח ָ ה ֵנּהִ ׃וֹנאֹ צ זֹג ָל התָ ָנ֫ ְמ תִ
1 Kgs 3:2
ו Now, a river was flowing from Eden.
Gen 2:10
Your father-in-law is going up to Timnath to shear his
sheep.
Gen 38:13
Two varieties of this pattern require notice. With הנה the participial clause
usually describes immediate circumstances (## 18–20; cf. # 17); because these
generally require observation the translation ‘behold’ has established itself in
English. 45 A clause with ךְ ֵלֹה indicates a long-term state of affairs (# 21).
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18.
חַ תֹפ ֵ וּנּ ֶני ֫ א ֵ ה ֵנּהִ וְ
וּח ְקִיּ ו ַ הָיּ ִל ֲעה ָ תוֹתלְ דַּ
חַ תֵּ ְפ ַמּ ה־ת ַ אֶ
19. ה ֵנּהִ ו ְ ארַיּ ְ ו ַ ויני ָ ֵע א ָשִּׁיּ וַ
םיבִ ָצּ ִנ םי ִשׁ נָ א ֲ ה ָשׁלֹ ְשׁ
וי֑ לָ ָע
20. ה ֵנּהִ וְ
. . . םלֹחַיּ ֲ ו ַ ן ָשׁיִיּוַ תוֹלֹע םי ִלבֳּ ִשׁ עבַ ֶשׁ ֫
21. תיבוּ ֵ קזֵ חָ ו ְ ךְ ֵלֹה דוִ דָ וְ
׃םי ִלּדַ ו ְ םי ִכלֹה ְ לוּא ָשׁ
And behold, he was not opening the doors of the
upper room, so they took the key.
Judg 3:25
He looked up and saw, and behold three men were
standing by him.
Gen 18:2
He slept and dreamt…and behold, seven heads of
grain were coming up.
Gen 41:5
David grew stronger and stronger, while the House
of Saul grew weaker and weaker.
2 Sam 3:1
e In reference to present time the participle also approximates the prefix conjugation
but distinguishes itself by denoting a continuing state of affairs (rather than iterative
aspect) without any modal or volitional meaning (## 22–25), sometimes in a purely
circumstantial (relative) expression (## 26–27), and sometimes in a curative
circumstance involving repeated actions (## 28–29). 46 Such a state of affairs is rarely
introduced by הנה (# 30).
23.
22. םי ִק ֲעֹצ ךָיחִ֫ א ָ ימֵ דּ ְ לוֹק
י ַלאֵ ׃תחַ רֹבּ ֫ ַ י ִכֹנ ָ
Your brother’s blood is crying out to me. 47
Gen 4:10
א I am fleeing.
45 e
Again, compare McCarthy’s “excited perception,” in “Uses of w hinnēh,” 332–33.
46
Cf. also 1 Kgs 3:3 (cf. # 15), 4:20.
47
The subject qôl is singular; the participle is plural by attraction to dəmê (cf. 7.4.1 b).