An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

י ִכּ ה ָמ ח֑ ָ֫
ר ֻ אֹ ל הּ ָמ ְשׁ ארָ ְק
םחֵ רַ א ֲ דוֹע ףיסוֹא ִ אֹ ל
לאֵ רָ ְשִׂי תיבּ־ת ֵ א ֶ
Call her name Not-Pitied, for indeed I will not continue any
longer to have pity on the House of Israel. 37
Hos 1:6
The form דוע is a constituent adverb, qualifying the time extent of the predicate,
while ( ףיסוא)
אל is a clausal adverb, negating the entire clause. The particle יכּ is
another clausal adverb, this one emphasizing the clause it introduces. Traditionally יכּ
is considered a conjunction (cf. ‘for’), but we consider it rather to be an emphatic
adverb (cf. ‘indeed’). The question is not primarily one of translation (though the
standard translation ‘for’ is sometimes illogical and often tedious), but rather of
aligning יכּ with other forms that work similarly. The fourth adverb, (המחר) אל, is
an item adverb, negating only the adjective that immediately follows.
e In terms of frequency, clausal and constituent adverbs are common, while item
adverbs are rare. In terms of grammatical difficulty, clausal and item adverbs are of
considerable interest, while constituent adverbs require less attention.
f A listing of constituent adverbs should enable the student to grasp the character of the
class and prepare to observe its workings. There are four types of constituent adverbs,
each with internal dynamics and with significant overlapping with other word
groups. 38
g Adverbs of location are of two semantic types. The most common are deictics, those
which point to a place relative to the situation of the speaking; the senses are ‘here’
and ‘there’ (static) and ‘hither’ and ‘ “hither’ (dynamic). 39 The other type of locational
adverb has independent reference, that is, reference independent of the situation in
which the clause is spoken; relevant markers include ‘above’—‘below,’ ‘inside’—
‘outside,’ ‘around,’ and ‘behind.’
[Page
םלֹהֲ hither
658]
1.
2.
ה ָנּהֵ ֫ hither
3.
הֹכּ here
4.
הֹפּ here
37
There is a sense in which ˒ôsîp might be said to function adverbially or as an
auxiliary to ˒ăraḥēm, but that sense is not an important one; see 39.3.1b.
38
There is no clear rule about the placement of constituent adverbs, though temporal
adverbs (and adverbial phrases, especially with prepositions) tend to occur initially;
for some discussion, see W. Gross, Die Pendenskonstruction im biblischen Hebräisch
(St. Ottilien: EOS, 1987) 43–77 (on temporals), 78–87 (on locatives).
39
Nyberg groups ph and šm with kh as demonstrative adverbs; see Hebreisk
Grammatik, 53.