An Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Syntax

14. ךְתּ֑ ָ א ִ יתי ִ רִ ְב ה ֵנּה ִ ינִ ֲ
א
׃םִיוֹגּ ןוֹמה ֲ באַ ְל תי ָ ִי֫ הָ וְ
15. רוֹ ֑בּ ַבּ ףסוֹי־ןי ֵ א ֵ ה ֵנּהִ וְ
׃וידָ גָ ְבּ־תא ֶ ערַ ְקִיּ וַ
My covenant is with you and (or, as for me, because
my covenant is with you) you shall become father of
a throng of nations.
Gen 17:4
Because Joseph was not in the pit, he rent his
clothes.
Gen 37:29
d Similar to these causal connections, the presentative forms הנה and הנהו also
introduce clauses expressing a temporal connection (# 16) or the occasion or
condition (## 17–18) for the ensuing clause, using either a verbless construction (##
16–17) or a verbal (# 18). Other semantic functions include adversative (# 19) and
concessive notions (# 20).
16. ם ָעהָ ו ְ אוּה־ה ֵנּהִ וְ
ךָי ֶל֫ א ֵ םיאִ ְצֹי וֹתּא־ר ִ ֶשׁ אֲ
א ָצ ְמ תּ ִ ר ֶשׁ אֲ ַכּ וֹלּ תי ָ ִשׂ ֫ ָעוְ ׃ךָדָי ֶ֫
17. יתִּ ְעד ַ גֽ ָו
ְ םיאִ ָבּ םימָ ִ י ה ֵנּהִ ךָ ֲעֹר ז־ת ְ אֶ
18. . . . א ָב י ִכֹנ א ָ ה ֵנּהִ וְ
ן ֵכּ ה ֶשׂ ֱעא־ר ֶ ֶשׁ אֲ ַכ הָיהָ וְ
׃ןוּשׂ ֲעתּ ַ
19. םי ִצ ֵעהָ ו ְ שׁאֵ ה ָ ה ֵנּהִ ׃ה ָלֹע ְל ה ֶשּׂ ה ַ הֵיּא ַ וְ
20. ה ֶשֹׂע הוהי ה ֵנּהִ וְ
הֶיהִי ְ ה ֲ םִימ ַ֫
ָשּׁ ַבּ תוֹבּרֻ אֲ
ה֑ זֶּה ַ ר ָבדּ ָ ַכּ
When he and the people who are with him attack you,
do to them whatever your hands find to do.
Judg 9:33
There will come a time when I will put a stop to your
strength (or, when in the future…).
1 Sam 2:31
When I arrive…let it be that whatever I do, you do.
Judg 7:17
Here are the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb
for the ˓ōlâ?
Gen 22:7
Even if YHWH opened the floodgates of heaven, could
this happen?
2 Kgs 7:19
e In addition to serving as a bridge to introduce a noun clause of perception, הנה can
also function as a bridge for a logical connection between a preceding clause and the
clause it introduces, whether verbal (## 21, 27, 28, 31) 13 or participial (## 22–24, 26,
29–30)[Page 678] or verbless (# 25). 14 This bridging role may involve a causal
13 See also 2 Sam 19:21.
14 See also Deut 17:4–5.