Reading Genesis 1-2 in Hebrew - Bibal.Net

Reading Genesis 1–2 in Hebrew
maqqEp. The verbal form avErOz is the Qal active participle sg. masc. from the root vrz (“sow
seed”). The masc. noun varez (“seed”) reiterates the same verbal root.
��������‘��������π‘����������—transliteration:
'·-Heµr val-P¸-n kol-hA-'Aµ-rec, µ “‘which is on the face of
all the earth.’” The particle of relation reH‹' (“which”) here introduces an extended prepositional
phrase. The preposition ynp-lv (“on the face of”) carries the sense of surface, as it does in 1:2.
����������������„
��‘�������û�‘�������ô����‘��ƒ‘�����—transliteration:
w¸-'et-Kol-hA-vEµc '·-Her-BÙµ p¸-rÓ-vEµc
zO-rEµ-av zAµ-rav, “‘and every tree that has fruit yielding seed.’” The definite direct object marker
here indicates a further aspect of what Elohim has given the human. In the masc. noun EvAh
(“the tree”) the vowel under the definite article is lengthened to compensate for the fact that the
following guttural cannot be lengthened. The fruit of the tree (Ev-yirÕp) in turn yields seed
(var√z avErOz). Note the lengthening of the vowel in the segholate noun, which is pausal (caused by
the presence of the accent 'atnAx).
�������������„ ���������û����—transliteration:
lA-keµm yih-yeµh l¸-'ok-l‰µ, “‘to you they shall be for eating.’”
The position of the preposition l (“to”), which has the 2 nd pl. masc pronominal suffix, suggests
emphasis. The verb is Qal imperfect 3 rd sg. masc. from the root h√yAh (“be[come]”). The
preposition l (“to, for”) is prefixed to the fem. noun hAl¯kA' (“eating, food”). The accent on the
penult here is the short vowel o (qAmAc xAX˚p) in a closed unaccented syllable whereas the
vowel under the ultima is the long vowel A (qAmAc).
�������������•œ��‘���������1:30�
���������‘�������������������������������������‘�����������
�����‘������•�����������������„
������û��‘��ƒ‘�������œ������������‘����������
������������•œ��‘��������—transliteration:
˚-l¸-kol-xay-yaµt hA-'Aµ-rec, “‘and for every living creature of the
earth.’” Before shewa the vowel of the wau-conjunction becomes ˚. The first noun here is the
construct form h√Cyax (“animal, living being”) with shortening of the vowel in the final syllable. Note
the compensatory lengthening of the vowel under the definite article in the word erA'Ah (“the
earth”) because the ' cannot be doubled.
��������‘�������������������������������������‘������—transliteration:
˚-l¸-kol-vÙµp haH-HA-maµ-yim
˚-l¸-kOµl rÙ-mEµW val-hA-'aµ-rec, “‘and for every bird of the sky and for all that crawls on the earth.’”
On the meaning of the words here, compare 1:28. The Qal active participle sg. masc WEmÙr from
the root Wmr (“creep, crawl”) should be compared with the fem. form teWemOr, which is written
defectively in 1:28
��������‘������
��π‘����������—transliteration: '·-Heµr val-P¸-n kol-hA-'Aµ-rec, µ “‘which is on the face of
the earth.’” See 1:29 above.
© 2005 BIBAL Corporation, All Rights Reserved Version 1.0
20