Subordination of Nouns to the Verb by Means of Prepositions
Subordination of Nouns to the Verb by Means of Prepositions
§ 101. The action of the verb often reaches the obj. through the medium of a prep. The prepp. may be assumed to be—1. Words expressing locality. 2. Then they are transferred to the sphere of time. 3. And, finally, they are used to express relations which are intellectual or ideal.
When several words are coupled together under the regimen of the same prep. it is often repeated before each, as Hosea 2:19 בְּצֶדֶק וּבְמִשְׁפָּט וּבְחֶסֶד וּבְרַֽחְַמִים Genesis 12:1; Genesis 40:2, 2 Samuel 6:5, Hosea 1:7. But usage varies, Hosea 2:18; Hosea 3:2. Sometimes, in poetry especially, the prep. exerts its influence over a second clause without being repeated, Isaiah 28:6 for לִמְשִׁיבֵי, Job 15:3 for וּבְמִלִּים, Isaiah 30:1 from my spirit, Isaiah 48:9 for the sake of my praise.
Certain prepp. of motion, chiefly אל and מן, are used with verbs that do not express motion, and, on the other hand, a prep. of rest such as ב may be used with a verb of motion. This pregnant consn., as it has been called, permits the ellipse of a verb. 1 Samuel 7:8 אַל־תַּֽחְַרֵשׁ מִמֶּנּוּ be not silent (turning away) from us. Psalms 22:21 מִקַּרְנֵי רֵמִים עְַנִיתָֽנִי heard (and delivered) me from the horns. 1 Samuel 24:15 יִשְׁפְּטֵנִי מִיָּדֶֽךָ, cf. 2 Samuel 18:19. Isaiah 38:17, Ezekiel 28:16 profane (and cast) thee from the mount, Psalms 28:1-9; Psalms 18:22; Psalms 73:27, Ezra 2:62.—Genesis 19:27 אֶל־הַמָּקוֹם... וַיַּשְׁכֵּם he rose early (and went) unto the place, Son_7:13. Genesis 42:28 וַיֶּֽחֶרְדוּ אִישׁ אֶל־אָחִיו they trembled (and looked) unto one another; and often with verbs of fear, wonder, &c., Genesis 43:33, Isaiah 13:8, Hosea 3:5 come trembling unto, Micah 7:17, cf. Isaiah 41:1, Psalms 89:39 profaned (and cast) to the ground, Psalms 74:7. Isaiah 14:17, Genesis 14:3. With 1 Samuel 21:2 (if text יודעתי right) cf. Genesis 46:28 :1 Sa. 1 Samuel 13:7 rd. prob. מֵאַֽחְַרֵי trembled from after him (left him from fear). So the brief language, 1 Samuel 15:23, rejected thee מִמֶּלֶךְ from (being) king, cf. 1 Samuel 15:26 מִֽהְיוֹת מ׳; 1 Kings 15:13 removed her מִגְּבִירָה from being queen-mother. Isaiah 7:8; Isaiah 17:1, Hosea 9:12, Jeremiah 48:2, Psalms 83:4. Psalms 55:18 פָּדָה בְשָׁלוֹם redeemed (so as to be) in peace, Psalms 23:6? 1 Samuel 22:4 וַיַּנְחֵם אֶת־פְּנֵי מֶלֶךְ led them (so that they were) in the presence of the king of Moab.
Rem. 1. The prepp. are either, (a) of rest in, as ב; (b) of motion in the direction of, as אל, ל, עד; (c) of motion away from, as מן; or (d) of the expression of other relations, as על over, above, upon, תחת under, &c. In addition there are compound prepp., mostly with אל or מן as first element. See the Lexx. Only a few points can be noticed.
(a) Prep. ב is either in, within (Ar. fî), or, at, on of contact (Ar. bi). Most of its uses are reducible to these two senses, e.g. בַּבַּיִת in the house, בָּאָרֶץ, בָּהָר in, on the mountain; of time, בַּבֹּקֶר. Hence its use with verbs to touch נָגַע, to cleave to דָּבֵק, to hold אָחַז, תָּמַךְ. From the sense of in (in the sphere of, embodied in) comes its use with pred. (beth essentiæ), as Psalms 68:4 בְּיָהּ שְׁמוֹ (in) Jah is his name, Exodus 18:4 God בְּעֶזְרִי is (in) my help, Psalms 35:2. And otherwise, Exodus 6:3 I appeared בְּאֵל שַׁדַּי as El Shaddai, Isaiah 40:10 בְּחָזָק as a strong one, Psalms 39:6 as an image; Psalms 37:20; Psalms 146:5, Proverbs 3:26, Job 23:13, Leviticus 17:11. With ptcp. the plur. is used, though ref. be to a single person, Judges 11:35 בְּעֹֽכְרַי among my troublers = my troubler, Psalms 54:4; Psalms 118:7; Psalms 99:6 as (being) his priests, cf. Hosea 11:4. So other allied senses, e.g. where we use with, בְּחֵיל כָּבֵד with a great army (in, in the element of; less naturally of contact, and so accompaniment), בְּמַקְלִי with my staff, Genesis 32:10; so with of instrument, Micah 5:1 בַּשֵּׁכֶט with the rod, Isaiah 10:24, Isaiah 10:34; of persons, in, through, Hosea 1:7 בַּֽיהוה through Je., Genesis 9:6. Similar is ב of price, Genesis 30:16, בְּדֽוּדָאֵי בְנִי for (with) the mandrakes, Genesis 30:26, Genesis 33:19; Genesis 37:28, 1 Kings 10:29. Finally ב has partitive sense, Job 7:13 my bed ישָּׂא בְשִׂיחִי will bear of (in) my complaint, Numbers 11:17, Ezekiel 18:20. On ב with obj., § 73, R. 6.
(b) Prep. אל expresses motion towards, in the direction of, whether the goal be reached or not. Genesis 2:19 brought them אֶל־הָֽאָדָם unto the man, Genesis 3:19 unto the dust, Genesis 6:18 into the ark, Genesis 19:3, 2 Samuel 5:8. Then less literally, Genesis 39:7 lifted up her eyes אֶל־יוֹסֵף towards (upon) Jos., Deuteronomy 24:15; Genesis 32:30 פָּנִים אֶל־פָּנִים face to face, Numbers 12:8 mouth to mouth. So after verbs to speak, דִּבֶּר אל (mostly with this verb). After verbs of speaking, in the sense of of, in reference to, Genesis 20:2, 1 Samuel 1:27; 1 Samuel 3:12, 2 Samuel 7:19, Isaiah 29:22, Psalms 2:7. Naturally unto may mean in addition to, 1 Samuel 14:34 eat אֶל־הַדָּם with the blood, Leviticus 18:18, 1 Kings 10:7, Lamentations 3:41, Ezekiel 7:26 (על is more common in this sense, and the two prepp. are often confounded). The verb may give to unto the complexion of hostility, Genesis 4:8 rose up אֶל־הֶבֶל against Abel, Genesis 22:12, Judges 1:10, Isaiah 2:4; Isaiah 3:8.
Prep. ל to may like אל imply motion to, Genesis 24:54; Genesis 27:14, Genesis 27:25, 1 Samuel 25:35, Isaiah 53:7, Jeremiah 12:15 (perhaps oftener in later style, 2 Chronicles 1:13), but oftenest expresses direction to, and greatly in an ideal sense. Hence with verb to say אמר; and after verbs of speaking, remembering, &c., in the sense of in reference to, Genesis 20:13 אִמְרִי־לִי say of me, Psalms 3:2; Psalms 132:1, Jeremiah 2:2, Ezekiel 18:22; Ezekiel 33:16, 1 Kings 2:4; 1 Kings 20:7, Genesis 17:20; Genesis 19:21; Genesis 27:8; Genesis 42:9; Genesis 45:1, Isaiah 5:1. So Isaiah 8:1 לְמַהֵר, though the ל is not to be translated. In particular, ל is used to introduce the indirect obj. (dat.), Judges 1:13 וַיִּתֶּן־לוֹ gave him, and in the various senses of the dat., Genesis 24:29 וּלְרִבְקָה אָח R. had a brother, Genesis 13:5. The so-called dat. commodi (or, incommodi, Jeremiah 2:21, Micah 2:4, Ezekiel 37:11, Psalms 137:7), Isaiah 6:8 מִי יֵלֶךְ־לָנוּ, Judges 1:1, Deuteronomy 30:11, Deuteronomy 30:13; particularly in the form of the ethical dat., when the action is reflected back upon the agent and done for him. Mostly with imper.: Genesis 12:1 לֶךְ־לְךָ get thee, Genesis 22:5 שְׁבוּ־לָכֶם sit you here, Genesis 21:16 וַתֵּשֶׁב לָהּ she sat her down; Deuteronomy 1:1-46, Deut. 7, 40; Deuteronomy 2:3; Deuteronomy 5:27, Joshua 7:10; Joshua 22:19, 1 Kings 17:3, Isaiah 2:22; Isaiah 36:9; Isaiah 40:9, Amos 2:13; Amos 7:12, Psalms 120:6; Psalms 122:3; Psalms 123:4. On use of ל to express second obj. after to make, put, &c., § 78, R. 5; with agent of pass., § 81; to circumscribe the gen., § 28, R. 5.—Prep. ל also expresses the norm, according to (perh. allied to in ref. to), Isaiah 11:3 לְמַרְאֵה עֵינָיו according to the sight of his eyes, Genesis 33:14; Genesis 13:3, 1 Samuel 25:42, Hosea 10:12? Comp. such phrases as 1 Samuel 1:18 וַתֵּלֶךְ לְדַרְכָּהּ went her way, 1 Samuel 1:17 לְכִי לְשָׁלוֹם go in peace; to smite לְפִי חֶרֶב with the edge, Isaiah 1:5 לחלי, Isaiah 50:11. On ל with obj. cf. § 73, R. 7.
The prep. עַד unto, as far as to, often includes the limit, 1 Samuel 17:52; esp. the form (וְעַד) עַד... מִן, Genesis 31:24 מִטּוֹב עַד־רָע good or evil (from g. to e.), Genesis 14:23; Genesis 19:11, Exodus 22:4, 1 Kings 6:24, Isaiah 1:6. The form לְמִן is common, Deuteronomy 4:32, Judges 19:30, 2 Samuel 7:6, cf. Isaiah 7:17, Amos 6:14. In later style the compound עַד לְ is common, 2 Chronicles 28:9; 2 Chronicles 29:28, cf. 1 Kings 18:29; Judges 3:3 in the phrase "unto the entering in of Hamath," 1 Chronicles 13:5, cf. 1 Chronicles 5:9. The sense up to becomes = even (cf. Ar. hatta), Numbers 8:4, 1 Samuel 2:5, Haggai 2:19, Job 25:5, cf. Exodus 9:7, Deuteronomy 2:5.
(c) Prep. מִן may be a noun = a part. Its various senses follow from this, e.g. (1) the partitive, Genesis 30:14 מִדּֽוּדָאֵי בְנֵךְ some of thy son's mandrakes, Genesis 28:11; Genesis 45:23, Exodus 4:9; Exodus 6:25; Exodus 16:27; Exodus 17:5, Leviticus 5:9, 1 Kings 1:6, Job 27:6, Nehemiah 5:5, Psalms 137:3 (§ 11, R. 1a). So perhaps such passages as Leviticus 4:2, Deuteronomy 15:7 (§ 35, R. 2), 1 Samuel 14:45, 2 Samuel 14:11, Exodus 12:4, unless such cases belong to (3) below, e.g. 1 Samuel 14:45 from (beginning with, starting from) a hair. Cases like Genesis 6:2; Genesis 7:22; Genesis 9:10; Genesis 17:12, where מן seems to particularise, are explainable in the same way.
(2) The sense from, away from, naturally follows. Hence use of מן in comparison, Exodus 12:4, 1 Samuel 15:22, 2 Samuel 20:6, Hosea 6:6 (§ 33 seq.). Hence also privative sense, away from, without, Genesis 27:39 מִטַּל away from the dew, Job 11:15 מִמּוּם without spot, Job 19:26; Job 21:9, Isaiah 22:3, Hosea 9:11, Jeremiah 10:14; Jeremiah 48:45, Micah 3:6, Zechariah 7:11, Psalms 109:24, Proverbs 20:3. So after verbs of delivering, saving, redeeming from, restraining, ceasing from, fearing and being ashamed to do, &c. And in pregnant consns. (§ 101 above); Genesis 27:1, 1 Samuel 8:7; 1 Samuel 15:23, 1 Kings 15:13, Isaiah 7:8, Hosea 4:6; Hosea 9:12, Psalms 102:4, cf. 1 Samuel 25:17 so that there is no speaking to him. (3) The sense from may refer to source, point of starting from, e.g. frequently in the local (and temporal) sense, Genesis 12:1; Genesis 13:11; Genesis 15:4, Exodus 15:22, 1 Samuel 17:33; 1 Samuel 20:1; but then, naturally, in a causative sense (influence coming from), from, because of, by, as Genesis 48:10 his eyes were set מִזֹּקֶן from old age, Isaiah 53:5 pierced מִפְּשָׁעֵינוּ because of our transgressions. Genesis 9:11; Genesis 16:10; Genesis 49:12, Exodus 6:9, Deuteronomy 7:7, 1 Samuel 1:16, 1 Kings 14:4, Isaiah 28:7; Isaiah 40:26, Obadiah 1:9-10, Hosea 11:6. Cf. § 81.
(d) Prep. עַל has the meaning above, over, upon; e.g. locally whether of motion or rest, as Genesis 2:5 had not rained עַל־הָאָרֶץ upon the earth, 2 Kings 4:34 he laid himself עַל־הַיֶּלֶד upon the child, Genesis 24:30 he saw the bracelets עַל־יְדֵי אֲחֹתוֹ upon the hands of his sister, Genesis 1:20 let fowl fly על־הארץ above the earth. And in a figurative sense, Genesis 16:5 חֲמָסִי עָלֶיךָ my wrong be upon thee, Genesis 41:33 set him על־הארץ over the land, Judges 3:10, 1 Samuel 15:17.
From these senses comes the use of על with verbs to cover, as כִּסָּה, to pity, spare חוּס, חָמַל, to burden, as Isaiah 1:14 הָיוּ עָלַי לָטֹרַח they are a burden upon me, 2 Samuel 15:33, Job 7:20. So to express obligation, 2 Samuel 18:11 עָלַי לָתֶת לְךָ it would have lain upon me to give thee, Genesis 30:28, Judges 19:20, Proverbs 7:14. With words expressing the idea of addition, Genesis 31:50 if thou take wives עַל־בְּנֹתַי in addition to my daughters, Genesis 32:12 אֵם עַל־בָּנִים mother with children, Genesis 28:9; Genesis 48:22, Hosea 10:14, Amos 3:15. Other uses of על are similar, as Judges 9:17 נִלְחַם עֲלֵיכֶם fought for you (over, protecting), but also in a hostile sense against, Genesis 43:18 to fall upon, Genesis 34:30 to gather themselves against, Genesis 50:20 plot against, Numbers 10:9, Amos 7:9, Isaiah 7:5, Psalms 2:2. From the sense over (being higher) comes the meaning beside, by after to stand, sit, &c. Psalms 1:3 עַל־פַּלְגֵי־מַיִם by the rivers of water, 2 Samuel 9:10 עַל־שֻׁלְחָנִי at my table (also אל), Genesis 18:2 standing beside him, Genesis 16:7; Genesis 29:2; Genesis 41:1; Exodus 14:2, Isaiah 6:2.
From the sense upon comes the use of על to express the condition, circumstances in which an action is performed, on which it rests or which underlie it. Here על seems more general than ב and has such meanings as amidst, although, notwithstanding, according to, &c. Jeremiah 8:18 עֲלֵי יָגוֹן amidst trouble, Job 10:7 עַל־דַּעְתְּךָ though thou knowest, Isaiah 53:9 עַל לֺא־חָמָס עָשָׂה notwithstanding that he had done no evil, Job 16:17 :2 Ki. Isaiah 24:3, Psalms 31:23, Jeremiah 6:14, Isaiah 38:15; Isaiah 60:7. Psalms 50:5. So perhaps Exodus 12:8 עַל־מְרֹרִים with bitter herbs (the idea in addition to is less expressive), Numbers 9:11.
Prep. עִם is with of accompaniment. Hence the sense of beside, near locally, Genesis 25:11; Genesis 35:4, Judges 9:6, 1 Samuel 10:2. So its use in comparisons, Job 9:26 עִם־אֳנִיּוֹת אֵבֶה like ships of reed, Psalms 88:4; and in the sense as well as, 1 Chronicles 25:8, Ecclesiastes 2:16. In 1 Samuel 16:12; 1 Samuel 17:42 עם seems used adverbially, unless יְפֵה be employed nominally, along with beauty or eyes.
Prep. תַּחַת under, below; hence such usage as 1 Samuel 14:9 תַּחְתֵּינוּ where we stand (under us), on the spot, Joshua 5:8; Joshua 6:5, Judges 7:21, Judges 7:2 S. 2, 23. So the sense instead; and תּ׳ אְַשֶׁר because.
The particle כְּ like, as, is either a prep. or an undeveloped noun, instar. If the latter, it may be in appos. with a previous word or in acc. of condition. If a prep. it is used in a pregnant sense; in either case it governs the gen. Psalms 95:8 harden not your hearts כִּמְרִיבָה as at M., Psalms 83:10 do to them כּסִֽיסְרָא as to S., Genesis 34:31 הַכְזוֹנָה as with a harlot? Hosea 2:3 כְּיוֹם הִוָּֽלְדָהּ as on the day. Isaiah 1:25; Isaiah 5:17; Isaiah 10:26; Isaiah 23:15; Isaiah 28:21; Isaiah 51:9, Hosea 2:15; Hosea 9:9; Hosea 12:10, Amos 9:11, Psalms 35:14, Job 28:5; Job 29:2.
The first element of the compound prepp. is chiefly מן or אל. The form מִפְּנֵי in earlier writings is mostly a prep. incommodi; in later style it is used for because of, for the sake of, even in a favourable sense.