The Sentence Itself
The Sentence Itself
§ 102. A sent. consists of a subj. and pred. The subj. may be expressed separately, as אְַנִי יוֹסֵף I am Jos., or in the case of the verbal sent. contained in the form, as מְכַרְתֶּם ye sold. Besides the mere subj. and pred. sentences usually contain additional elements, such as an obj. under the regimen of the pred., or some amplifications descriptive either of subj. or pred.
The subj. may be a pron., or a noun, or anything equivalent to a noun as an adj. or adverb used nominally, or a clause. Genesis 39:9 אַתְּ אִשְׁתּוֹ thou art his wife; Genesis 3:3 אָמַר אֱלֹהִים God has said; Genesis 2:18 לֹא טוֹב הֱיוֹת הָֽאָדָם לְבַדּוֹ that man be alone is not good. So 2 Kings 9:33 וַיִּז מִדָּמָהּ some of her blood spirted. Exodus 16:27, 2 Samuel 1:4; 2 Samuel 11:17, 2 Kings 10:10.
The pred. may be a pron., Judges 9:28 מִי שְׁכֶם who is Shechem? A noun, Genesis 39:9 (above), an adj. or ptcp., Genesis 2:10 נָהָר יֹצֵא a river went out, Isaiah 6:3 קָדוֹשׁ יהוה holy is Je.; a finite verb, Genesis 3:3 (above); or an adverbial or prepositional phrase, Genesis 2:12 שָׁם הַבְּדֹלַח there is bdolach; Psalms 11:4 בַּשָּׁמַיִם כִּסְאוֹ in heaven is his throne. The noun as pred. is very common, because the adj. is little developed in the earlier stages of the Shemitic languages. See Nom. Appos. § 29 e.
The simple sent. is either nominal or verbal. A verbal sent. is one whose pred. is a finite verb. All other sentences 144 are nominal.—This definition, though only partially exact, is sufficient.
1. The Nominal Sentence
§ 103. In the nominal sent., which expresses a constant and enduring condition, the subj. is the most prominent element. In general the emphatic word is placed first, hence in this sent. the order is—subj., pred. The subj. in the nominal sent. is very generally definite, but not always. Genesis 2:12 וּֽזְַהַב הָאָרֶץ הַהִיא טוֹב and the gold of that land is good; Genesis 13:13 וְאַנְשֵׁי סְדֹם רָעִים and the men of S. were wicked; Genesis 2:10 וְנָהָר יֹצֵא and a river went forth; Genesis 29:17 וְעֵינֵי לֵאָה רַכּוֹת the eyes of L. were tender, Genesis 12:6; Genesis 13:7. Esp. after הִנֵּה, and when ptcp. is pred., Genesis 16:6 הִנֵּה שִׁפְחָתֵךְ בְּיָדֵךְ thy maid is in thy hand. Genesis 20:15-16; Genesis 27:42; Genesis 28:12; Genesis 41:3, Genesis 41:5-6; Genesis 48:1.
§ 104. This order is not invariable. There is considerable freedom in the disposition of the parts of the sent., and emphasis on the pred. may give it the first place. (a) A simple adj. when pred. often stands first, particularly if the subj. be also simple, though when the subj. is of some heaviness the adj. may be put at the end, cf. Genesis 2:12 above. Jeremiah 12:1 צַדִּיק אַתָּה יהוה righteous art thou, Je. Particularly if the adj. be in the comparative, 1 Samuel 24:17 צַדִּיק אַתָּה מִמֶּנִּי thou are more righteous than I; Genesis 29:19 טוֹב תִּתִּי אֹתָהּ לָךְ it is better that I give her to thee. Genesis 4:13, Hosea 13:12, Psalms 111:2, Psalms 111:4; Psalms 116:5; Psalms 118:8, Psalms 118:9.
(b) In dependent sentences, e.g. after כִּי that, for, the pred. has a certain emphasis, and stands first. Genesis 3:5 כִּי יֹדֵעַ אלהים for God knows, Genesis 3:6; Genesis 22:12. Esp. if subj. be a pron.; Genesis 3:10 כִּי עֵירֹם אָנֹֽכִי because I was naked; Genesis 3:19; Genesis 20:7; Genesis 25:30; Genesis 29:9; Genesis 42:33, Amos 7:13. And in general the pronominal subj. is without emphasis, Genesis 24:34; Genesis 26:9; Genesis 30:1, Amos 7:14; though, of course, it may be otherwise, as when God speaks solemnly of Himself, Genesis 15:1; Genesis 26:24; Genesis 28:13. After nom. pendens the resumptive pron. with indef. pred. is unemphatic; Genesis 34:21; Genesis 40:12, Genesis 40:18; Genesis 41:25-27; Genesis 42:11.
(c) Naturally the pred. is emphatic in interrogative sentences of whatever kind. Genesis 24:65 מִי הָאִישׁ הַלָּזֶה who (pred.) is yonder man? 1 Samuel 17:43 הְַכֶלֶב אָנֹֽכִי am I a dog? Genesis 18:17. הַֽמְכַסֶּה אְַנִי shall I hide? Genesis 4:9, Judges 2:22, 1 Samuel 16:4; though emphasis may alter this order, Exodus 16:7-8 וְנַחְנוּ מָה what are we? In answers the order of question is generally retained; Genesis 29:4. מֵאַיִן אַתֶּם מֵֽחָרָן אְַנַחְנוּ from where are ye? from Haran we, Genesis 24:23-24, 2 Kings 10:13. But great variety appears in use of the pron.; cf. Genesis 24:65.
The prep. ל with noun or pron. when meaning to be to, to have, often stands first; Genesis 26:20 לָנוּ הַמַּים the water is ours; Genesis 29:16 וּלְלָבָן שְׁתֵּי בָנוֹת and L. had two daughters. Genesis 19:8; Genesis 31:16; Genesis 48:5, Exodus 2:16, Judges 3:16, 1 Samuel 1:2; 1 Samuel 17:12; 1 Samuel 25:2, 2 Samuel 14:6. And so adverbial expressions, Genesis 2:12.
In the nominal sentences above the predication is expressed by the mere juxtaposition of subj. and pred. without any copula. The time also to which the predication belongs is left unexpressed.
2. The Verbal Sentence
§ 105. In the verbal sent. the idea expressed by the verb is the emphatic element, and in ordinary calm discourse the order is—pred., subj. Genesis 4:26 וּלְשֵֵׁת יֻלַּד־בֵּן a son was born. And with the conversive tenses universally, which must stand at the head of the clause, Genesis 3:2 וַתֹּאמֶר הָֽאִשָּׁה and the woman said. This kind of sentence is far the most common in prose narrative.
When, however, any emphasis falls on the subj. it may precede the verbal pred. This emphasis may be of various kinds, though generally due to some kind of antithesis, latent or expressed. Genesis 3:13 הַנָּחָשׁ הִשִּׁיאַנִי the serpent beguiled me; Genesis 37:33 כְּתֹנֶת בְּנִי חַיָּה רָעָה אְַכָלָתְהוּ it is my son's coat, an evil beast hath devoured him; Genesis 37:27 וְיָדֵנוּ אַל־תְּהִי־בוֹ but let not our hand be upon him. Often the antithesis is expressed: Isaiah 1:3 יָדַע שׁוֹר קֹנֵהוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא יָדַע the ox knoweth his owner, Israel does not know; Genesis 4:2 Abel was a shepherd וְקַיִן הָיָה עֹבֵד אְַדָמָה but Cain was a tiller of the ground; 1 Samuel 1:22. וַיַּעַל הָאִישׁ וְחַנָּה לֹא עָֽלְתָה the man went up, but Hannah did not go up. Genesis 6:8; Genesis 18:33; Genesis 33:17; Genesis 35:18; Genesis 37:11, Hosea 2:21; Isaiah 1:2 and they; Amos 7:17. A new subject in distinction from others is thus introduced, e.g. Judges 1:29 and Ephraim; sometimes without and, Judges 1:30-31, Judges 1:33. Or any new point that is to be somewhat signalised, Genesis 2:6 and a mist went up. 1 Kings 2:28 and the report came to Joab. But rhythm and style must also be taken into account.
In the circumstantial sent. (§ 137) the subj. is prominent, and precedes the verbal pred. Genesis 24:31 why stand outside וְאָֽנֹכִי פִּנִּיתִי הַבַּיִת when I have made ready the house?
Job 21:22 הַלְאֵל יְלַמֶּד־דַּעַת וְהוּא רָמִים יִשְׁפּוֹט shall one teach God knowledge when he judges those on high? Exodus 23:9; Exodus 33:12, Judges 4:21.
Rem. 1. As stated above, there is a departure from the ordinary prose narrative style with vav impf. when a new subject has to be introduced or any important point signalised which is the beginning of a new development, e.g. Genesis 4:1, the new history after the fall. In these cases the subj. is placed first even in the verbal sent. This is particularly the usage when the event to be signalised was anterior to the events in the current of the narrative. Judges 1:16 וּבְנֵי קֵינִי עָלוּ now the Kenites had gone up with Judah. Genesis 16:1; Genesis 24:62; Genesis 31:19, Judges 4:11. See exx. § 39c.
Rem. 2. It is a point of style, however, especially in prophetic parallelism, and even otherwise, to vary the consn., and after a conversive tense to use the simple tense and subj. before it with no emphasis. Isaiah 6:7 וְסָר עְַוֹנֶךָ וְחַטָּֽאתְךָ תְּכֻפָּר. Isaiah 11:13; Isaiah 14:25; Isaiah 28:18; Isaiah 31:3, Psalms 78:64.
3. The Compound Sentence. Casus pendens
§ 106. In such a sent. as Cain's father is dead the language often prefers to say, Cain, his father is dead, קַיִן מֵת אָבִיהוּ instead of מֵת אְַבִי־קַיִן. So for: the way of God is perfect, הָאֵל תָּמִים דַּרְכּוֹ Psalms 18:30. While a certain prominence is thus given to the main subject it is slight, and the rendering as for God, his way, &c., is an exaggeration. Such sentences are composite; the subj. is placed at the head in an isolated position as casus pendens, and the predication regarding it follows in a distinct sent., which may be nominal or verbal. The effect of this consn. is sometimes to give real emphasis to the chief subj., but often merely to give emphasis or vividness and lightness to the sentence as a whole. The consn. is common in sentences where the subj. is encumbered with complementary elements, so that it needs to be disentangled and restated. Genesis 3:12 הִיא נָֽתְנָה... הָֽאִשָּׁה the woman whom thou gavest, &c., she gave me; Genesis 15:4 הוּא יִֽירָשֶׁךָ... אְַשֶׁר יֵצֵא he who shall come out of thy loins, he shall be thine heir; Genesis 24:7 י׳ אֱלֹהֵי הוּא יִשְׁלַח... הַשָּׁמַיִם Je. the God of heaven who took me, and who, &c., he shall send.
The subj. placed as an isolated inchoative is resumed by a pron. in the same case as the subj. would have had in a simple sent.
(a) Nom.—Genesis 42:11 כֻּלָּנוּ בְּנֵי אִישׁ אֶחָד נַחְנוּ we are all sons of one man; Isaiah 1:13 קְטֹרֶת תּֽוֹעֵבָה הִיא לִי incense (sacrificial smoke) is an abomination to me. Jeremiah 12:6 גַּם־הֵמָּה בָּֽגְדוּ בָךְ... גַּם־אַחֶיךָ even thy brethren have acted treacherously. Genesis 14:24; Genesis 22:24; Genesis 30:33; Genesis 31:16; Genesis 34:21; Genesis 41:25; Genesis 44:17; Genesis 45:20, Exodus 12:16, Judges 4:4, 2 Samuel 5:1, Deuteronomy 1:30, Deuteronomy 1:38, Deuteronomy 1:39.
(b) Gen.—Judges 17:5 וְהָאִישׁ מִיכָה לוֹ בֵּית א׳ the man Micah had a house of God. 2 Kings 1:4 הַמִּטָּה אְַשֶׁר עָלִיתָ שָּׁם לֹא־תֵרֵד מִמֶּנָּה from the bed which thou hast gone up into thou shalt not come down. Isaiah 4:3 קָדוֹשׁ... וְהַנִּשְׁאָר יֵאָמֶר לוֹ he that is left shall be called holy. The prep. is sometimes placed before the main subj., and repeated with the pron. Genesis 2:17 לֹא תֹאכַל מִמֶּנּוּ... וּמֵעֵץ הַדַּעַת but thou shalt not eat of the tree of knowledge. 2 Samuel 6:23.—Genesis 17:4, Genesis 17:15; Genesis 48:7, 1 Samuel 12:23, 1 Kings 1:20; 1 Kings 12:17, Isaiah 3:12; Isaiah 9:1; Isaiah 11:10, Hosea 9:8, Hosea 9:11, Psalms 10:5; Psalms 11:4; Psalms 125:2, Jonah 2:6.
(c) Acc.—Genesis 24:27 אָֽנֹכִי בַּדֶּרֶךְ נָחַנִי י׳ Je. led me in the way. Genesis 28:13 לְךָ אֶתְּנֶנָּה... הָאָרֶץ the land on which thou liest will I give thee. Isaiah 1:7 אַדְמַתְכֶם זָרִים אֽכְלִים אֹתָהּ your land strangers devour in your sight. The main subj. may be acc., which is resumed: Genesis 47:21 וְאֶת־הָעָם הֶֽעֱבִיר אֹתוֹ and the people he removed. Genesis 13:15; Genesis 49:8, Numbers 22:35, Judges 11:24, 1 Samuel 9:13; 1 Samuel 25:29, 1 Kings 15:13; 1 Kings 22:14, 2 Kings 9:27, Isaiah 8:13, Psalms 125:5, Deuteronomy 13:1-18; Deuteronomy 1:1-46; Psalms 14:6.
(d) In the verbal sent. the expression of the resumptive pron. throws emphasis upon the subj., the place of which at the head gives it prominence. The same is the case in the nominal sent. when the pred. is definite, as 1 Kings 18:39 יהוה הוּא הָֽאֱלֹהִים Jehovah is God! Deuteronomy 18:2 יהוה הוּא נַֽחְַלָתוֹ Jehovah is his inheritance. In this case the pron. precedes the pred. Genesis 2:14; Genesis 9:18; Genesis 42:6, Deuteronomy 10:17; Deuteronomy 12:23; Deuteronomy 31:6, Deuteronomy 31:8, Isaiah 9:15; Isaiah 33:6, 1 Samuel 17:14.
When the pred. of the nominal sent. is indefinite the pron. usually follows the pred., and there is a balance of emphasis on subj. and pred., the resumptive pron. sinking almost to the rank of a copula. Genesis 41:25 חְַלוֹם פַּרְעֹה אֶחָד הוּא the dream of Ph. is one; Genesis 47:6 אֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם לְפָנֶיךָ
הִוא. Genesis 34:21; Genesis 45:20, Exodus 3:5; Exodus 32:16, Numbers 11:7, Deuteronomy 1:17; Deuteronomy 4:24, Joshua 5:15, 2 Samuel 21:2, 1 Kings 20:31, Micah 7:3. Cf. Psalms 76:7.
The sent. is also compound when cas. pend. is resumed by convers. tenses, e.g. 1 Kings 12:17.
Rem. 1. When the cas. pend. is to be resumed in acc. (c above) it may be put in acc. also in Ar. And in other languages—
Den König Wiswamitra,
Den treibt's ohne Rast und Ruh.
Rem. 2. The fact that the pron. agrees with subj. in gend. and numb., e.g. הַדָּם הוּא הַנֶּפֶשׁ, seems to show that properly it is a resumption of the subj. and not an anticipation of the pred. Its occasional agreement with pred. (e.g. in Eth. &c.) is a familiar case of attraction, cf. Jeremiah 10:3.
The consn. is probably different when the pron. stands after a pron. of 1st or 2nd pers., as 2 Samuel 7:28 אַתָּה הוּא האלהים. Here the 3rd pers. pron. strengthens the other, thou art God. Isaiah 37:16, Jeremiah 14:22, Psalms 44:4, Nehemiah 9:6, 2 Chronicles 20:6, cf. Isaiah 51:9-10, and with 1st pers. Isaiah 43:25; Isaiah 51:12; Isaiah 52:6. So 1 Chronicles 21:17 I am he-who (אשׁר) has sinned, Ezekiel 38:17, cf. Jeremiah 49:12. Others (Ew. Dr.) regard הוא in these cases as pred., 2 Samuel 7:28 thou art he—God. The same seems the consn. with זֶה הוּא Ecclesiastes 1:17, 1 Chronicles 22:1, and אֵלֶּה הֵם Genesis 25:16, Leviticus 23:2, Numbers 3:20-21, Numbers 3:27, Numbers 3:33, &c., though the emphasis here is very slight.
In some cases הוא appears to be pred., Isaiah 41:4 אְַנִי הוּא I am he (Isaiah 43:10, Isaiah 43:13; Isaiah 46:4; Isaiah 48:12, Psalms 102:28), where he (it) expresses the divine consciousness of himself, cf. the beginning of Isaiah 43:11 and end of Isaiah 43:12. In sense, it is I, or I am (what I am) is nearly the same.
When the sent. is transposed with pred. first the pron. anticipates the subj., Lamentations 1:18 צִדִּיק הוּא יהוה; Son_6:8-9 אַחַת הִיא יֽוֹנָתִי one is she, my dove; Proverbs 30:24, Proverbs 30:29. Cf. Proverbs 6:16; Proverbs 30:15, Proverbs 30:18. Peculiar is 1 Samuel 20:29 וְהוּא צִוָּה לִי אָחִי (Sep. otherwise), cf. Psalms 87:5.