The Relative Pronoun

The Relative Pronoun
§ 9. The word ‏אֲשֶׁר‎ is of uncertain derivation. Its usage differs according as it is preceded by what we call the antecedent, or is not.
When the antecedent is expressed ‏אשׁר‎ seems a conjunctive word, serving to connect the antecedent with what we call the relative clause. In this case ‏אשׁר‎, besides being uninflected, is incapable of entering into regimen, admitting neither prep. nor ‏את‎ of acc., but possibly stands in apposition with the antecedent. It is neither subj. nor obj. of the relative clause. The subj. or obj. of this clause is a pronoun referring back to the antecedent, and agreeing with it in gend., numb., and person. This pronoun may be expressed, but is often merely understood when no ambiguity would arise from its omission.
(a) When the retrospective pron. is subj. it may be expressed in a nominal sentence, as Genesis 9:3 ‏כָּל־רֶמֶשׂ אְַשֶׁר הוּא־חַי‎ every creeping thing which is alive. But it is oftener omitted. Genesis 3:3 ‏הָעֵץ אֲשֶׁר בְּתוֹךְ הַגָּן‎ the tree which is in the midst of the garden. In a verbal sent. the pron. is represented by the verbal inflection, as Genesis 15:7 ‏אְַנִי י׳ אְַשֶׁר הֽוֹצֵאתִיךָ‎ I am Je. which brought thee out. The separate pron. is hardly ever expressed, 2 Kings 22:13.
(b) When the pron. is the obj. (in a verbal clause) it is often expressed. Genesis 45:4 ‏אני יוֹסֵף אשׁר מְכַרְתֶּם אֺתִי‎ I am Jos. whom ye sold. Psalms 1:4 ‏כַּמֹּץ אשׁר תִּדְּפֶנּוּ רוּחַ‎ like the chaff which the wind drives. Genesis 21:2, Jeremiah 28:9; Jeremiah 44:3, Exodus 6:5, 2 Kings 19:4 (if not 2 acc. as 1 Samuel 21:3). But often omitted. Deuteronomy 13:7 ‏אֱלהִים אשׁר לא יָדַעְתָּ‎ gods whom thou hast not known. Genesis 2:8; Genesis 6:7; Genesis 12:1, Judges 11:39; Judges 16:30, 1 Samuel 7:14; 1 Samuel 10:2, 2 Samuel 15:7.
(c) When the retrospective pron. is gen. by noun or prep. Deuteronomy 28:49 ‏גּוֹי אשׁר לא־תִשְׁמַע לְשֺׁנוֹ‎ a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand. Genesis 24:3, the Canaanite ‏אָֽנֹכִי יוֹשֵׁב בְּקִרְבּוֹ אשׁר‎ in whose midst I dwell. Genesis 28:13 ‏הָאָרֶץ ‏אשׁר אַתָּה שֺׁכֵב עָלֶיהָ‎ the land upon which thou liest. Genesis 38:25, Exodus 4:17, Numbers 22:30, Deuteronomy 1:22, Rth_2:12. Here the pron. requires to be expressed.
After words of time the prep. and suff. is very much omitted, so that ‏אשׁר‎ is equivalent to when. Genesis 45:6, Deuteronomy 4:10, Judges 4:14, 2 Samuel 19:24 ‏עַד הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר בָּא‎ until the day when (in which) he came in peace. 1 Kings 22:25, cf. Genesis 6:4; Genesis 40:13.
(d) With adverbs of place. Genesis 13:3 ‏הַמָּקוֹם אשׁר הָיָה ‏שָׁם אָֽהֳלֹה‎ the place where was his tent. Genesis 20:13 ‏כָּל־הַמָּקוֹם ‏אשׁר נָבוֹא שָׁמָּה‎ every place whither we shall come. Genesis 3:23 ‏הָֽאֲדָמָה אשׁר לֻקַּח מִשָּׁם‎ the ground whence he was taken. Genesis 19:27; Genesis 31:13; Genesis 35:15; Genesis 40:3, Exodus 20:24, 2 Samuel 15:21.—Exodus 21:13, Numbers 14:24, Deuteronomy 30:3.—Genesis 24:5. The adverbial there, &c., may be omitted, Genesis 35:13, esp. when the antecedent noun has prep.
Rem. 1. The part. ‏אשׁר‎ usually separated from the pron. or adverb of the rel. clause by one or more words (see exx. above), but there are exceptions esp. in nominal sentences, Genesis 2:11, Deuteronomy 8:9; Deuteronomy 19:17, 1 Samuel 9:10. Sometimes ‏אשׁר‎ and pron. have an emphasis which must be brought out by expressing a pronom. antecedent. Jeremiah 32:19 ‏אשׁר עֵינֶיךָ‎ thou whose eyes. Isaiah 42:24 ‏זוּ חָטָאנוּ לוֹ‎ Is it not Je.? he against whom we have sinned. Hosea 14:3, Ezekiel 11:12, Nehemiah 2:3; cf. Daniel 2:37; Daniel 4:6.
Rem. 2. The expression of the separate pron. in nominal sent. occurs mostly when the pred. is an adj. or ptcp., e.g. Genesis 9:3; it is less necessary when pred. is an adverb or a prep. with its gen. after the verb to be, as Genesis 3:3. When the nominal sent. is positive the pron. usually precedes the pred., Genesis 9:3, Leviticus 11:26, Leviticus 11:39, Numbers 9:13; Numbers 14:8, Numbers 14:27, Deuteronomy 20:20, 1 Samuel 10:19, 2 Kings 25:19, Jeremiah 27:9, Ezekiel 43:19, Rth_4:15, Nehemiah 2:18, Ecclesiastes 7:26, cf. Jeremiah 5:15. When the sent. is neg. the pron. follows the pred. Genesis 7:2; Genesis 17:12, Numbers 17:1-13, Numbers 5:1-31, Deuteronomy 17:15; Deuteronomy 20:15, Judges 19:12, 1 Kings 8:41. Although the expression of pron. in nominal sent. is genuine Shemitic idiom, it is still mainly in later writings that it occurs.
Rem. 3. It is rare that ‏אשׁר‎ takes prep. or ‏את‎ when antecedent is expressed. Neither Isaiah 47:12 nor Isaiah 56:4 is a case. Isaiah 56:4 ‏בַּֽאשׁר‎ is under preceding verb choose, cf. Isaiah 66:3, Isaiah 66:4. In Isaiah 47:12 the prep. is carried on from previous clause, in that which, &c., the complement of ‏יגעת‎ being unexpressed. Zechariah 12:10 (text obscure). In other cases ‏אשׁר‎ is distant from anteced. and ‏את‎ resumptive, Leviticus 22:15 that which they offer. Ezekiel 23:40, Jeremiah 38:9 might be, in that they have thrown.
§ 10. The word ‏אשׁר‎ often includes a pronominal antecedent, i.e. it is equivalent to he-who, that-which, they-who, whom, or indefinitely one-who, &c. In this case it is susceptible of government like a substantive, admitting prep. and ‏את‎ of acc. When used in this way ‏אשׁר‎ has the case which, according to our mode of thought, the pronom. antecedent would have. Genesis 7:23 ‏וַיִּשָּׁאֶר נֹחַ וַאֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ בַּתֵּבָה‎ and N. was left, and they-who were with him. Genesis 43:16 ‏וַיּאֹמֶר לַֽאֲשֶׁר עַל־בֵּיתוֹ‎ he said to him-who was over his house. Genesis 44:1 ‏וַיְצַו אֶת־אֲשֶׁר על־ביתו‎ and he commanded him-who was, &c. Genesis 31:1 ‏וּמֵֽאֲשֶׁר לְאָבִינוּ‎ of that-which is our father's. Genesis 9:24 ‏וַיֵּדַע אֵת אשׁר־עָשָׂה לוֹ בְּנוֹ‎ he knew what his son had done to him. 2 Kings 6:16 ‏רַבִּים אשׁר אִתָּנוּ ‏מֵֽאשׁר אוֹתָם‎ more are they-who are with us than they-who are with them (later for ‏אִתָּם‎). Judges 16:30 the dead whom he slew in death ‏רַבִּים מֵֽאשׁר הֵמִית בְּחַיָּיו‎ were more than those-whom he slew in his life. Genesis 15:4; Genesis 27:8; Genesis 47:24, Exodus 4:12; Exodus 20:7; Exodus 33:19, Leviticus 27:24, Numbers 22:6, Joshua 10:11, 1 Samuel 15:16, 2 Kings 10:22, Isaiah 47:13; Isaiah 52:15, Rth_2:2, Rth_2:9. Ezekiel 23:28 ‏בְּיַד אֲשֶׁר שָׂנֵאתְ‎ into the hand of those-whom thou hatest.
Rem. 1. The consn. in this case is quite the same as in § 9. The so-called rel. clause is complete in itself apart from ‏אשׁר‎, which has no resemblance to the rel. pron. of classical languages. Cf. Leviticus 27:24, Rth_2:2, Numbers 5:7. Cases like Genesis 31:32 ‏עִם אשׁר‎ with whomsoever, are unusual, cf. Genesis 44:9.
Rem. 2. In § 10 the retrospective pronoun is greatly omitted except when gen., cf. Leviticus 6:5; Leviticus 27:24, Rth_2:2, Isaiah 9:1; and even prep. and gen. are sometimes omitted where they would naturally stand, Isaiah 8:12; Isaiah 31:6—particularly with verb to say, e.g. Hosea 2:12; Hosea 13:10.
Rem. 3. The adverbial complement there, thither, &c., is omitted after the compound ‏באשׁר‎, ‏בבל אשׁר‎, ‏אל אשׁר‎, ‏על אשׁר‎, ‏מאשׁר‎, &c., in designations of place, Exodus 5:11; Exodus 32:34, Joshua 1:16, Judges 5:27, 1 Samuel 14:47; 1 Samuel 23:13, 2 Samuel 7:9; 2 Samuel 8:6; 2 Samuel 15:20, 1 Kings 18:12, 2 Kings 8:1. In Genesis 21:17 there is expressed in the nominal sent. (Ar. haithu hua).
Rem. 4. On use of ‏זֶה‎, &c. as Rel. § 6, R. 3, and on Art. as Rel. § 22, R. 4.