genitive), e.g. בֶּן־יְמִינִי (see § 86 h) a Benjamite, בֶּן־הַיְמִינִי Ju 315, &c., the Benjamite; בֵּֽית־הַלַּחְמִי the Bethlehemite, 1 S 161, &c. (cf., however, 1 Ch 2712 Qerê לַבֵּן יְמִינִי); בֵּֽית־הַשִּׁמְשִׁי the Beth-shemite, 1 S 614; אֲבִי הָֽעֶזְרִי the Abiezrite, Ju 611, &c., cf. 1 K 1634.
[e] 3. In a few instances the nomen regens appears to be used indefinitely notwithstanding a following determinate genitive; it is not so, however, in Gn 167, where the reference is to a well-known fountain; 21:28, where in the original context there must have been some reason for the seven ewe lambs of the flock; 2 S 1230 the spoil found in the city; but it often is so before a proper name, as in Ex 109 חַג יְהֹוָה a feast of the Lord (unless it is the spring festival), Dt 725, and frequently תּֽוֹעֲבַת יְהֹוָה an abomination unto the Lord; cf. also Gn 4634, Dt 2219 a virgin of Israel; 1 S 412 a man of Benjamin; Pr 251, Ct 21, 39; similarly before appellatives with the article (or before a genitive determined by a suffix, as in Lv 1434), 1 S 2020 three arrows; 2 S 2311 חֶלְקַת הַשָּׂדֶה a plot of the ground (but see Gn 3319, Jos 2432); Ju 136, Jer 134, 4116, Ct 111, 13 f., 5:13, 7:3, 8:2. On the other hand, שִׁיר הַמַּֽעֲלוֹת in the titles of Psalms 120 to 134 (except 121:1, שִׁיר לַמַּֽעֲלוֹת) was most probably originally the title of a collection, in the sense of ‘the pilgrimage-songs’ (according to § 124 r), and was subsequently added to these Psalms severally.—In Ex 2024 בְּכָל־הַמָּקוֹם in all the place, sc. of the sanctuary, is a dogmatic correction of בְּכָל־מָקוֹם, in every place, to avoid the difficulty that several holy-places are here authorized, instead of the one central sanctuary. In Gn 2013 also כָּל־הַמָּקוֹם (unless it means in the whole place) is remarkable, since elsewhere every place is always (8 times) כָּל־מָקוֹם.
[f] 4. The deviations mentioned under e, from a fundamental rule of syntax, are in some cases open to suspicion on textual grounds, but much more doubtful are the instances in which the article is found before a noun already determined in some other way, as—
(a) Before a noun which appears to be determined by a following independent determinate genitive. The least questionable are the instances in which the genitive is a proper name, since these may be elliptical forms of expression like the apparent construction of proper names with a genitive, noticed in § 125 h, e.g. Nu 2114 הַנְּחָלִים אַרְנוֹן the valleys, namely the valleys of Arnon; 2 K 2317 הַמִּזְבַּח בֵּית־אֵל the altar, namely the altar of Bethel (i.e. with the suppression of the real nomen regens, מִזְבַּח without the article; by the pointing הַמִּזְבַּח the Masora evidently intends to allow the choice either of reading הַמִּזְבֵּחַ or correcting it to מִזְבַּח); הָאֵל בֵּית־אֵל the God of Beth-el[1] (equivalent to הָאֵל אֵל בּ׳), Gn 3113 (the LXX read הָאֵל הַנִּרְאֶה אֵלֶיךָ כַמָּקוֹם the God who appeared to thee in the holy place); הַמֶּלֶךְ אַשּׁוּר the king of Assyria, Is 3616 (probably a scribal error due to verse 13; it does not occur in the parallel passage, 2 K 1831), cf. Jos 135, 2 K 2511, Jer 386, Ez 4715; in the vocative, Jer 4832, La 213. On the other hand, שָׂרָה אִמּוֹ Gn 2467 is no doubt
- ↑ According to Philippi (st. constr., p. 38) בית־אל is rather a case of ‘sub-position’ in the accusative, as also הַדֶּ֫רֶךְ חֶתְלוֹן Ez 4715 (for which, however, in 48:1 there is the correct reading דֶּ֫רֶךְ חֶתְלוֹן) by the way to Hethlon; and in fact, Ez 4715 may without difficulty be explained in this way; so שֵׁשׁ Ex 3927 as an accusative of the material.
