in the form of an ĭ, attenuated from ă: before a Ḥaṭeph the prefix takes the vowel of the Ḥaṭeph, e.g. לִפְרִי for fruit, כַּֽאֲרִי as a lion, בָּֽעֳנִי bŏʿonî, in affliction (sometimes with the syllable subsequently closed, cf. § 28 b, and the infinitives with לַ § 63 i): before weak consonants it follows the rule given in § 24 c, e.g. לִֽיהוּדָה for לִיְ׳. When the prefixes בְ, וְ, כְ, לְ, precede אֱלֹהִים God, the Šewâ and Ḥaṭeph Seghôl regularly coalesce in Ṣērê, e.g. בֵּֽאלֹהִים, &c., for בֶּֽאֱל׳; so with suffixes וֵאֽלֹהָיו, &c. (once also in the sing. לֵֽאלֹהוֹ Hb 111); also regularly לֵאמֹר to say, for לֶֽאֱמֹר, see § 23 d.
[e] (b) When the prefixes precede the article, the ה is almost always dropped, and they take its vowel. See further in § 35 n.
[f] (c) Immediately before the tone-syllable, i.e. before monosyllables and dissyllables with the tone on the penultima (in the fore-tone), they take Qameṣ (undoubtedly a lengthening of an original ă, cf. § 26 e, § 28 a), but only in the following cases:
(aa) לָ before infinitives of the above-mentioned forms, as לָתֵת to give, לָדִין to judge, לָבֹז to plunder, לָגֹז to shear, לָחֹג to keep a festival, לָלֶ֫דֶת to bring forth, לָלֶ֫כֶת to go, לָקַ֫חַת to take, except when the infinitive (as a nomen regens) is closely connected with another word (especially its subject, § 115 e), and consequently, as being in a sort of constr. state, loses the principal tone, e.g. לְצֵאת Ex 191, לְשֶׁ֫בֶת Gn 163, and so always לְבֹא חֲמָת Nu 1321, &c. (in such cases as לָֽתֶת־חֶ֫רֶב Ex 521 the ā is protected by the secondary tone; before infinitives of verbs ע״וּ, the לָ is retained even in close connexion; cf. Ez 2120.25, 223);
[f] (bb) before many pronominal forms, e.g. בָּזֶה (so also in 1 S 2110; not בַּזֶּה), לָזֶה, כָּזֶה, לָזֹאת (in close connexion, however, לְזֹאת Gn 223; כְּזֹאת Gn 4523); כָּאֵ֫לֶּה as these; an especially בָּכֶם, לָכֶם, כָּכֶם (כָּכֵם) and בָּהֶם, לָהֶם, כָּהֵם (כָּהֶם), see § 103 e;
[h] (cc) לָ before monosyllables or fore-toned nouns in such combinations as פֶּה לָפֶה mouth to month, 2 K 1021, בֵּין מַ֫יִם לָמָ֫יִם between waters and waters, Gn 16; לָטֹ֫רַח for a trouble, Is 114, but always before the principal pause. The instructive example in Dt 178 also shows that the punctuation לָ is only possible with at least the lesser pause after it; in Is 2810.13 the לָ is twice repeated, even before the small and smallest disjunctives;
[i] (dd) in certain standing expressions, which have become stereotyped almost as adverbs, e.g. לָעַד to eternity, לָרֹב in multitude, לָבֶ֫טַח in security, לָנֶ֫צַח to eternity, but לְנֵ֫צַח נְצָחִים to all eternity, Is 3410. Cf. also לָנֶ֫פֶשׁ for the dead, Lv 1928, Nu 52, 910.
[k] (d) With the interrogative מָה they are pointed as in בַּמֶּה; in pause and before א as in בַּמָּה by what? (before a following relative clause, as in Ec 322, בְּמֶה; cf. Delitzsch, Jesaia, 4th ed., on Is 222); כַּמָּה how much? but also כַּמֶּה 1 K 2216, in close connexion, and at a greater distance from the pause. The Seghôl in these forms arises from a modification of the original ă, while the מ is sharpened in order to maintain the original ǎ of the prefixes.
[l] When לְ (prop. la) is united to מָה, it takes, according to § 49 f, g, the form לָ֫מָּה (Jb 720 לָ֫מָה, 1 S 18 לָ֫מֶה, all Milʿêl, and hence the ă in the tone is lengthened to ā) for what? why? Before the gutturals א, ה, ע, לָמָ֫ה is used for euphonic reasons (exceptions 1 S 2815, 2 S 1431, Jer 1518, before ה; 2 S 222,
