Page:Introductory Hebrew Grammar- Hebrew Syntax (1902).djvu/26

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tion 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 Gen. 9:3 כָּל־רֶמֶשׂ אֲשֶׁר הוּא־חַי every creeping thing which is alive. But it is oftener omitted. Gen. 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 15:7 אֲנִי י׳ אֲשֶׁר הֽוֹצֵאתִיךָ I am Je. which brought thee out. The separate pron. is hardly ever expressed, 2 K. 22:13.

(b) When the pron. is the obj. (in a verbal clause) it is often expressed. Gen. 45:4 אני יוֹסֵף אשׁר מְכַרְתֶּם אֹתִי I am Jos. whom ye sold. Ps. 1:4 כַּמֹץ אשׁר תִּדְּפֶנּוּ רוּחַ like the chaff which the wind drives. Gen. 21:2, Jer. 28:9; 44:3, Ex. 6:5, 2 K. 19:4 (if not 2 acc. as 1 S. 21:3). But often omitted. Deu. 13:7 אֱלהִים אשׁר לא יָדַעְתָּ gods whom thou hast not known. Gen. 2:8; 6:7; 12:1, Jud. 11:39; 16:30, 1 S. 7:14; 10:2, 2 S. 15:7.

(c) When the retrospective pron. is gen. by noun or prep. Deu. 28:49 גּוֹי אשׁר לא־תִשְׁמַע לְשֹׁנוֹ a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand. Gen. 24:3, the Canaanite אשׁר אָֽנֹכִי יוֹשֵׁב בְּקִרְבּוֹ in whose midst I dwell. 28:13 הָאָרֶץ אשׁר אַתָּה שֹׁכֵב עָלֶיהָ the land upon which thou liest. Gen. 38:25, Ex. 4:17, Nu. 22:30, Deu. 1:22, Ru. 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. Gen. 45:6, Deu. 4:10, Jud. 4:14, 2 S. 19:25 עַד הַיּוֹם אֲשֶׁר בָּא until the day when (in which) he came in peace. 1 K. 22:25, cf. Gen. 6:4; 40:13.