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ART. I.-Grammar of the Hebrew Language. By MOSES STUART, Associate Professor of Sacred Literature in the Theological Institution, at Andover. Third Edition, 1828.

THE Hebrew Language must always be an object of great interest to civilized nations, and still more to those who profess the Christian religion. In it have been preserved the oldest records which exist of the transactions of the human race, and the foundations of our faith. We rejoice to perceive that its study is extending in our country, and that works calculated to facilitate its acquisition, are already issuing from our press, one of these we propose to examine.

The limited space which we can allot to grammatical discussions, particularly when they relate to a language, which though highly important, is yet but little studied, will not permit us to review every part of the work before us. We shall, therefore, confine our observations to one important point, the construction and conjugation of the verbs.-In page 73:

"174. The usual conjugations of the verbs, are as follows:

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"These conjugations are found in the class named Ayin doubled (V) and very rarely appear in any other. They take the place of Piel, Pual, and Hithpael, as these appear in regular verbs; see § 262.

"(b) In verbs Ayin Vav ( § 269), forms similar in appearance are common substitutes for the regular Piel, Pual and Hithpael; viz: 1 Polel. 2 Polal p. 3 Hithpolel Dip." &c.

The grammarians do not agree in the number of the conjugations; many, to whose opinion the author of the Grammar before us seems to adhere, constitute only seven

enumerat

ed above; some admit eight, viz. beside these seven, one active which they name the quadriliteral conjugation, of which Hithpael is derived. Their objections to seven, as well as their reasons for eight, we suspect, are the following:

It is highly improbable that three out of seven conjugations shall be wanting in two important classes of numerous verbs

and . It is at the same time incorrect to substitute for them, W. others in different irregular shapes and structure, whilst, these verbs are to be found: sometimes only in their original structure of Piel, Pual, and Hithpael (see table in the Appendix,) sometimes only in the quadriliteral forms, (see Appendix) and sometimes in both forms at once.

ככב Even the verb

which the author of our work exhibits as an example in his Paradigm, p. 208, is found in both forms, quadriliteral and common, (see Appendix.) Also the verb D represented by the author in his Paradigm p. 210, is found both in common Piel, as (Ps. cxix. 28,) as well as in a quadrıliteral form DİPN (Isa. xliv. 26,) and there exist even regular verbs in quadriliteral forms, as:

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(Job, xx. 26.) of verbs ND.

In the Appendix, we shall exhibit a table of all verbs in y; it is unnecessary to draw up one of verbs as they are plainly to be seen in all correct Lexicons. The small space allowed will only permit us to furnish the reader with one instance from the Bible, for every form in the table at the Appendix.

"§ 173, (b) In Hebrew grammar, the word conjugation is applied to different forms of the same verb, and corresponds in some degree with the term voice in Greek grammar, although it is employed in a much more extensive sense. The passive and middle voices, in Greek, exhibit the original idea of the verb under certain modifications, or with

some additional shades of meaning. So the property of all the conjugations in Hebrew, is to vary the primary meaning of the verb, by uniting with it an accessory signification. The Hebrews were thus enabled to express, by means of their conjugations, all those various modifications and relations of verbs, which, in most other languages, are expressed either by composite verbs, or by several words.

(Note.) "The most convenient arrangement is, to make as many conjugations as there are forms of verbs, original and derived. These are presented to view in the following section."

There are found verbs in the Bible composed first, of two different tenses in one conjugation; secondly, of two different conjugations in one signification; and thirdly, of two different roots and meanings.

To the first class belongs ♫ Kal Praeter and participle

(Gen. xvi. 11.) composed of
and may in the last

(.16 .Ezek. viii) מִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶם הִנָך refer to הָרָה meaning like השתחויתם and Praeter משתחוים composed of the participle Kal

-Chaldean version is ', and consequently it is composed of two different roots and . To the second class belong (Ps. vii. 6.) composed of Fut. Kal? and Fut. Piel, the meaning of which may be "let the enemy he himself persecute and cause or make another persecute;"

(1 Chron. iii. 5.) composed of Praeter Niphal 171, and 177 as Praeter Pual; 10 (Ezeck. xxiii. 48.) composed of Niphel and Hithpael, the Daghesch in the Vav supplies the wanting Tav, and that in the Samech is the mark of the conjugation; the same is with 1 (Deut. xxi. 8.) the Daghesh in Kaph supplies the wanting of Tav and that in the Pe is the mark of the conjugation; (Isa. lix. 3.) composed of Ni

Levit. xiii. 55.) as well as) הכבס ; גאלו and Pual ,נְגְאֵלוּ phal

11, D

AND (Deut. xxvi. 4.) and composed of Hophal and Hithpael, the Daghesh in the Kaph in the first instance, as well as that in the Teth, in the second instance, are supplies for the wanting Tavs, the Shureq of the He, in both instances, marks the conjugation Haphal. To the third class may belong

קלל

to curse, and to

to קלה

(Jer. xv. 10.) composed of the root
contemn, the He changed into Vav-a kind of calembourg

66

"§ 187, (a) Hithpael prefixes to the Inf. form of Piel; e. g Inf. Pi. xp, Hith.

p.

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« In the latter case (3), the his not only transposed, but changed

,This case, however, is very unfrequent in Hebrew .ט into its cognate

8."

though common in the cognate languages.

The changing place of the Tav refer almost to all classes of regular and irregular verbs, as

,Participle משאה Gen. xxiv. 21.) instead of) משתאה

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; ז .

(.15 .Sam. xxi 1) מִשְׁתַּגְעַ (.13 .Num. xvi) השתרר

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Fut.

Inf. const.

Inf. const.

Fut.

Inf. const.

Part.

Inf. const.

Inf. absal.

.Jer) וְהִתְשׁוֹטַטְנָה There is found one exception of this rule

xlix. 3.) probably to avoid the sound of three successive bard letters (Ta.) The last rule of the change of the (3) is found

(.30 .y, (Dan. ivטבע ,also in Chaldea

"§ 176. Unusual Conjugations. Most of these are of very rare occurrence; and several of them occur not more than two or three times, in the whole Scriptures. They are as follows; viz:

“ (1) Hothpaal or Huthpaal, p, p, both passive forms of Hithpael. Comp. Pual in § 174. They are of very rare occurrence. « (2) Pilel active, and Pulal passive, p, p, (comp § 175. b. Note,) occurring only in five or six cases, in regular verbs.

“(3) Pilpel active, and Polpal passive, formed out of verbs and W by repeating the first and last radicals; e. g. from

comes

These are equavalent to the

forms, from the same verbs, described in § 176. a. b.

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חצוצר Once we havea Peoel form ; e.g.in רגל from תרגל חָרָה from

"(4) A form Tiphel seems to have been in existence; e. g.

"Note.-Some others are made by some grammarians; but they are disputed ones, and it is of little or no importance to the student to insert them here, as his Lexicon will give him the requisite information."

There is also found (1) a form Iphal—a Syriac one

(Isia. lxiii. 3.); (2) a form Ethpael—a Chaldean one(Ps. lxxvi. 6.); (3) Ethpaal-also Chaldean- (2 Chro. xx. 35.) and (4) a Hithpaal, (Prov. xxv. 6.)

"§ 181. (a) Kall is generally active; but it may be either transitive or intransitive."

This rule does not agree with Kal in 77 (Levit. xiii. 20.) (Levit. xiii. (Gen. xix. 11.) which has the (Exod. vii. 18.) nor with Kal passive as the Niphal

used in the same passive sense as the Niphal

(Exod.

25.) neither with the Kal same meaning as Niphal (1 Sam. xvi. 11.) which is as xiv. 28.) also not with Kal (Lam. ii. 11.) which is the same as the Niphal (Ps. cix. 23.) It is, therefore probable, that Kal in intransitive verbs is sometimes used in the same sense as Niphal.

"(Note 2.) Some verbs in Kal, have a passive meaning; e. g. jw, to inhabit and to be inhabited; to elevate, and to be elevated.”

(Isa. xiii. 20.) as well (Jerm. xxxiii. 16, xlvi. 20, and 1. 39.) has the meaning of rest, and is therefore an intransitive Kal; and on the contrary

(Jud. viii. 11.) has a passive

y has in most phrases the and is consequently intran

form, and is yet used actively. meaning of arising, amounting, sitive; but when used as transitive, we find it always in the regular formations with accusative, nyn (Exod. xxv. 37.) Dym (Ezech. xxvi. 3.) and in many other places.

66

"§ 182. Niphal is formed by prefixing Nun to the ground-form of the verb, and dropping the first vowel of the same; e. g. p. Sop!,"

&c.

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