§ 37.The Interrogative and Indefinite Pronouns.

b

The form ·hm;à·m;, &c. (followed by Dagesë forte conjunct.: even in y>, Hb 2:1, &c., against § 20 m) may be explained (like the art. ·h;§ 35 l, and ·w: in the imperf. consec.) from the rapid utterance of the interrogative in connexion with the following word. Most probably, however, the Dagesë forte is rather due to the assimilation of an originally audible h (Hm;, as Olshausen), which goes back through the intermediate forms math, mat to an original mant: so W. Wright, Comparative Grammar, Cambridge, 1890, p. 124, partly following Böttcher, Hebräische Grammatik, § 261. A ground-form mant would most easily explain !m' (what ?), used in Ex 16:15 in explanation of !m' manna, while !m; is the regular Aramaic for who. Socin calls attention to the Arabic mah (in pause with an audible h: MufasÌsÌal, 193, 8). Observe further that —

c

(a) In the closest connexion, by means of Maqqeph, -hm; takes a following Dagesë (§ 20 d), e. g. %L'-hm; what is it to thee ? and even in one word, as ~k, L'm; what is it to you ? Is 3:15; cf. Ex 4:2, Mal 1:13, and even before a guttural, ~hm Ez 8:6 K^ethiÖbh.

d

(b) Before gutturals in close connexion, by means of Maqqeph or (e. g. Ju 14:18, 1 S 20:1) a conjunctive accent, either hm; is used with a virtual strengthening of the guttural (§ 22 c), so especially before h, and, in Gn 31:36, Jb 21:21, before x — or the doubling is wholly omitted. In the latter case either (cf. § 35 e–k) aç is fully lengthened to Qames (so always before the h of the article, except in Ec 2:12; also before hM'heñàhN"heñ, and so h (Hb 2:18), a (2 S 18:22, 2 K 8:14), [ (Gn 31:32, 2 K 8:13)), or modified to S^eghoÖl, especially before ['àx', and generally before h'. The omission of the strengthening also takes place as a rule with hàxà[, when they have not QamesÌ and then the form is either hm' or hm,, the latter especially before x or [, if Maqqeph follows.

e

The longer forms hm' and hm, are also used (hm, even before letters which are not gutturals) when not connected by Maqqeph but only by a conjunctive accent. As a rule hm' is then used, but sometimes hm, when at a greater distance from the principal tone of the sentence, Is 1:5, y Ps 4:3. (On hm, in the combinations hM, K;àhM, B;, and even hm, l'ñ, 1 S 1:8, cf. § 102 k and l.)

f

(c) In the principal pause hm' is used without exception; also as a rule with the smaller disjunctives, and almost always before gutturals (hm, only in very few cases). On the other hand, hm, more often stands before letters which are not gutturals, when at a greater distance from the principal tone of the sentence, e. g. 1 S 4:6, 15:14, 2 K 1:7, Hag 1:9 (see Köhler on the passage), y Ps 10:13, Jb 7:21; cf., however, Pr 31:2, and Delitzsch on the passage.