§ 114. The Infinitive Construct.
(a) As the nominative of the subject, e.g. Gn 2:18
Rem. 1. The original meaning of the g
l. is most plainly seen in those infinitives withl. which expressly state a purpose (hence as the equivalent of a final clause), e.g. Gn 11:5 and the Lord came down,ry[ih'-ta, taor>li to see the city; also with a change of subject, e.g. 2 S 12:10 and thou hast taken the wife of Uriah the HittitehV'ail. ^l. tAyh.li to be (i.e. that she may be) thy wife; cf. Gn 28:4, Jer 38:26 (tWml' ).—If there is a special emphasis on the infinitive withl. , it is placed, with its complement, before the governing verb, e.g. Gn 42:9, 47:4, Nu 22:20, Jos 2:3, 1 S 16:2 withaAB ; Ju 15:10, 1 S 17:25 withhl'[' .
2. Just as clearly the idea of aiming at a definite purpose or turning towards an object may be seen in the combination of the verb h
hy"h' to be, withl. and an infinitive. In facttAf[]l; hy"h' may mean, either (a) he was in the act of, he was about to (as it were, he set himself), he was ready, to do some thing, or (b) he or it was appointed or compelled, &c., to do the action in question. In the latter casetAf[]l; hy"h' corresponds to the Latin faciendum erat, cf. also the English I am to go. In both caseshy"h' (as elsewhere when copula) is often omitted.
Examples of (a) Gn 15:12 i
aAbl' vm,V,ñh; yhiy>w: and when the sun was going down (just about to set); 2 Ch 26:5~yhil{a/ vrd>li yhiy>w: and he set himself to seek God (here with the secondary idea of a continuous action); with the omission ofhy"h' Is 38:20,ynI[eñyviAh)l. hA'hy> the Lord is ready to save me; 1 S 14:21 (?), Jer 51:49,y Ps 25:14 (et foedus suum manifestaturus est eis); Pr 18:24 (?), 19:8 (aocm.li consecuturus est, unless we simply readac'm.yI with the LXX)2; 20:25, Ec 3:15tAyh.li rv,a] quod futurum est; 2 Ch 11:22, 12:12 (In a negative statement); in a question, Est 7:8 (will he even …?). Cf. also 1 S 4:19.
Of (b) Jos 2:5 k
rAGs.li r[;V;ñh; yhiy>w: and the gate was to be shut (had to be shut); Is 37:26,y Ps 109:13.3 Mostly with the omission ofhy"h' , e.g. 2 K 4:13tAf[]l; hm, ägw %l' what is to be done for thee? (%l'-rB,d;l. vyEh] ) wouldest thou be (lit. is it to be) spoken for to the king, &c.? 2 K 13:19tAKh;l. it was to smite equivalent to thou shouldest have smitten; Is 5:4,y Ps 32:9, 68:19 (?), Jb 30:6 (habitandum est iis), 1 Ch 9:25, 10:18, 22:5, 2 Ch 8:13 (?), 11:22, 19:2, 36:19 (?), Ho 9:13, Hb 1:17. In a question 2 Ch 19:2; afteraol 1 Ch 5:1, 15:2; after!yae 1 Ch 23:26, 2 Ch 5:11 and frequently.
Of the same kind also are the cases, in which the infinitive with l
l. depends on the idea of an obligation or permission (or prohibition); especially in such forms of expression as 2 S 18:11ägw ^l. tt,l'ñ yl;[' it was upon me, i.e. it would have been my duty to give thee, &c.4; cf. Mi 3:1 (2 Ch 13:5) it is not for you to (i.e. are ye not bound to)?5 with a negative, 2 Ch 26:18ägw ^l. aol it pertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but only to the priests; alsol. !yae with an infinitive expresses it is not permitted (nefas est), may not, e.g. Est 4:2aAbl' !yae yKi for none might enter; 8:8, 1 Ch 15:2; 65 l. !yae with an infinitive is used in a somewhat different sense, equivalent to it is not feasible, not possible, e.g. in Ec 3:14, 2 Ch 5:11; cf.y Ps 40:6.7—With either meaningaol can be used instead of!yae , e.g. Am 6:10ryKiz>h;l. aol nefas est, to make mention of the name of the Lord: but Ju 1:19 for it was not possible to drive out, &c., perhaps, however, the text originally stood as in Jos 17:12ähl. Wlk.y)' aol ; 1 Ch 15:2.
3. A further class comprises the very numerous cases, in which the infinitive with m
l. is used as the object8 of a governing verb, hence, again, for the direction which an action takes. The verbs (or conjugations) which occur most frequently in this combination withl. and an infinitive are:lxehe (with an infinitive withoutl. , e.g. Dt 2:25, 31, Jos 3:7),lyaiAh to begin,@ysiAhà @s;y" (prop. to add) to continue, very frequently, even in prose, with an infinitive withoutl. as Gn 4:12, 8:10, 12, 37:5, 1 S 3:8, Jb 27:1, &c.;ld;x' to cease from, to desist;hL'Ki to complete, to make an end of;~m;T' to be finished;byrIq.hi to come near to, Gn 12:11;rh;mi to hasten (with an infinitive withoutl. Ex 2:18);hb'a' to be willing (with an infinitive withoutl. Is 28:12, 30:9, Jb 39:9);#pex' to will, to desire;!aeme to refuse (to be unwilling);vQeBi to seek;lkoy" to be able (with an infinitive withoutl. , e.g. Gn 24:50, 37:4, Ex 2:3, 18:23, Nu 22:38, Jb 4:2);!t;n" with an accusative of the person in the sense of to give up to some one, to cause, or permit him to do something, e.g. Gn 20:6,y Ps 16:11 (with an infinitive abs. Jb 9:18, see § 113 d),[d;y" to understand how to do something (in Jb 3:8rre[o ~dIyti[]h' is analogous);dm;l' to learn;hW"qi to wait, expect (with a change of subject, e.g. Is 5:2 and he waited for it to bring forth grapes).
We must further mention here a number of verbs in n
HiphÇiÖl (partly denominatives), which express an action in some definite direction (cf. § 53 f), aslyDIg>hi to do greatly,lyPiv.hi to make (it) low,H;yBig>hi to make (it) high,qymi[/h, to make (it) deep,qyxir>hi to make (it) far, distant,byjiyhe to make (it) good (with an infinitive withoutl. y Ps 33:3, but 1 S 16:17, in the same combination, withl. );~yKiv.hi to do anything early (y Ps 127:2, along with its oppositerx;ae to do something late, with an infinitive withoutl. );hB'r>hi to make (it) much,al'p.hi to make (it) wonderful (even with a passive infinitive 2 Ch 26:15),9 &c.
4. Finally, the infinitive with o
l. is very frequently used in a much looser connexion to state motives, attendant circumstances, or otherwise to define more exactly. In English, such infinitive constructions (like the Latin gerund in -do; cf. f) must frequently be turned by that or a gerund; e. g. 1 S 12:17%l,m, ~k,l' laov.li in asking you a king; 14:33, 19:5, 20:36, Gn 3:22, 18:19, 34:7, 15, Ex 23:2, Lv 5:4, 22, 26, 8:15, Nu 14:36, 2 S 3:10, 1 K 2:3 f, 14:8, Jer 44:7 f,y Ps 63:3, 78:18, 101:8, 103:20, 104:14 f., 111:6, Pr 2:8, 8:34, 18:5, Neh 13:18. Sometimes the infinitive withl. is used in this way simply by itself, e. g. 1 Ch 12:8 as the roes upon the mountainsrhem;l. (as regards hasting) in swiftness; Gn 2:3, 2 S 14:25 (lLeh;l. ); Is 21:1 (@Ax]l; ); Jo 2:26, Pr 2:2, 26:2 and so very frequently the infinitivermoale dicendo which has become stereotyped as an adverb to introduce direct narration (in the sense of thus, as follows).10
5. In a number of instances—especially in the later books—the infin. constr. with p
l. appears to be attached byWaÒw (like the infinitive absolute, § 113 z), as the continuation of a previous finite verb. In most examples of this kind it is, however, evident that the infinitive withl. virtually depends on an idea of intention, effort, or being in the act of, which, according to the sense, is contained in what has preceded, whilst the copula, as sometimes also elsewhere, is used in an emphatic sense (and that too); thus e. g. Ex 32:29 (if the text be right) fill your hand to-day (sc. with an offering) for the Lord … and that to bring a blessing upon you, i. e. that ye may be blessed; cf. 1 S 25:31 (otherwise in verses 26 and 33 where the infinitive absolute is used, see § 113 e);y Ps 104:21, 11 Jb 34:8, Ec 9:1, Neh 8:13, 2 Ch 7:17.—In Lv 10:10 f,lyDIb.h;l.W might be regarded as an explanatory addition to the command contained in verse 9b ( = this prohibition of wine before the service shall ye observe, and that in order to put a difference, &c.); but probably the text has been disturbed by a redactor.—In 2 Ch 30:9bWvl'w> depends on the idea of receiving a favour which lies in~ymix]r;l. . On the other hand, in 1 S 8:12 it is sufficient to explain and in order to appoint them unto him for captains of thousands (sc. he will take them). In Is 44:28 translate and he (Cyrus) shall perform all my pleasure, and that in saying of Jerusalem, &c.
Rem. 1. The constructions of the infinitive with a preposition, described above under d, are almost always continued in the further course of the narrative by means of the finite verb, i. e. by an independent sentence, not by a co-ordinate infinitive. Such a finite verb we regard as governed by a conjunction, which corresponds to the preposition standing before the infinitive. Thus the infinitival construction (frequently even with a change of subject) is continued by a perfect (with r
aol ), Jer 9:12 because they have forsaken (~b'z>['-l[; ) my law …W[m.v' aolw> and have not obeyed my voice; Gn 39:10, 1 S 24:12, Am 1:9; withoutaol Jb 28:25 (perf. afterl. and infin.); by a perfect withw> (cf. § 112 i and v) Am 1:11ägw Apd>r'-l[; because he did pursue his brother with the sword,txeviw> and did cast off continually all pity (a frequentative perfect; for examples of the perfect consecutive proper see Gn 27:45, Ju 6:18, 1 S 10:8, 2 K 18:32 [Is 36:17], always afteryaiBo-d[; until I come); by a simple imperfect, e. g. Pr 1:27 (afterB. ); Is 30:26 (after~AyB. in the day, a temporal phrase which has here become equivalent to a preposition); Is 5:24 (afterK. ), 10:2, 13:9, 14:25, 45:1, 49:5, 1 S 2:8, Pr 2:8, 5:2, 8:21 (always afterl. )12; by an imperfect consecutive, e. g. Gn 39:18 and it came to pass,ar'q.a,w)' yliAq ymiyrIh]K; as I lifted up my voice and cried, that …; 1 K 10:9, Jb 38:13 (afterl. ); 1 K 18:18 Is 38:9, Jb 38:7, 9 ff. (afterB. ); Is 30:12, Jer 7:13, Ez 34:8 (after![;y:ò ).
2. The negation of an infinitive construct, on account of the predominance of the noun-element in its character, is effected not by the verbal negative s
aol (except in the compoundaolB. , which has come to be used as a preposition, without, Nu 35:23, Pr 19:2), but byyTil.Bi , originally a substantive (see the Lexicon), withl. prefixed (but also Nu 14:16yTil.Bimi ), e. g. Gn 3:11WNM,ñmi-lk'a] yTil.bil. not to eat of it; in a final sense, 4:15 lest any finding him should smite him; only in 2 K 23:10 isl. repeated before the infinitive. Iny Ps 32:9 (if the text be right)lB; negatives, not the infinitive, but the predicate which is understood.
Footnotes:
1[1] Cf. § 45 g, according to which the close union of the
2[1] P. Haupt (SBOT., Proverbs, p. 52, lines 10 ff.; Critical Notes on Esther, p. 170, on 78) considers it possible that here and in Pr 2:8, 6:24, 7:5, 16:30, 30:14, as well as in 14:35, 17:21 before a noun, the
3[2] Somewhat different are the cases where
4[3] 2 S 4:10 (cui dandum erat mihi) appears to be similar; it may, however, be better, with Wellhausen, to omit the
5[4] But in 1 S 23:20 after
6[5] Quite different of course are such cases as Is 37:3
7[6] In 2 S 14:19
8[1] This view is based upon the fact, that in numerous expressions of this kind (see the examples above) the
9[2] In almost all these examples the principal idea is properly contained in the infinitive, whilst the governing verb strictly speaking contains only a subordinate adverbial statement, and is therefore best rendered in English by an adverb; e.g. Gn 27:20 how is it that thou hast found it so quickly ? (prop. how thou hast hastened to find !), Gn 31:27 wherefore didst thou flee secretly ? So frequently with
10[1]
11[2] When Delitzsch on