§ 115. Construction of the Infinitive Construct with Subject and Object.
Rem. 1. The object after the infinitive construct must also always be regarded as in the accusative, even when it is not expressly introduced (as in all the above examples) by the nota accusativi b
-ta, , and when therefore the substantive in question might easily be taken as the genitive of the object governed by the infinitive (the usual construction in Arabic), e. g. Pr 21:15jP'v.mi tAf[] to do judgement. Against regarding it as a genitive, which is in itself possible (the doing, the, executing of judgement), is the fact (a) that elsewhere the nota accusativi is so frequently added; (b) that in such a case the secondary forms of the infinitive, such ashaor> for (^yn<òP' )taor> Gn 48:11 (cf.y Ps 101:3, Pr 16:16), would be unintelligible; (c) that certain infinitive forms, if they were to be regarded as in the construct state, could hardly retain the pretonic Qames without exception, whereas, when connected with suffixes (i. e. with real genitives; cf. § 33 c), thisQamesÌ necessarily becomesSèewaÖ ; e. g. Gn 18:25qyDIc; tymih'l. to slay the righteous (never astymih]l; ; cf., on the other hand, above,ynIbeñyvih] ); 2 K 21:8, Ez 44:30. Similarly in such cases as Is 3:13 (y Ps 50:4) instead of~yMi[; !ydIl' we should rather expect!ydIl. , if the infinitive were regarded as in the construct state, and~yMi[; as the genitive. Hence also in cases like Is 58:9 (xl;v. forx;l{v. ) we must assume, with Sellin, op. cit., p. 78, a merely 'external phonetic connexion ' and not the genitive construction.
2. The verbal suffixes added to the infinitive are (with the exception of c
WhaeñciAh)l. Jer 39:14) only the suffix of the 1st pers. sing. (besides the above examples cf. also 1 S 5:10, 27:1, 28:9, Ru 2:10, 1 Ch 12:17(18) and plural; e. g.Wndeñymiv.h;l. to destroy us, Dt 1:27 (immediately afterWnt'ñao ttel' , so thatWn¤eñ is doubtless a verbal not a noun-suffix, although in form it might be either);Wnteñymih]l; Nu 16:13, Ju 13:23 (after#pex' ). Elsewhere the pronominal object is appended either by means of the accusative sign (e. g. Gn 25:26~t'ao td,l,ñB. prop. in the bearing them;ytiao t[;d;ñl' to know me, Jer 24:7) or in the form of a noun-suffix (as genitive of the object). The latter occurs almost always, whenever the context excludes the possibility of a misunderstanding; e. g. 1 S 20:33AtKoh;l. (prop. for his smiting) to smite him, not, as the form might also mean, in order that he might smite; cf. 1 K 20:35; with the suffix of the 3rd sing. fem. Nu 22:25; of the 3rd plur. Jos 10:20, 2 S 21:2, &c. Hence also the suffixes of the 2nd sing. with the infinitive, as^t.K)oh;l. Jer 40:14, cf. Mi 6:13, and even^l.D,G: to magnify thee, Jos 3:7, must certainly be regarded as nominal not verbal suffixes. The connexion of the noun-suffix, as genitive of the object, with the infinitive, was so fully established, that it could be used not only in such strange cases, as Gn 37:4~l{v'l. ArB.d; Wlk.y)' aol they could not speak to him peaceably, cf. Zc 3:1Anj.fil. to be an adversary to him, but ultimately even in the 1st sing., as in Nu 22:13yTitil. to give me leave [Dt 25:7ymiB.y: hb'a' aol he will not perform the duty of a husband's brother unto me; 1 Ch 4:10yBic.[' yTil.bil. that it may not grieve me !]
3. The power of governing like a verb is also retained in those verbal nouns which, although originally secondary forms of the infinitive, have fully acquired the value of nouns, e. g. Is 11:9 d
hî'hy>-ta, h['De (prop. to know the Lord) the knowledge of the lord;ytiao ha'r>yIl. to fear me, Dt 4:10, 5:26, 10:12; an accusative followshb'h]a;l. Dt 10:12, 15, Is 56:6 (cf. also 1 K 10:9, Ho 3:1);hp'n"h]l; Is 30:28;Wnt'ñao hA'hy> ta;n>fiB. Dt 1:27; after verbal nouns formed with the prefixm (cf. § 45 e), Nu 10:2, Is 13:19, Am 4:11, Ez 17:9. The accusative of the object likewise remains after infinitives (or their secondary forms) which have the article, e. g. Gn 2:9, Jer 22:16, or a suffix, e. g. Gn 5:4, &c., 28:4, 6, 29:19 f., 30:15, 38:5, 2 S 3:11, Is 29:13.
Rem. 1. Examples of genitives of the subject after infinitives in the connective form are Dt 1:27 f
Wnt'ñao hA'hy> ta;n>fiB. prop. in the Lord's hating us; cf. 7:8, Gn 19:16, 1 K 10:9, Is 13:19, 47:9, Ho 3:1, Am 4:11. The subject of the infinitive is probably also to be regarded as genitive in such cases as Ex 17:1 and there was no water~['h' tTov.li for the people to drink (prop. for the drinking of the people), and in cases like Gn 16:16 (rg"h' td,l,ñB. ); Gn 16:3, Ex 19:1, Nu 20:3, 4, 33:38, 1 K 6:1,y Ps 133:1, 2 Ch 7:3, &c.
2. Examples in which the subject is separated from the infinitive by an insertion, and hence must certainly be regarded as a nominative, are Jb 34:22 g
!w<a'ñ yle[]P)o ~v' rt,S'ñhil. that the workers of iniquity may hide themselves there (prop. for the hiding themselves there the workers of iniquity); cf. Gn 34:15, Nu 35:6, Dt 19:3, Ju 9:2, 2 S 24:13,y Ps 76:10, and below, i. The subject is likewise to be regarded as a nominative, whenever the Lamedh is prefixed to the infinitive by means of a pretonicQamesÌ (cf. b above), e. g. 2 S 19:20ABli-la, %l,M,ñ h; ~Wfl' , since, if the infinitive were used as a nomen regens, we should rather expect~Wfl. according to § 102 f. That the subject of the infinitive is regarded elsewhere also as nominative is again (see above, b) probable, since in such forms asx;ynIh' Dt 25:19, Is 14:3,rymih' y Ps 46:3, &c., the pretonicQamesÌ is retained without exception, whereas on the analogy ofyxiynIh] Ez 24:13,Amyqih] Jer 23:20, &c., we should expectx;ynIh]Ã rymih] , &c., if the infinitive were regarded as a nomen regens. Or was the retention of theQamesÌ (assuming the thorough correctness of the Masoretic punctuation) rendered possible even before a following genitive, because that vowel was characteristic of the form ? It is at all events certain that owing to the lack of case-endings,3 a distinction between the genitival and nominatival constructions could not have been consciously made in the case of most infinitives, e. g. in unchangeable forms likeljoq.Ã ~Wq , &c.
Rem. Less frequently the object is placed immediately after the infinitive, and then the nominative of the subject, as a subsequent complement, e. g. Is 20:1 k
!Agr>s; Atao x;l{v.Bi when Sargon sent him; Gn 4:15, Jos 14:11, 2 S 18:29, Is 5:24,y Ps 56:1 Pr 25:8. In Nu 24:23 the subject follows an infinitive which has a noun-suffix in place of the object.
Footnotes:
1[2] For examples of the accus. of the object with a pass. infin., see § 121 c.
2[1] In Gn 24:30 the subject of