II. Syntax of the Noun.

§ 122. Indication of the Gender of the Noun.

Cf. F. Schwabe, Die Genusbestimmung des Nomens im bibl. Hebr., Jena, 1894, and especially the thorough investigation by K. Albrecht, 'Das Geschlecht der hebr. Hauptwörter,' in ZAW. 1895, p, 313 ff., and 1896, p. 61 ff. H. Rosenberg, 'Zum Geschlecht der hebr. Hauptwörter,' in ZAW. 1905, p. 325 ff. (supplementing Albrecht's work by a treatment of the gender of many nouns in the Mishna); and his 'Notizen aus der tannaitischen Literatur …' ZAW. 1908, p. 144 ff.

c

Examples of (a) are: ba' father, ~ae mother; lyIa;ñ ram, lxer' ewe; vyIT;ñ he-goat, z[e she-goat; rAmx] he-ass , !Ata' she-ass; hyEr>a; lion, aybil' lioness. Sometimes with the feminine ending as well, e. g. db,[,ñ male slave, man-servant, hm'a' or hx'p.vi female slave, maid; !t'x' bridegroom, hL'K; bride.

d

Of (b): lm'G" camel. Plur. ~yLim;G> construed as masculine, Gn 24:63; as feminine, Gn 32:16; rq'B' collect. oxen, Ex 21:37, construed as masculine, but in Gn 33:13, Jb 1:14 as feminine. In Jer 2:24 the construction of hr,P,ñ wild ass, changes directly from the masculine (intended as epicene) to the feminine. Cf. the Greek o`( h` pai/j· o`( h` bou/j

e

Of (c): analogous to the epicene nouns of other languges, many species of animals which are strong and courageous, are regarded in Hebrew as always masculine, while the weak and timid are feminine; cf. o` lu,koj( h` celidw,n, and the German der Löwe, der Adler, &c., but die Katze, die Taube, &c. Similarly in Hebrew, e. g. @WLa; ox (y Ps 144:14 even referring to cows when pregnant), bDo bear, Ho 13:8 lWKv; bAD (a bear that is bereaved of her whelps; cf., however, 2 K 2:24, Is 11:7), baez> wolf, bl,K,ñ dog, all masculine; but tb,n<òr>a; hare, hn"Ay dove, hd'ysix] stork, hr'AbD> bee, hl'm'n> ant, &c., feminine.

f

Rem. 1. Masculine nouns which either have a separate feminine form or might easily form one, are but seldom used as epicene; such are, rAmx] ass, 2 S 19:27 for !Ata'; lY"a; hart, y Ps 42:2 for hl'Y"a;. In Gn 23:3ff. tme a dead body, refers more especially to the body of a woman; !Ama' a master workman , in Pr 8:30 refers to wisdom (hm'k.x' feminine, cf. Plin. 2, 1 natura omnium artifex; and our use of friend, teacher, servant, neighbour, either as masculine or feminine; in German, Gemahl¹ spouse, also for fem. Gemahlin, &c.).

g

2. Of words denoting persons r[;n:ò pai/j, according to the formerly common opinion, was in early times used as epicene (see, however, above, § 2 n). The use of the plural ~yrI['nE in Jb 1:19 and Ru 2:21 in the sense of young people (of both genders) does not, however, prove this. In this and in similar cases (cf. e. g. ~t'ao Gn 1:27 and ~h,tea, 32:1) the masculine as prior gender includes the feminine.²

(a) Names of countries and towns, since they are regarded as the mothers⁵ and nurses of the inhabitants; e. g. rWVa; Assyria, ~doa/ Idumaea, rco Tyre; cf. also such expressions as lb,B' tB;à!AYci tB; daughter of Babylon, daughter of Zion, &c. On the other hand appellatives which are originally masculine, remain so when used as place-names, e. g. Am 5:5 lae-tyBeàlG"l.GIh;, &c.

i

Rem. The same proper nouns, which as names of countries are regarded as feminine, are frequently used also as names of the people, and may then, like national names in other languages, be construed as masculine (the national name almost always being used also as the personal name of the supposed ancestor of the people); thus hd'Why> masc. Is 3:8, &c., Judaei; but Is 7:6, fem., Judaea; ~doa/ masc., Idumaei, Nu 20:20; fem., Idumaea, Jer 49:17. Nevertheless, it sometimes happens that by a very common transference of thought (just as we say Turkey concludes peace) these names are construed as feminine, even when they denote not the country but the inhabitants; so hd'Why> La 1:3; cf. Gn 41:8, Ex 10:7, 12:33, 1 S 17:21, 2 S 8:2, 24:9, Is 7:2, 21:2, 42:11, Jer 50:10, Jb 1:15. Hence the frequent personification of nations (as well as of countries and towns, see h, note 5) as female beings, e. g. Is 50:1, 54:1 ff., and the use of the expressions lb,B' tB; Is 47:1 ff., !AYci tB; &c. (see above) as collective poetical personifications of the people.

l

In the majority of nouns denoting place the gender is variable, e. g. xr;aoñ and %r,D,ñ a way (usually feminine; the masculine gender only begins to predominate with Ezekiel; cf. Albrecht, l. c., 1896, p. 55), ay>G: (yG:) valley, !G: garden (fem. Gn 2:15, unless hdob.['l., &c., is to be read), lk'yhe palace, temple, rcex' court, ~r,K,ñ vineyard, r[;v;ñ door,⁶ &c.; also ~Aqm' place, at least in Gn 18:24 (referring to Sodom), Jb 20:9, and 2 S 17:12 K^ethiÖbh, is construed as feminine. The mountains and hills commanding the surrounding country are almost without exception masculine (see Albrecht, l. c., p. 60 f.).

n

Thus br,x,ñ sword, dtey" tent-peg, dK; bucket, sAK cup, l[;n:ò shoe, fr,[,ñ bcd, &c.; in other cases, as !Ara] chest, ark (with the article !Ara'h†'), rWNT; oven, the gender is variable. ( ' Instruments for binding or holding, girdles and the like, as constraining and mastering, are masculine,' Albrecht, l. c., p. 89.)—Also !z<aoñ ear (and in general, members occurring in pairs, Albrecht, l. c., p. 73 f.), [B;c.a, finger (and so probably !h,Boñ thumb, great toe), dy" and @K; hand, !ymiy" right hand, lg<r,ñ foot, %r,B,ñ knee, %rey" thigh, @teK' shoulder, yxil. cheek, !j,B,ñ belly, @n"K' wing, !r,q,ñ horn, !ve tooth; as a rule also [;Arz> arm (masc. Is 17:5, &c.), !Avl' tongue (masc. y Ps 22:16, Pr 26:28, &c.), !yI[;ñ eye (masc. Zc 3:9, &c.), qAv thigh (masc. Ex 29:27).⁷

q

(a) Abstracts⁸ (sometimes along with masculine forms from the same stem, as hm'q'n> vengeance, as well as ~q'n"àhr'z>[, help, as well as rz<[eñ, e. g. hn"Wma/ firmness, faithfulness, hr'WbG> strength, hl'WdG> greatness, ha'lem. fullness, hl'v'm.m, dominion, &c. Similarly, the feminine (sing. and plur.) of adjectives and participles is used substantivally in the sense of the Latin and Greek neuter, e. g. hn"Akn> stedfastness, y Ps 5:10, hb'Aj goodness, h['r' evil, Gn 50:20, hL'q;n> a light thing (i. e. a trifling thing), Jer 6:14; so especially in the plural, e. g. tAldoG> great things, y Ps 12:4; tAsr'h/N),h; the ruined places, Ez 36:36, along with hM'v;N>h; that which was desolate, tAbjo kindnesses, 2 K 25:28, tAxkon> uprightness, honesty, Is 26:10, tAmy[in> amoena, y Ps 16:11 (but in verse 6 in the same sense ~ymiy[in>), tAal'p.nI wonderful things, Ex 34:10 and frequently, tAvq' hard things, roughly, Gn 42:7, 30 (but cf. also ~yqiyre vain things, Pr 12:11, 28:19). Cf. moreover, the very frequent use of taozàayhi (as well as hz< and aWh), Ju 14:4, y Ps 118:23, &c., in the sense of hoc, illud (also hN"heñ equivalent to illa, Is 51:19): also the use of the feminine form of the verb in Is 7:7 hy<h.t†i aolw> ~Wqt' aol it shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass; cf. Jer 10:7; so too the suffixes Gn 15:6, Ex 10:11, Jb 38:18, referring back to a whole statement.⁹

r

(b) Titles and designations of office, properly a subdivision of the abstract ideas treated above, under q, and specially noticed here only on account of their peculiar transference to concrete male persons. Thus we have tl,h,ñqo Ec 1:1, &c. (as a title of Solomon), properly no doubt that which takes part in or speaks in a religious assembly, hence LXX evkklhsiasth,j, i. e. concionator, preacher; the proper names tr,p,ñso Ezr 2:55, Neh 7:57, and tr,k,ñPo Ezr 2:57, Neh 7:59, and the foreign word hx'P, viceroy; in the plural tAn"K. prop. cognomina, then like-named, colleagues; tA[r'P. princes (if this be the true meaning).¹⁰ All these words, in accordance with their meaning, are construed as masculine (in Ec 7:27 instead of  äq hr'm.a†' the words should rather be divided as  äQh; rm;a'; cf. 12:8).

s

Abstract ideas include also —

(c) Collectives in the fem. form,¹¹ generally fem. Participles used substantivally, especially as the comprehensive designation of a number of persons, e. g. hx'r>a)o (fem. of travelling), prop. the travelling (company), i. e. travelling persons (a caravan); hl'AG (fem. of hl,GO one going into exile) the company of exiles (also frequently used of those who had returned home again); tb,v,ñAy (that which inhabits) i. e. the population, Is 12:6, Mi 1:11 f.; tb,y<òao (prop. that which is hostile) the enemy, Mi 7:8, 10 (cf. Mi 4:6 f. the halting, cast off, driven away, i. e. those who halt, &c.); hL'D; (the abject) the poorest sort; of living beings which are not persons, cf. hY"x; (that which lives) in the sense of cattle, beasts; hg"D' a shoal of fish, Gn 1:26 (but in Jon 2:2 as a nomen unitatis, cf. t, for gD' a fish, which in verses 1 and 11 is used as the nomen unitatis). Cf., moreover, hl'ben> dead body, Is 26:19, &c. (construed as masculine), for a heap of dead bodies.—On the collective poetic personification of a nation, by means of tB; daughter, in lb,B' tB;àyMi[; tB; (equivalent to yMi[; ynEB.) my countrymen, see above, i.

t

(d) Conversely the feminine form of substantives is sometimes used (as in Arabic) as a nomen unitatis, i. e. to indicate a single example of a class which is denoted by the masculine form; cf. ynIa\ a fleet (1 K 9:26), hY"nIa\ a single ship (Jon 1:3 ff.); dyIc;ò hunting, game, hd'yce Gn 27:3 K^eth. (dyIc+' Q^ereÖ) a piece of venison; r['fe hair (coll.), hr'[]f†; a single hair (Ju 20:l6; in the plural, y Ps 40:13, 69:5); ryvi a poem, frequently collective, hr'yvi a single song; so probably also hn"aeT. a fig (the corresponding masculine tiÖn is collective in Arabic); hN"v;Av† a lily (also !v'Av); hn"bel. a brick (Arab.libina, but libin collective), &c.

u

(e) The feminine is also used for things without life (as being weaker or less important), which are named from their resemblance to organic things expressed by the corresponding masculine form; cf. %rey" side (of the body), thigh, hk'rey> or hK'r>y: back part, border (of a country, house, &c.); xc;meñ forehead, hx'c.mi greaves. On a similar distinction between the masculine for natural, and the feminine for artificial objects, see § 87 o.

v

Rem. The juxtaposition of the masculine and feminine from the same stem serves sometimes to express entirety; e. g. Is 3:1 hn"[ev.m;W ![ev.m; stay and staff, i. e. every kind of support (unless we omit verse 1:b as a gloss and take staff as = staff-bearer, official; the list of officials begins in verse 2); cf. Is 16:6, Pr 8:13. For similar groupings in the case of persons, see Is 43:6 , 49:22, 60:4 (sons and daughters); 49:23, Ec 2:8.

Footnotes:

¹[1] So in early Arabic, baÇl (lord) and zÊaugà (conjux) are used both for maritus and uxor; ÇaruÒs for bridegroom and bride; the later language, however, distinguishes the feminine from the masculine in all these cases generally by the ending a (at). In early Arabic also the feminine ending is commonly omitted in such participles as hÌaÒmil, baÒtÌin (gravida), and the like, which from the nature of the case can only be used of females. Thus also !meao, at least in Nu 11:12 (Is 49:23 ?), probably means nurse (for tn<m,ñao 2 S 4:4, &c.), not nursingfather.

²[2] The Arab grammarians call this use of the masculine plural and dual (e. g. el–abawaÒni, the two fathers, i. e. parentes) taghliÖb or the making (the masculine) prevail (over the feminine ).—Cf. M. Grünert, Die Begriffs-Präonderanz und die Duale a potiori im Altarab., Vienna, 1886.

³[3] The masculine gender is attributed ' by the Hebrews and the Semites generally to whatever is dangerous, savage, courageous, respected, great, strong, powerful …; the feminine to whatever is motherly, productive, sostaining, nourishing, gentle, weak, … subject, &c.' (Albrecht, ZAW. 1896, p. 120 f.).

⁴[4] When, on the other hand, words with a feminine-ending, such as tv,q,ñ a bow (stem Xwq), t[e time (see the Lexicon), are sometimes construed as masculine, this is owing probably in some cases to a misunderstanding of the formation of the word, the t of the feminine being regarded as a radical.

⁵[5] Cf. a city and a mother (~ae) in Israel, 2 S 20:19. In the same way ~ae (like mh,thr, mater) on Phoenician coins stands for mother-city, mhtro,polij. The same figure is used in such expressions as sons of Zion, y Ps 149:2; sons of Babylon, Ez 23:15, &c., as also in speaking of the suburbs of a city as its daughters, e. g. Jos 15:45 ff., &c.—The comparison of Jerusalem to a woman is especially frequent in allegorical descriptions, e. g. Ez 16:23, La 1:1, &c.

⁶[1] hn<x]m†; camp is feminine only when it is a collective, denoting the persons in a camp.

⁷[2] @a; nose, dyGI sinew, kn"z" tail, %xe palate, dbeK' liver, Bleàbb'le heart, ~y[imeà~ymix]r†; bowels, xc;meñ forehead, rA[ skin, @r,[oñ back of the neck, hP, mouth, raW"c; neck, vaor head, ~k,v. shoulder, also ~x,r,ñ womb, except in Jer 20:17, are invariably construed as masculine.—~c,[,ñ bone is common.

⁸[1] cf. the list of masculine and feminine abstracts in Albrecht, l. c., 1896, p. III ff.

⁹[2] While in all these instances it is simplest to speak of the feminine in Hebrew as being used for the neuter (which in Latin, Greek, and German is commonly employed for similar purposes), it must yet not be forgotten that since the language is wholly wanting in neuters, the Semitic mind regarded the above-mentioned forms primarily as actual feminines. Hence the Arab commentators are accustomed to explain the feminines of adjectivcs and participles (which would be neuter in Latin, &c.) by supplying a feminine substantive.

¹⁰[3] This use of the feminine form is far more frequent in Arabic, Ethiopic, and Aramaic; cf. e. g. in Arabic hÌalifa (fem. from hÌaliÖf, following after, taking the placc of) in the sense of the successor or representative (of Muhammad), and ‘allaÒma (great wisdom) as a title of learned men. Analogous to this is the Latin magistratus, magistracy, for magistrate, and our his Majesty, Excellency, Highness, &c.

¹¹[1] Cf. in Greek h` i[ppoj, the cavalry (as well as to. i`ppiko,n), h` ka,mhloj, Hdt. 1, 80, &c., the camel corps.