§ 156. Circumstantial Clauses.

a

1. The statement of the particular circumstances under which a subject appears as performing some action, or under which an action (or an occurrence) is accomplished, is made especially (apart from relative clauses, see § 155) by means of noun-clauses connected by WaÒw with a following subject (see further on this kind of circumstantial clause in § 141 e), and by verbal-clauses (see § 142 d). Very frequently, however, such statements of the particular circumstances are subordinated to the main clause by being simply attached, without waÒw, either as noun-clauses, sometimes extremely short (see c), or as verbalclauses (see d–g).

b

Rem. Among relative clauses of this kind the commonest are the various noun-clauses, which are most closely subordinated to a preceding substantive without rv,a], e. g. Gn 16:12; also statements of weight, Gn 24:22; of name, Jb 1:1 (also introduced by Amv.W Gn 24:29, 1 S 1:1, §c., or Hm'v.W Gn 16:1, 22:24, &c.); of a condition of body, Ju 1:7, and others.—Noun-clauses which begin with waÒw, and the predicate have a somewhat more independent character than those introduced by waÒw and the subject1 (Gn 19:1, &c.). The former, however, are also to be regarded as circumstantial clauses, in so far as they describe a state which is simultaneous with the principal action; thus Is 3:7, will not be an healer, ~x,l,ñ !yae ytiybeb.W while in my house is neither bread nor clothing; Is 6:6 (Am 7:7); 2 S 13:18, 16:1. Cf. also the instances in § 152 l of !yaew> followed by a participle, as lyCim; !yaew>, &c.

c

2. Characteristic examples of circumstantial noun-clauses are Gn 12:8 and pitched his tent ~d,Q,ñmi y[;h'w> ~y"mi lae-tyB†e with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; Nu 22:24, 2 S 18:14 through the heart of Absalom, yx; WNd,ñA[ while he was yet alive; Jer 30:6, Ez 9:2 (cf. Ct 3:8), Na 3:8, Zc 14:5, 2 Ch 23:10; with the predicate preceding, e. g. 1 S 26:13, y Ps 32:8.—In Gn 41:29 a noun-clause serves to announce a state in the future.—We may also include here certain set phrases, as ~ynIP'-la, ~ynIP' face to face (prop, while face was turned towards face), Gn 32:31, Ex 33:11, Dt 34:10, &c.;2 so also to cast oneself down, hc'r>a†' ~yIP;ña; the face being turned to the earth, Gn 19:1, &c. (for hc'r>a†' we find #r,a,ñ in 1 K 1:31, Is 49:23).3 — Cf. finally the formula ~ynIB'-l[; ~ae mother with children, Gn 32:12; cf. Ho 10:14 and § 119 aa note 2.

Rem. On circumlocutions of this kind to express negative attributes by means of short noun-clauses (complete or incomplete), cf. § 152 u.

d

3. As circumstantial verbal-clauses,4 we find (1) sometimes affirmative clauses (see below), but far more frequently (2) negative clauses (see f), and among these (3) a certain number of expressions which may be regarded simply as equivalent to negative adverbial ideas (see g).

Examples of (1) Is 5:11 b woe unto them, that tarry late in the evening, ~qeylid>y: !yIy:ò while wine inflames them. Is 1:5, 10:24, 30:31, Jer 7:26, 20:15, y Ps 4:3, 5:12, 21:13, 62:5. The circumstantial verbal-clause is used to particularize an action which has before been expressed generally, in Gn 44:12, 48:14 = crossing his hands; Dt 2:27, Ju 6:19; antithetically, 1 K 13:18 Al vxeKi wherewith however he lied unto him. The verbal-clause seems to assign a reason in y Ps 7:7 t'yWIòci jP'v.mi since thou hast commanded judgement; a consequence in y Ps 103:5.5

e

Rem. On the cases in which an imperfect in the sense of a final clause is subordinated to a verb of motion (generally ~Wq), see § 120 c.

f

Of (2), subordinate verbal-clauses with aol (in English usually rendered by without and the gerund, if the subject be the same as in the principal clause), e.g. Lv 1:17 lyDIb.y: aol without dividing it asunder; Jb 31:34; aol with the perfect is so used in Gn 44:4, Ex 34:28, 1 S 30:2, Jb 20:26 (without its being blown upon it). With a different subject, equivalent to a consecutive clause in English, Is 27:9 Wmquñy"-aol) so that they shall rise up no more. — Moreover, verbal-clauses in the same sense (without doing, &c.) are frequently connected by aolw>; cf. 1 S 20:2, Jb 24:22, 42:3; in a concessive sense, Is 33:1, y Ps 44:18.

g

Of (3), cf. [d;yE aol (prop. he knows it not) unawares, y Ps 35:8, Pr 5:6 lmox.y: aol unsparingly, Is 30:14 (after an infinitive absolute); Hb 1:17, Jb 6:10 (but lmox.y: aolw> Jb 16:13, 27:22; see f at the end); Wdx+eki aol (prop. they hide not) openly, Is 3:9 (but Jb 15:18 Wdx]ki aolw>); %f+'x' yliB. (prop. he restrains not) unceasingly, Is 14:6; jAMyI-lB; Jb 41:15 (y Ps 93:1 yjAMTi-lB;) and jAMyI aol Is 40:20 (without tottering) immovably; cf. also d[+'m.a, aol without wavering, y Ps 26:1.

Footnotes:

1[1] In Dt 32:31 this form of sequence appears to be selected for another purpose, and indeed our enemies are judges thereof, with waÒw emphatic; to take it as a circumstantial clause is too artificial.

2[1] The expression ~ynIp' ha;r't.hi to look one another in the face (i. e. to contend in combat) 2 K 14:8, 11, 2 Ch 25:17, 21, is probably only a shortened form for ha'r't.hi ~ynIP'-la, ~ynIp'.

3[2] That hc'r>a†' (#r,a,ñ) is really to be regarded as a virtual predicate to ~yIP;ña;Ã and not ~yIP;ña; as a casus instrumenti, is seen from Is 49:23, where #r,a,ñ ~yIP;ña; precedes the verb.

4[3] Some examples of these have been already discussed in another connexion above, § 120 a–c.

5[4] In Gn 21:14 the circumstantial verbal-clause Hm'k.vi-l[; ~f' is only due to a harmonizing transposition; read äv ä[ äf dl,Y<òh;-ta,w>. According to the source used in cap. 21 Ishmael was still a young child; according to 17:25 he was about 16 or 17 years old.