Title: The Hebrew participle and stative in typological perspective
Abstract: The Biblical Hebrew participle and stative forms have long been recognized as “double-natured” or “intermediate” forms between the nominal and verbal systems (Andersen & Forbes 2007; Dyk 1994; Gordon 1982; Kahan 1889; Sellin 1889). Attention has been drawn to the relationship between these forms and the Hebrew verbal system by scholars who see the participle and the stative as integral parts of the finite tense-aspect-mood system in Biblical Hebrew (e.g., Hoftijzer 1991; Joosten 1989, 2002). I examine these forms in light of typological data on intransitive predication and adjectives and conclude that, while they have both nominal and verbal characteristics, they should be classified as adjectives. I conclude with implications for understanding the Biblical Hebrew verbal system. 1. PARTICIPLE, STATIVE, AND THE CLASS OF ADJECTIVE The grammatical classification of the Biblical Hebrew participle and stative forms is made difficult by its perceived “double nature” (Doppelnatur), as it was termed in two late nineteenth-century studies (Kahan 1889; Sellin 1889). This label was meant to convey that the participle and stative forms in Biblical Hebrew at times act like nouns and in other instances like verbs. More recent studies have followed Gordon (1982) in describing the Biblical Hebrew participle and stative as “intermediate” forms, in contrast to Modern Hebrew, in which the participle is clearly either a noun or a verb. These recent studies have focused on semantic or syntactic means of distinguishing the various meanings or functions of this intermediate form. For example, KedarKopfstein (1977:156) has argued that if viewed semantically, the “absolute polarity” of the “double-nature” description of the participle disappears, and instead there appears to be “gradations” of meaning between nominal and verbal. Dyk (1994:210–12) outlines the various 1 The arguments in this article were first presented in the Linguistics and Biblical Hebrew section of the 2007 Society of Biblical Literature Annual Meeting in San Diego. I want to thank those who provided important feedback there, and I want to thank especially Cynthia L. Miller and Robert D. Holmstedt for their close reading of multiple earlier drafts of this essay.
Publication Year: 2008
Publication Date: 2008-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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Cited By Count: 5
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