On the DISTINCTIVE State of Construction.*

225. It has been remarked (Art. 217. 7.), that, in this case, the preceding word to be qualified must always be an attributive. The effect here produced is, that of rendering distinct or specific, the person or thing designated by this attribute; coinciding in this respect with what has been termed definite construction: the qualified word being always an attributive involving the signification of a substantive (Ib.), e. g. пy in great (of) counsel, i. e. a great being, &c. (of) counsel, or counselling being, Jer. xxxii. 19; 8 wip the holy (one of) Israel, Isa. i. 4; 177' those perfect (of) way, i. e. men of perfect way, Ps. cxix. 1; 7 low (of) spirit, i. e. an humble man, Prov. xxix. 23;

the anointed of the Lord, 2 Sam. i. 14.

* This kind of construction is termed by the Arabian Grammarians bäi. e. verbal construction, in order to distinguish between it

and that which we have termed “the definite," which they style

the logical or significant, construction. It is curious enough to observe, that they exemplify this sort of construction in three different ways; which may serve to shew, that in fact they all amount to the same thing in

meaning: e. g.

handsome (of) face, in immediate apposition

dog handsome (of) face, in the state of definite construction; and

id. when the latter or defining word is put absolutely, and con

G

strued as a noun of specification, j. See M. de Sacy's Arab. Gram., vol. ii. p. 159, &c. So Rev. xii. 1. γυνὴ περιβεβλημένη τὸν ἥλιον.

See also Gen. xxxv. 29, Exod. xxxv. 22, Ps. xxiv. 4, Isa. i. 21, &c.

אִישׁ

-Lord, בַּעַל

2. Under this general head may be placed certain idiomatical expressions which will frequently meet the Learner in his progress. These are, phrases having man, each, 12 son, Lord, possessor, ', ' men, &c. for the first member, followed by certain others in the definite state of construction: e. g.

thou art a man of death, i. e. deserving death, 1 Kings ii. 26;

the son of seven gears (was) Joash בֶּן־שֶׁבַע שָׁנִים יְהוֹאָשׁ בְּמָלְכוֹ

when his reign (began), i. e. he was seven years old, 2 Kings xii. 1; a son of death (is) he, i. e. he shall die, 1 Sam. xx. 31; a man of lips, i. e. loquacious, Job xi. 2;

De a man of words, i. e. a speaker, Exod. iv. 10; a man of truth, i. e. a true man, Neh. vii. 2; the men of name, i. e. famous, Gen. vi. 4; men of might, i. e. mighty men, Gen. xlvii. 6; pppn men of number, i. e. few, Gen. xxxiv. 30; a man possessed of hair, i. e. hairy, 2 Kings i. 8 ; every (one) possessed of wing, i. e. winged bird, Prov.

y by

A by

i. 17.

men of Sodom, Gen. xix. 4, for Sodomites. See Gen. xxiii. 3, xxiv. 13, Numb. xxi. 28, Josh. xxiv. 11, Judg. ix. 2, x. 1, Jer. ii. 16, Ezek. xvi. 26, Ps. cxlix. 2, Cant. 1. 5, &c. To this sons of God, pious persons, and DIN daughters of men, low, impious women, Gen. vi. 2, &c.

בְּנֵי־הָאֱלֹהִים class may be referred

TT T

On the Construction of the Numerals.

226. The numerals in Hebrew being all substantive nouns, are put either in apposition, or in the definite state of construction, with the word signifying the thing numbered: e. g. In apposition: 8 thousand and one hundred (pieces of) silver, D

sons three, or three sons, why thirty sons. In construction: Why three, or, a triad, of men ;

.two daughters שְׁתֵּי בָנוֹת ; two sons שְׁנֵי בָנִים

2. The dual and decimal numerals, however, signify

מָאתַיִם ; twenty עֶשְׂרִים ing numbers above ten, such as

two hundred, &c. prefer the state of apposition.

On the Concordance of the Numerals with the Thing, &c. numbered.

3. The numerals from three to ten inclusively, are mostly in the gender different from that of the thing numbered, for the sake perhaps of variety in this case the word representing the thing, &c. numbered is put in

שִׁבְעַת כְּבָשִׂים or, שִׁבְעָה כְבָשִׁים .the plural number, e. g

seven male lambs; nwa? ya seven female lambs. The numeral is here taken as a collective noun, and stands either in apposition or in the state of definite construction with the thing numbered.

4. In like manner when the numeral signifies any number exceeding ten, it may likewise disagree in gender with the thing, &c. to be numbered; while the thing, &c. numbered, will be put in the singular number: e. g.

שְׁבַע עֶשְׂרֵה ; seventy and seven men שִׁבְעִים וְשִׁבְעָה אִישׁ five years חָמֵשׁ שָׁנִים וּמְאַת שָׁנָה ; seventeen years שָׁנָה

and a hundred year, Gen. v. 6.

5. There is nothing peculiar in the construction of such numerals as an hundred and a thousand, other numerals being

made to agree with them or not,

according to the preceding rules,

while they will be put either in apposition or construction, in the singular or plural number, according to those rules: e. g.

,an hundred thousand אֶלֶף וּשְׁמֹנִים אֶלֶף וְשֵׁשֶׁת אֲלָפִים וְאַרְבַּע מֵאוֹת

and eighty thousand, and six thousands, and four hundreds, Num. ii. 9. See Gen. v. where a large number of examples occurs.

Other modes of Construction.

227. In many cases, too, when the numeral exceeds the number one, the thing, &c. numbered is put in the plural, whether the numeral precede or follow it; the

אֵילִם שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר .gender is regulated_as before: e. g

rams twelve, Num. vii. 87; DIY ... DV‡Ş lambs male.... twelve, Ib.; y y twelve bullocks,

.twenty and four bullocks, Ib עֶשְׂרִים וְאַרְבָּעָה פָרִים ;.Ib

v. 88.

See also Gen. xvii. 20, xxv. 16, xxvi. 12, xxxii. 15, 23, Josh. iv. 2, xxi. 19, 2 Sam. xix. 18, 1 Kings iv. 13, Jer. xxxviii. 10, Ezra viii. 35, &c. And, vice versa, five year, 2 Kings xxii. 1. &c.

2. The intermediate numbers between ten and twenty, twenty and thirty, &c. are regulated by the principles already investigated; that is, either by apposition or definite construction, immediate or mediate; e. g. seventeen, in immediate apposition;

שְׁנֵי עָשָׂר : seven and seventy, mediate apposition שֶׁבַע וְשִׁבְעִים

twelve; yn

eighteen, definite construction.

3. In many cases when the numeral is in apposition, it is to be taken as an ordinal: e. g. the fortieth year, Deut. i. 3; i. e. taking it in the order of computation, the year, forty, or forty (by) year. So Gen. i. 5. Ti day, one, i. e. the first. See also Exod. xii. 6, Num. xiii. 2, Deut. xv. 9, 1 Kings xvi. 10, 2 Kings viii. 16, xii. 2, Ezek. xxix. 17, Dan. i. 1, 21, vii. 1, ix. 1, xi. 1, &c.

4. When it is necessary to qualify the thing, &c. numbered by some attributive, this attributive will agree with it either in a formal or logical point of view, at the pleasure of the writer: e. g. in the first case, w's Mypņi Duby TiON N eighty and five men, (each, or the whole) bearing (sing.) an ephod, 1 Sam. xxii. 18.-In the second, □ □ fifty men running (pl.), 1 Kings i. 5.

5. The thing numbered, measured, &c. may also be considered as a specifying term (Art. 219. note), and construed as absolute with reference to the preceding

a thousand אֶלֶף כֶּסֶף ; thirty, sons שְׁלֹשִׁים בָּנִים,noun ; as

α

(of) silver, &c. We nevertheless have occasionally the

state of construction: as, bread, 1 Sam. x. 4, &c.:

y two (pieces, &c. of) ? (Art. 226. 4.).

6. As it is easy to supply certain names of weight and measure, on account of their frequent occurrence, they are often omitted by the ellipsis: e. g. png pn pp why so they weigh my price thirty (shekels of) silver, Zech. xi. 12; - so he measures six (measures of) barley, Ruth iii. 15. 17; win in the first (day) of the month, Deut. i. 3; ng 12y) is and they keep the passover in the first (month), Num. ix. 5; wịnh nga 8 in the first (month) in the first (day) of the month, Ezek. xxix. 17.

See also Gen. xx. 16, xlv. 22, Lev. xxiii. 17, 1 Sam. x. 4, Ezek. xlv. 21. And, where some of these ellipses are supplied, Gen. xxiii. 15, Lev. xxvii. 3, 6, Rath ii. 17, &c. See Bos on the Greek ellipses, p. 4, Ed. 1813.

The ordinals are construed like other attributives.

LECTURE XVI.

ON THE COMPLEMENTS OF WORDS GENERALLY, AND OF VERBS IN PARTICULAR.

228. It will perhaps readily be granted, that the character of the words necessary to complete any sentence must very much depend on the signification of the preceding ones; or, which is the same thing, on the signification intended to be conveyed in them by the Writer. I may say, for example, I am now riding, equitans ego; or, am a riding. But it may also be necessary to state whether this be on a horse, in a carriage, &c. as