SOUTHERN REVIEW.

NO. IX.

FEBRUARY, 1830.

ART. I.-Grammar of the Hebrew Language. By MOSES STUART, Associate Professor of Sacred Literature in the Theological Institution, at Andover. Third Edition, 1828.

THE Hebrew Language must always be an object of great interest to civilized nations, and still more to those who profess the Christian religion. In it have been preserved the oldest records which exist of the transactions of the human race, and the foundations of our faith. We rejoice to perceive that its study is extending in our country, and that works calculated to facilitate its acquisition, are already issuing from our press, one of these we propose to examine.

The limited space which we can allot to grammatical discussions, particularly when they relate to a language, which though highly important, is yet but little studied, will not permit us to review every part of the work before us. We shall, therefore, confine our observations to one important point, the construction and conjugation of the verbs.-In page 73:

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"§ 174. The usual conjugations of the verbs, are as follows:

"These conjugations are found in the class named Ayin doubled (y) and very rarely appear in any other. They take the place of Piel, Pual, and Hithpael, as these appear in regular verbs; see § 262.

"(b) In verbs Ayin Vav ( § 269), forms similar in appearance are common substitutes for the regular Piel, Pual and Hithpael; viz: 1 Polel. 2 Polal p. 3 Hithpolel." &c.

קוֹמַם Polal 2 3

The grammarians do not agree in the number of the conjugations; many, to whose opinion the author of the Grammar before us seems to adhere, constitute only seven as enumerated above; some admit eight, viz. beside these seven, one active which they name the quadriliteral conjugation, of which Hithpael is derived. Their objections to seven, as well as their reasons for eight, we suspect, are the following:

סבב Even the verb

It is highly improbable that three out of seven conjugations shall be wanting in two important classes of numerous verbs and . It is at the same time incorrect to substitute for them, others in different irregular shapes and structure, whilst, these verbs are to be found: sometimes only in their original structure of Piel, Pual, and Hithpael (see table in the Appendix,) sometimes only in the quadriliteral forms, (see Appendix) and sometimes in both forms at once. which the author of our work exhibits as an example in his Paradigm, p. 208, is found in both forms, quadriliteral and common, (see Appendix.) Also the verb D represented by the author in his Paradigm p. 210, is found both in common Piel, as (Ps. exix. 28,) as well as in a quadriliteral form PY (Isa. xliv. 26,) and there exist even regular verbs in quadriliteral forms, as:

(Job, xx. 26.) of verbs

.

In the Appendix, we shall exhibit a table of all verbs in y; it is unnecessary to draw up one of verbs as they are plainly to be seen in all correct Lexicons. The small space allowed will only permit us to furnish the reader with one instance from the Bible, for every form in the table at the Appendix.

"§ 173, (b) In Hebrew grammar, the word conjugation is applied to different forms of the same verb, and corresponds in some degree with the term voice in Greek grammar, although it is employed in a much more extensive sense. The passive and middle voices, in Greek, exhibit the original idea of the verb under certain modifications, or with

some additional shades of meaning. So the property of all the conjugations in Hebrew, is to vary the primary meaning of the verb, by uniting with it an accessory signification. The Hebrews were thus enabled to express, by means of their conjugations, all those various modifications and relations of verbs, which, in most other languages, are expressed either by composite verbs, or by several words.

(Note.) "The most convenient arrangement is, to make as many conjugations as there are forms of verbs, original and derived. These are presented to view in the following section."

There are found verbs in the Bible composed first, of two different tenses in one conjugation; secondly, of two different conjugations in one signification; and thirdly, of two different roots and meanings.

To the first class belongs Kal Praeter

and participle

(Gen. xvi. 11.) composed of
and may in the last

(.16 .Ezek. viii) מִשְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶם הִנָךְ refer to הָרָה meaning like השְׁתַּחֲוִיתֶם and Praeter מִשְׁתַּחֲוִים composed of the participle Kal

-Chaldean version is 0, and consequently it is
composed of two different roots and . To the se-
cond class belong 77 (Ps. vii. 6.) composed of Fut. Kal
and Fut. Piel 77, the meaning of which may be "let the
enemy he himself persecute and cause or make another persecute;"

(1 Chron. iii. 5.) composed of Praeter Niphal 171, and 177 as Praeter Pual; 17 (Ezeck. xxiii. 48.) composed of Niphel and Hithpael, the Daghesch in the Vav supplies the wanting Tav, and that in the Samech is the mark of the conjugation; the same is with (Deut. xxi. 8.) the Daghesh in Kaph supplies the wanting of Tav and that in the Pe is the mark of the conjugation; (Isa. lix. 3.) composed of Ni

Levit. xiii. 55.) as well as) הִכַּבֶּס ; גאלו and Pual נִגְאֵלוּ phal

ANDO (Deut. xxvi. 4.) and composed of Hophal and Hithpael,
the Daghesh in the Kaph in the first instance, as well as that in
the Teth, in the second instance, are supplies for the wanting
Tavs, the Shureq of the He, in both instances, marks the
conjugation Haphal. To the third class may belong
(Jer. xv. 10.) composed of the root

קלל to קלה to curse, and

contemn, the He changed into Vav-a kind of calembourg

"§ 187, (a) Hithpael prefixes to the Inf. form of Piel; e. g Inf. Pi. p, Hith. Sp.

"[(b) The characteristic

undergoes several mutations, when it

changes places with it; as in the fol

comes before the Sibilants or the cognate letters. E. g.

"(1) Before a Sibilant, the lowing examples; viz.

Hithpa סָבַל התככל instead of הכתבל

התשגב

of

השתגב

"In the latter case (), the is not only transposed, but changed into its cognate D. This case, however, is very unfrequent in Hebrew, though common in the cognate languages."

The changing place of the Tav refer almost to all classes of regular and irregular verbs, as

,Participle משאה Gen. xxiv. 21.) instead of) משתאה

: ז .

(.15 .Sam. xxi 1) משתגע (.13 .Num. xvi) תִשְׂתָּרֵר

Fut.

Inf. const.

Inf. const.

Fut.

Inf. const.
Part.

Inf. const.

Inf. absal.

.Jer) וְהִתְשׁוֹטַטְנָה There is found one exception of this rule

xlix. 3.) probably to avoid the sound of three successive hard letters (Ta.) The last rule of the change of the (3) is found

(.30 .Dan. iv), יצטבע ,also in Chaldea

"§ 176. Unusual Conjugations. Most of these are of very rare occurrence; and several of them occur not more than two or three times, in the whole Scriptures. They are as follows ; viz :—

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both passive forms הִתְקְטַל הָתְקַטֵל ,Hothpaal or Huthpaal (1)

of Hithpael. Comp. Pual in § 174. They are of very rare occurrence. “(2) Pilel active, and Pulal passive, p, p, (comp § 175. b. Note,) occurring only in five or six cases, in regular verbs.