[l] Elision of the ה after prepositions is required by the Masora in בִּכָּֽשְׁלוֹ Pr 24 (for בְּהִכָּ׳), בֵּֽהָרֵג Ez 26 and בֵּֽעָטֵף La 2; also in verbs ל״ה Ex 10 (לֵֽעָנוֹת); 34, Dt 31, Is 1 (לֵֽרָאוֹת); in verbs ע״וּ Jb 33 (לֵאוֹר). It is, however, extremely doubtful whether the infin. Qal of the Kethîbh is not rather intended in all these examples; it certainly is so in La 2, cf. ψ 61.
[m] 2. Instead of the Ṣere in the ultima of the imperfect, Pathaḥ often occurs in pause, e.g. וַיִּגָּמַֽל Gn 21; cf. Ex 31, 2 S 12 (with final שׁ); 17 (with ק); Jon 1 (with מ); see § 29 q. In the 2nd and 3rd plur. fem. Pathaḥ predominates, e.g. תִּזָּכַ֫רְנָה Is 65; Ṣere occurs only in תֵּֽעָגֵ֫נָה Ru 1, from עגן, and hence, with loss of the doubling, for תֵּֽעָגֵ֫נָּה; cf. even תֵּֽאָמַֽנָה Is 60.—With Nûn paragogicum (see § 47 m) in the 2nd and 3rd plur. masc. are found, יִלָּֽכְדוּן, תִּלָּֽחֲמוּן, &c., in pause יִבָּֽהֵלוּן, תִּשָּֽׁמֵדוּן, &c.; but Jb 19 (cf. 24) יֵחָֽצְבֽוּן.
[n] 3. When the imperfect, the infinitive (in ē), or the imperative is followed in close connexion by a monosyllable, or by a word with the gone on the first syllable, the tone is, as a rule (but cf. וַיֵּאָֽבֵק אִישׁ Gn 32), shifted back from the ultima to the penultima, while the ultima, which thus loses the tone, takes Seghôl instead of Ṣere; e.g. יִכָּ֫שֶׁל בָּהּ Ez 33; וַיֵּעָ֫תֶר לוֹ Gn 25; in the imperative, 13.—So always הִשָּׁ֫מֶר לְךָ (since לְךָ counts as one syllable) Gn 24, &c., cf. 1 S 19; and even with Pathaḥ in the ultima, תֵּעָ֫זַב אָ֑רֶץ Jb 18 (but cf. וַיֵּעָֽתֵ֫ר אֱלֹהִים 2 S 21). Although in isolated cases (e.g. Gn 32, Ezr 8) the tone is not thrown back, in spite of a tone-syllable following, the retraction has become usual in certain forms, even when the next word begins with a toneless syllable; especially after ו consec., e.g. וַיִּשָּׁ֫אֶר Gn 7; וַיִּלָּ֫חֶם Nu 21 and frequently, וַיִּצָּ֫מֶד 25; and always so in the imperative הִשָּׁ֫מֶר Ex 23, Jb 36, and (before Metheg of the counter-tone) Dt 24, 2 K 6. On the avoidance of pausal-forms in the imperative (Am 2 with Silluq, Zc 2 with Athnaḥ), and imperfect (Pr 24, &c.), see § 29 o, and note; on the other hand, always הִמָּלֵט, יִמָּלֵט, &c.
[o] In the imperative, נִקְבְּצוּ, for הִקָּֽבְצוּ, with the rejection of the initial ה, occurs in Is 43, and in Joel 4 in pause נִקְבָּ֑צוּ (cf. נִלְווּ Jer 50); but in these examples either the reading or the explanation is doubtful. The 2nd sing. imperat. of נִשְׁבַּע is always (with ־ָה paragogicum) הִשָּׁ֫בְעָה לִּי swear to me, Gn 21, &c. (also הִשָּֽׁבְעָה לִי Gn 47, 1 S 30).
[p] 4. For the 1st sing. of the imperfect, the form אִקָּטֵל is as frequent as אֶקָּטֵל, e.g. אִדָּרֵשׁ I shall be inquired of, Ez 14; אִשָּׁבֵעַ I will swear, Gn 21; cf. 16, Nu 23, Ez 20, and so always in the cohortative, e.g. אִנָּֽקְמָה I will avenge me, Is 1; cf. 1 S 12, Ez 26, and in the impf. Niph. of פ״ו (§ 69 t). The Babylonian punctuation admits only ĭ under the preformative of the 1st person.
[a] 1. The characteristic of this conjugation consists in the strengthening of the middle radical. From the simple stem qaṭal (cf. § 43 b) the form קַטַּל (cf. the Arabic conj. ii. qăttălă) would naturally follow as
