[g] (b) In the termination ־ָ֫ תָה often used in poetry with feminines, viz. אֵימָ֫תָה terror (=אֵימָה), Ex 15; עֶזְרָ֫תָה help (=עֶזְרָה), ψ 44, 63, 94; יְשׁוּעָ֫תָה salvation (=יְשׁוּעָה), ψ 3, 80, Jon 2; עַוְ֫לָתָה unrighteousness (=עַוְלָה), Ez 28, Ho 10, ψ 125; עֹלָ֫תָה ψ 92 Keth. Jb 5; צָרָ֫תָה ψ 120; עֵיפָ֫תָה darkness, Jb 10; הַמְזִמָּ֫תָה Jer 11 is corrupt, see the LXX and Commentaries. These cases are not to be taken as double feminine endings, since the loss of the tone on the final syllable could then hardly be explained, but they are further instances of an old accusative of direction or intention. In examples like עֶזְרָ֫תָה for help (ψ 44) this is still quite apparent, but elsewhere it has become meaningless and is used merely for the sake of poetical emphasis.[1]
[h] This termination ־ָה usually has reference to place (hence called ־ָה locale[2]); sometimes, however, its use is extended to time, as in מִיָּמִים יָמִ֫ימָה from year to year. Its use in חָלִ֫ילָה properly ad profanum!=absit! is peculiar.
[i] As the termination ־ָה is almost always toneless (except in מִזְרְחָה constr. st. Dt 4; גִּתָּה and עִתָּה Jos 19) it generally, as the above examples show, exercises no influence whatever upon the vowels of the word; in the constr. st. מִדְבַּ֫רָה Jos 18, 1 K 19, and in the proper names גַּ֫תָה 1 K 2, דַּ֫נָה 2 S 24 (so Baer; ed. Mant. and Ginsb. דַּ֫נָה), צְפַ֫תָה 2 Ch 14, צָֽרְפַ֫תָה 1 K 17, צָֽרְתַ֫נָה 1 K 4, an ă is retained even in an open tone-syllable (cf., however, הֶ֫רָה Gn 14, פַּדֶּ֫נָה Gn 28 from פַּדַּן, with modification of the a to è; also כַּרְמֶ֫לָה 1 S 25 from כַּרְמֶל). In segholate forms, as a general rule, the ־ָה local is joined to the already developed form of the absol. st., except that the helping-vowel before ־ָה naturally becomes Šewâ, e.g. בַּ֫יְתָה, הָאֹ֫הֱלָה Gn 18, &c.; הַיַּֽ֫עֲרָה Jos 17, הַשַֹּֽׁ֫עֲרָה[3] Ju 20, &c., but also נַ֫חְלָה Nu 34 (constr. st.; likewise to be read in the absolute in Ez 47, 48) and שָֽׁעְרָה Is 28 (with Silluq); cf. נֶ֫גְבָּה Ez 47 and גֹּ֫רְנָה (Baer, incorrectly, גֹּֽרְנָ֫ה) Mi 4 (both in pause).—In the case of feminines ending in ־ָה the ־ָה local is added to the original feminine ending ־ָת (§ 80 b), the ă of which (since it then stands in an open tone-syllable) is lengthened to ā, e.g. תִּרְצָ֫תָה.—Moreover the termination ־ָה is even weakened to ־ֶה in נֹ֫בֶה to Nob, 1 S 21, 22; אָ֫נֶה whither, 1 K 2 and דְּדָ֫נֶה to Dedan, Ez 25.
[k] 3. Of the three other terminations וּ may still be regarded as a survival of the old nominative ending. It occurs only in the middle
- ↑ The form clings also to a few place-names, as גֻּדְגֹּ֫דָה Dt 10; שָׁלִ֫שָׁה 1 S 9, 2 K 4; קְהֵלָ֫תָה Nu 33 f.; יָטְבָּ֫תָה verse 33 f.; תִּמְנָ֫תָה Jos 19, &c.; אֶפְרָ֫תָה Mi 5, &c.]
- ↑ Cf. Sarauw, ‘Der hebr. Lokativ,’ ZA. 1907, p. 183 ff. He derives the ־ָה from the adverbs שָׁ֫מָּה, אָ֫נָה and holds that it has nothing whatever to do with the old accusative.
- ↑ So Qimḥi, and the Mant. ed. (Baer הַשַֹּׁ֫עְרָה), i.e. locative from שַׂ֫עַר (Is 7). The reading הַשַּֽׂעֲרָה (Opit., Ginsb.) implies a feminine in ־ָה.
