Thus בָּקָר cattle, oxen[1] (even joined with numerals, e.g. Ex 21 חֲמִשָּׁה בָקָר five head of cattle), but שׁוֹר an ox; צֹאן small cattle, i.e. sheep and goats (μῆλα), cf. Jb 1 שִׁבְעַת אַלְפֵי־צֹאן seven thousand sheep; but שֶׂה a single head of small cattle (a sheep or a goat). Other more or less common collectives are: זִיז (prop. that which prowls or roams) wild beasts, טַף (perhaps prop. tripping) a number of little children; דֶּ֫שֶׁא fresh green herb, i.e. young plants, יֶ֫רֶק green, i.e. vegetation in general; עוֹף birds, fowl; רֶ֫כֶב chariots or cavalcade, רִמָּה worms, רֶ֫מֶשׂ creeping things (of small creatures), שֶׁ֫רֶץ swarming things.
[b] (b) The collective use of substantives which at the same time serve as nomina unitatis; thus, אָדָם (never in plur.) means both man (homo) and men (homines); אִישׁ a man (vir) and men (viri); אִשָּׁה woman and women (Ju 21, 1 S 21); אַרְבֶּה a locust, but usually a swarm of locusts; נֶ֫פֶשׁ soul and souls (persons); מַקֵּל staff and staves (Gn 30); עַ֫יִט a bird of prey and birds of prey; עָלֶה a leaf and foliage; עֵ֫שֶׂב a plant and plants, herbs; עֵץ a tree and trees (as it were foliage); פְּרִי fruit and fruits; שִׂיחַ a shrub and shrubs; in isolated instances also nouns like עֶ֫בֶד man-servant, שִׁפְחָה maid-servant, חֲמוֹר ass, שׁוֹר ox (cf. Gn 32).—On the singular (especially of gentilic names) with the article (which may, however, be omitted in poetry, cf. e.g. ψ 12 חָסִיד, Pr 11 יוֹעֵץ) to include all individuals of the same species, cf. § 126 l. On the special meaning of the plurals formed from certain collectives, see § 124 l.
(c) The feminine ending; see § 122 s.
[c] (d) The repetition of single words, and even of whole groups of words, especially to express entirety, or in a distributive sense. The following cases are more particularly to be noticed:
1. The repetition of one or more words to express the idea of every, all, as יוֹם יוֹם Gn 39, &c., day by day, every day; שָׁנָה שָׁנָה year by year, Dt 14; אִישׁ אִישׁ every man, Ex 36; with בְּ before each, as בַּבֹּ֫קֶר בַּבֹּ֫קֶר Ex 16 every morning (and similarly before a group of words, Lv 24), for which the distributive לְ is also used, לַבֹּ֫קֶר לַבֹּ֫קֶר 1 Ch 9, and with one plural לַבְּקָרִים ψ 73, לִבְקָרִים Jb 7 parallel with לִרְגָעִים every moment. Somewhat different are the instances with בְּ before the second word only, e.g. יוֹם בְּיוֹם day by day, 1 Ch 12; שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה year by year, Dt 15, 1 S 1 (but in verse 3 מִיָּמִים יָמִ֫ימָה), כְּפַ֫עַם בְּפַ֫עַם Nu 24, Ju 16, 20 f., 1 S 3 as at other times. Also With the two words united by means of wāw copulative, אִישׁ וְאִישׁ ψ 87, or אִישׁ וָאִישׁ Est 1; דּוֹר וָדוֹר all generations, Dt 32; יוֹם וָיוֹם Est 3; cf. Est 8,
