[n] 5. When the genitive, following a construct state, is used periphrastically to express the idea of a material or attribute (§ 128 o and p), the pronominal suffix, which properly belongs to the compound idea (represented by the nomen regens and genitive), is, like the article (§ 127), attached to the second substantive (the genitive), e.g. הַר־קָדְשִׁי prop. the hill of my holiness, i.e. my holy hill, ψ 2, &c.; עִיר קָדְשְׁךָ thy holy city, Dn 9; אֱלִילֵי כַסְפּוֹ his idols of silver, Is 2, 30, 31;[1] cf. Dt 1, Is 9, 28, 41, Ez 9f., ψ 41, 150, Jb 18 צַֽעֲדֵי אוֹנוֹ his steps of strength; 38:6; after an adjective as nomen regens, Is 13 (Zp 3) עַלִּיזֵי גַֽאֲוָתִי my proudly exulting ones.—On the same analogy is the use of e.g. כְּלֵי מִלְחַמְתּוֹ Dt 1 his weapons of war [cf. Is 41]; Is 56 בֵּית תְּפִלָּתִי my house of prayer, although the genitive here does not convey the idea of an attribute.
[o] Rem. 1. Through a weakening in the distinction of gender, which is noticeable elsewhere (cf. § 110 k, 144 a, 145 p, t, u) and which probably passed from the colloquial language[2] into that of literature, masculine suffixes (especially in the plural) are not infrequently used to refer to feminine substantives; thus a noun-suffix in the singular, Ex 11, 25, Ju 11;[3] in the plural, Gn 31, 32, 41, Ex 1, 2, Nu 27 (but the feminine suffix twice immediately after, and so the Samaritan also in verse 7); 36:6 (Samaritan אֲבִיהֶן, but also בְּעֵֽינֵיהֶם); Ju 19, 21, 1 S 6, 10b (בְּנֵיהֶם); 9:20, Is 3, Ez 23 ff. (alternating with הֶן); Am 4 f. (but afterwards a feminine suffix); Jb 1, 39 (חֶבְלֵיהֶם in parallelism with יַלְדֵיהֶן); 42:15, Ct 4, 6, Ru 1 ff. (along with feminine suffixes); Dn 1, 8. Verbal suffixes in the singular, Ex 22; in the plural, Ju 16, Pr 6, Jb 1. But Gn 26, 18, 33:13, Ex 2, 1 S 6 a are to be explained according to § 60 h. On הֵ֫מָּה as feminine, see § 32 n. On the use of the masculine in general as the prior gender, see § 122 g.
[p] 2. The suffix of the 3rd person singular feminine (as also the separate pronoun הִיא Nu 14, Jos 10, Ju 14) sometimes refers in a general sense to the verbal idea contained in a preceding sentence (corresponding to our it); thus the verbal suffix, Gn 15, Nu 23, 1 S 11, 1 K 11, Is 30, Am 8; cf. Gn 24 (בָּהּ thereby), 42:36, 47:26, Ex 10 (אֹתָהּ that), Is 47. Elsewhere the suffix of the 3rd singular feminine refers to the plurals of things, e.g. 2 K 3
- ↑ On the other hand, more explicitly in prose, Gn 44 אֶת־גְּבִיעִי גְבִיעַ הַכֶּ֫כֶף my cup, the silver cup.
- ↑ According to Diehl (see the title at the head of § 91 a), who adduces numerous instances on pp. 44 ff., 54 ff., 67 f., many of these cases may be set down to corruption of the traditional text, while the sudden (and sometimes repeated) change of gender in suffixes is mainly due to the influence exercised on the copyists by the Mishnic and popular Aramaic dialects, neither of which recognizes such distinctions. Such influence, however, is insufficient to explain the large number of instances of this weakening, occurring even in the earlier documents.
- ↑ The Masora reckons six instances of מִמֶּ֫נּוּ, where מִמֶּ֫נָּה would be expected (Ju 11, where, however, the text is most probably corrupt), Ex 25 (?), Lv 6, 7, 27, Jos 1; almost all these passages can, however, be easily explained in other ways.
