person; cf. e.g. Gn 40 (41:13), 41:14, 43:34 (and he commanded to set before them, &c.); 46:29, 2 S 12.
[o] 2. Supposed ellipses of a definite subject are due either to a misunderstanding of the passage, or to a corruption of the text. Thus in 1 S 24 after וַתָּ֫חָס either עֵינִי has dropped out (through confusion with עָלֶ֫יךָ) or we should read with the LXX וָֽאָחֻס. In 2 S 13 (וַתְּכַל דָּוִד) the text is obviously corrupt.
[p] 3. In poetic (or prophetic) language[1] there sometimes occurs (supposing the text to be correct) a more or less abrupt transition from one person to another. Thus from the 2nd to the 3rd (i.e. from an address to a statement), Gn 49 (?), Is 31 (?), 42:20, 52:14, 61:7, Mal 2 (where, however, for יִבְגֹּד we should undoubtedly read תִּבְגּׄד); ψ 22 [and regularly after a vocative, Is 22, 47, 48, 54, 11, Jer 22, 49, 16, Am 5f., Mic 1 (=1 K 22), Mal 3, 2 K 9; and after הוֹי Is 5, 29, Jer 22]. From the 3rd to the 2nd pers., Dt 32, Is 1 (but read probably חֶמְדָּתָם for חֲמַדְתֶּם, which has caused the insertion of אֲשֶׁר), 5:8, Jer 29, Jb 16, cf. also Dt 32. From the 1st to the 3rd pers., La 3 (in a relative clause). In Jb 13 the 3rd pers. וְהוּא is probably employed δεικτικῶς for the 1st.
[a] 1. As in other languages, so also in Hebrew, the predicate in general conforms to the subject in gender and number (even when it is a pronoun, e.g. זֹאת בְּרִיתִי this is my covenant, Gn 17). There are, however, numerous exceptions to this fundamental rule. These are due partly to the constructio ad sensum (where attention is paid to the meaning rather than to the grammatical form; see b–l below), partly to the position of the predicate (regarded as being without gender) before the subject.
[b] 2. Singular nouns which include in themselves a collective idea (§ 123 a), or which occasionally have a collective sense (§ 123 b), may readily, in accordance with their meaning, be construed with the plural of the predicate, whether it precedes or follows. This is also the case, when the collective is itself feminine but represents, exclusively or at least generally, masculine persons.
Examples:—
[c] (a) Of collectives proper (cf. § 132 g): (α) with the predicate preceding, Gn 30 תָּבֹ֫אןָ הַצֹּאן (cf. 30:39, 31:8 and 33:13); Ju 1 f. בַּ֫יִת representing persons belonging to the tribe; Mi 4 גּוֹי; 2 K 25 חַ֫יִל army; Pr 11 לְאוֹם
