The Nomen Agentis or Participle
§ 97. The ptcp. or nomen agentis partakes of the nature both of the noun (adj.) and the verb. It presents the person or subj. in the continuous exercise or exhibition of the action or condition denoted by the verb. The pass. ptcp. describes the subj. as having the action continuously exercised upon him, or at least differs from the adj. in presenting the state of the subj. as the result of an action.
Rem. 1. The ptcp. carries the notion of action, operation, like the verb, while the quality expressed by the adj. inheres in the subj. as a mere motionless characteristic. On the other hand the ptcp. differs from the impf. in that the continuousness of the impf. is not unbroken, but mere repetition of the action. The ptcp. is a line, the impf. a succession of points.
It is but natural, however, that act. ptcps. expressing conditions or operations which are habitual should come to be used as nouns, as אהב friend, איב enemy, שׁפט judge, שׁמר watchman, חזת seer, &c., and that pass. ptcps. should in usage become adjectives. The ptcp. niph. in particular has the sense of the Lat. gerundive and adj. in bilis, as נוֹרָא to be feared, terrible, נֶחְשָׁב æstimandus, נֶחְמָד desirable, נִחְעָב detestable, נִכְבָּד honourable. Occasionally ptcp. Pu., מְהֻלָּל laudandus, Ps. 96:4. Possibly Kal, Ps. 137:8 (some point שָׁדוֹדָה). Jer. 4:30, Is. 23:12, are real or imagined pasts. See Is. 2:22, Ps. 18:4; 19:11; 22:32; 76:8; 102:19, Job 15:16. In like manner the difference between ptcp. and impf. is often scarcely discernible in usage. Gen. 2:10, Ex. 13:15, Lev. 11:47, Nu. 24:4, 16. Cf. Jud. 4:22 with 2 K. 6:19.
§ 98. Construction of ptcp. — The ptcp. is construed — (a) Verbally, taking the government of its verb, acc. or prep. Gen. 32:12 יָרֵא אָֽנֹכִי אֹתוֹ I fear him; 25:28 רִבְקָה אֹהֶבֶת את־יַֽעּקֹב Reb. loved Jacob. Gen. 27:8; 37:7, 16; 40:8, 17; 41:9; 42:29, 1 S. 11:3, 2 S. 14:18, 1 K. 18:3, Am. 5:8, 9, 18.
