do. Jer. 32:4 and his eyes his eyes shall see, cf. 34:3. Is. 11:8; 32:8.
Rem. 1. Other forms are occasional, as obj., subj., verb. 2 K. 5:13, Is. 5:17; 28:17. This order is usual in nominal sent. with participial pred. Gen. 41:9 את־חֲטָאַי אֲנִי מַזְכִּיר my faults I call to remembrance. Gen. 37:16, Jud. 9:36; 14:4, 2 K. 6:22, Jer. 1:11.
Rem. 2. Aramaic shows a liking for placing the verb at the end of the clause, the obj. and complement of the verb preceding it, as in c. Dan. 2:16, 18; 3:16; 4:15. Cf. inf. Is. 49:6. Jud. 6:25. 2 Chr. 31:7, 10.
Rem. 3. It is a point of style, however, particularly in prophetic and poetic parallelism, to vary the order of words. So even in ordinary prose. Ex. 3:7 שָׁמַעְתִּי רָאִיתִי את־עֳנִי עַמִּי ··· ואת־צַֽעֲקָתָם, Is. 5:24; 11:8; 31:1. Cf. 1 K. 20:18 the double take them alive.
AGREEMENT OF SUBJECT AND PREDICATE IN RESPECT OF GENDER AND NUMBER.
§ 112. There is less precision in the matter of agreement than there is in classical or other languages. Several general peculiarities appear —
1. When the pred. stands first the speaker’s mind is fixed on the act in itself, and clear consciousness of the coming subj. is not yet present to him, and he puts the pred. in the most general form, mas. sing.[1]
2. There is a great tendency to construe according to the sense rather than strict grammatical law, hence gramm. singulars, such as collectives and words that suggest a plurality, are often joined with plur. pred., especially when they refer to persons.
3. On the other hand, there is a tendency to group things that resemble one another, or belong to the same class, under one conception, and construe them with a sing. verb.
- ↑ Ar. grammarians have a more ingenious explanation of this usage.
