The cons. occasionally ends in i, more rarely in o or u. In Eth. the vowel a marks the cons.
DETERMINATION. THE ARTICLE
§ 19. There is no indef. art. in Heb., the noun if indef. remains without change.[1] Job 1:1 אִישׁ הָיָה there was a man. 1 K. 3:24 קְחוּ־לִי חֶרֶב fetch me a sword.
The predicate naturally is indeterminate and without Art. Gen. 3:1 הַנָּחָשׁ הָיָה עָרוּם the serpent was cunning. 2:12, 25; 3:6; 29:2, 2 S. 18:7. The inf. or nomen actionis retains too much of the verbal nature to admit the Art. Occasionally הַדַּעַת the knowing occurs. Gen. 2:9, Jer. 22:16. And fem. verbal nouns approach more closely the real noun, and occasionally take Art. Ps. 139:12 כַּֽחֲשֵׁכָה כָּֽאוֹרָה the darkness is as the light.
Rem. 1. The numeral אֶחָד one is sometimes used almost like an indef. art., esp. in later style. Ex. 16:33, 1 S. 7:9, 12, 1 K. 19:4; 22:9, 2 K. 7:8; 8:6. Or it has the sense of a certain; Jud. 9:53; 13:2, 1 S. 1:1, 1 K. 13:11, 2 K. 4:1. The words אישׁ man, אשׁה woman prefixed to another term appear to express indefiniteness, אישׁ נביא a prophet, Jud. 6:8; 4:4, 2 S. 14:5; 15:16, 1 K. 3:16; 7:14; 17:9. Eth. uses man, woman in the same way.
- ↑ The inflection of an Ar. noun ˓abd “servant” may illustrate the cases.
SING. Abs. with Art. Cons. and Gen. N. ˓abdun a serv. ˒el ˓abdu the ser. ˓abdu lmaliki the s. of the king. G. ˓abdin ˒el abdi ˓abdi lmaliki. A. ˓abdan ˒el abda ˓abda lmaliki. DUAL. N. ˓abdâni ˒el ˓abdâni ˓abdâ lmaliki. G.A. abdaini ˒el ˓abdaini ˓abdayi lmaliki PLURAL. N. ˓abdûna ˒el ˓abdûna ˓abdû lmaliki. G.A. ˓abdîna ˒el ˓abdîna ˓abdî lmaliki. The regular plur. given here to ˓abd does not exist in usage. After a vowel both the Alif and the vowel of the Art, are elided in pronunciation.
