the field. 3:24 דֶּרֶךְ עֵץ הַֽחַיִּים the way of the tree of life, 6:18 נְשֵׁי בָנֶיךָ.
Rem. 1. Proper names of persons are always without the Art., and so names of peoples called after a personal ancestor, as Moab, Edom. Many names of places, rivers, &c., however, were originally appellatives and sometimes retain the Art., as הַלְּבָנוֹן Lebanon (the white mountain?), הַיַרְדֵּן Jordan (the river ?), הַגִּבְעָה Gibeah (the hill), הָעַי Ai (the mound). Usage fluctuates.
Rem. 2. The def. gen. makes the whole expression definite. But this rule seems to have exceptions, the cons. remaining indef. This is the case at any rate with prop. names, as 1 S. 4:12 אישׁ בִּנְיָמִין a man of Benjamin, Josh. 7:21 a Babylonish garment, Jud. 10:1, Deu. 22:19, and apparently in other cases, Lev. 14:34 a house, Gen. 9:20, Jer. 13:4. It is to be assumed in general, however, that the def. gen. determines the whole expression. Thus Heb. may say הַוָּהָב the gold (so called generic Art. § 22), i.e. gold, and so Gen. 41:42 רְבִד הַוָּהָב the chain of the gold, i.e. a chain of gold; the kind of definiteness, whatever it be, extends over the expression. Song 1:13, 14; 4:3. Cf. 1 S. 25:36 מִשְׁתֵּה הַמֶּלֶךְ the banquet of the king, i.e. a royal banquet; Jud. 8:18 royal children. The use of Art. fluctuates, Song 1:11, 13.
Rem. 3. In compound proper names the Art. maintains its usual place. 1 S. 5:1 אֶבֶן הָעֵזֶר Ebenezer. And so with gentilics, Jud. 6:11, 24 אֲבִי הָֽעֶזְרִי the Abiezrite, 1 S. 17:58 בֵּית הַלַּחְמִי the Bethlehemite. 6:14.
Rem. 4. A number of cases occur of Art. with cons. or noun with suff. (a) In some cases the text is faulty, being filled up by explanatory glosses from the marg. Gen. 24:67 omit Sarah his mother. Jos. 3:11 om. הברית, so v. 14, and v. 17 ברית י׳. Jos. 8:11 om. war (13.5, cf. § 29, R. 5). Jer. 25:26 rd. הממלָכות abs. and om. earth (Sep.), Ez. 45:16 om. earth (Sep.). Jer. 32:12 הַסֵּפֶר הַמִּקְנָה can hardly be appos. the bill, the sale; probably ungrammatical explicitum from marg. for it of Sep. 1 Chr. 15:27 rd. probably בַּמַּשָּׂא רְהַשֹּׁערים (Berth.), cf. vv. 22, 23. 2 Chr. 8:16 cf. Ex. 9:18,
