הִתְהַלְּכֵנוּ(Pr. 6:22), Ps. 4:8 = מעת רֹב דגנם (Hos. 4:7; 10:1, Deu. 7:7). In other cases there is om. of rel. pr.
More like a mere formal shortening is the use of the cons. before prepp. In poetry and the higher style chiefly the ptcps. (and nouns) of verbs that govern by a prep. are put in cons. before the prep. The real consn. in this case is by prep. and the cons. is secondary, as appears from Jud. 8:11 הַשְּׁכוּנֵי בָֽאֳהָלִים (so Sep.) with Art. — Is. 5:11 מַשְׁכֹּימֵי בַבֹּקֶר; 9:2 שִׂמְחַת בַּקָּצִיר; 28:9 נְּמוּלֵי מֵֽחָלָּב, Jud. 5:10, 2 S. 1:21, Is. 14:19; 56:10 (inf.), Jer. 8:16, Ez. 13:2, Ps. 2:12, Job 24:5.
The few cases of shortening before vav copul. seem due to assonance, Ez. 26:10 (cf. Jer. 4:29), Is. 33:6, or to the ear being accustomed to the cons. form before words closely connected, Is. 35:2. In Is. 51:21 the coming word יין seems to influence the preceding “drunken.” Jer. 33:22 מְשָֽׁרֲתֵי אֹתִי is altogether anomalous (cf. v. 21); Hag. 2:17.
Rem. 2. On indef. cons. before def. gen. cf. § 20, R. 2.
Rem. 3. Sometimes an adj. is used nominally and brought within the chain of constructs. Is. 28:16, a corner-stone יִקְרַת of preciousness of a foundation; perhaps v. 1, 4 flower נֹבֵל of a faded-thing (faded flower), Jer. 4:11 wind of dryness. In some cases the Abs. seems retained in a phrase. Is. 28:1 ניא שְׁמָנִים הלּוּמי יין the fat valley of those stricken down of wine; v. 3 גאות. Ps. 68:22, Pr. 21:6? Text is doubtful, Is. 63:11, the words “Moses,” “his people,” being wanting in Sep. Ez. 6:11; רעות wanting in Sep. Is. 32:13; קריה עליזה may be loose subord. in acc. On Is. 19:8, cf. Rem. 1. — The consn. 2 S. 1:9, כל עזד נפשׁי בי (Job 27:3, Hos. 14:3), where כל seems separated from its gen., is uncertain. The כל appears rather to be used adverbially, wholly, in whole, cf. Ecc. 5:15 (Ps. 39:6; 45:14) and the Chald. כל קבל ד Dan. 2:8, 41, &c.
Rem. 4. An instance of two cons. before a gen. is Ez. 31:16, but Sep. wants וטוב. Dan. 1:4 is scarcely an ex., cf. Is. 29:12. Occasionally the first word seems to stand loosely in Abs., Is. 55:4; less necessarily 53:3, 4. In the broader or emphatic style, when one cons. would be followed by several gen., it is repeated before each. Gen. 24:3, God of heaven and God of earth; 11:29; 14:13, Jos.
