arrived safe; pyy

(Prov. xxiv. 15) lay not wait,

as a wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; ppp (Deut. iv. 27) you remain few in number.a

(b.) But they have, besides, a much wider range; for appellative nouns, follow often as appositions after their generic designations;

.Judg) אִישׁ נָבִיא ;(a virgin (lit. a girl, a virgin נַעֲרָה בְתוּלָה .e.g

vi. 8) a prophet; (iv. 4) a prophetess; xiv. 7) a fool; T (Job xi. 12) a wild ass;

1:

(Prov.

(Lev.

v. 15) shekels in silver; or the generic noun follows, as DIN 7'
(Prov. xv. 20) a fool; D (Gen. xvi. 12) a wild ass of a man.
(c.) In accordance with the general principle of mere logical con-
nection prevalent in the Hebrew syntax, a noun in singular is some-
times placed in apposition to a noun in plural, as "Dy? (Psalm
lxxiv.14) to a people-inhabitants of the desert, since Dy is a collective
noun; D'byn min?¬ (Ezek. xxvi. 2) Jerusalem—the gate of
the nations; and sometimes a noun is joined to a preceding one in
simple apposition, though it has properly the power of an adjective
indispensable to the notion, as D (Joshua xvi. 9) lit.
the towns—the separations, meaning the separate towns; D 1173
(Ezek. xxviii. 14) lit. a cherub—an extension, that is, an extended
cherub, or one with extended wings (comp. Neh. i. 2): hence adverbs,
which are mostly nouns in their origin, follow occasionally after sub-
stantives exactly in the manner of adjectives; as by DN (Neh.
ii. 12) few men, prop. men—a small number; by
(Isaiah
x.7) not a few nations (see also § 90. 2. b).

.Joshua xvi. lit) הֶעָרִים הַמִּבְדָּלִים

(d.) If the principal noun has a preposition, the apposition generally takes it also; e.g., ph-by Dy (Gen. xxi. 10) with my son Isaac; y (2 Sam. vii. 8) on my people Israel; but sometimes the, preposition is omitted before the second noun; e. g.

(1 Ki. ii. 22) to the priest Abiathar (comp. 2 Chr. xiii. 3).

EXERCISE CI.

לְאֶבְיָתָר הַכֹּהֵן ; Gen. xvi. 3) to her husband Abram) לְאַבְרָם אִישָׁה

§ 89. THE COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE
OF ADJECTIVES.

The Hebrew language is unable to express the degrees of comparison by changes in the form of the adjective itself, and hence the following expedients are adopted:

1. The COMPARATIVE is conveyed by the simple adjective suc

.Josh) גִּבְעוֹן גְדוֹלָה מִן־הָעַי .from ; e. g מִן ceeded by the preposition

x. 2) Gibeon is greater than Ai; 'N' (Job xv.10) I am older than thy father: which construction evidently implies a real and almost local juxtaposition of the two nouns, pointing to the distance which exists between them, and hence figuratively to the superiority of the one above the other in respect of the degree of a certain quality, as Gibeon is great above Ai; and so

(1 Kings ii. 32) men more righteous than he; app binan (ver. 22) my elder brother.a

2. Sometimes the adjective is not expressed if it can be easily supplied from the context; e.g. nibiyp Duby ny (Hos. vi. 6) the knowledge of God is better than burnt-offerings; and sometimes not only the adjective but the demonstrative pronoun must be supplied (§ 79. 3); e.g. (Job xxxv. 2) my rightcousness is greater than that of God; '?' (Isaiah. x. 10) their idols are more numerous than those of Jerusalem.b

.Isaiah. x) פְּסִילֵיהֶם מִירוּשָׁלַיִם ;of

3. The same construction with is employed in connection with verbs denoting a quality or a quantity; e.g. D'7'77 (Isa. lv. 9) My ways are higher than your ways; his pa (2 Sam. i. 23) they were swifter than eagles, stronger than lions; 7777 (Deut. xxx. 5) He makes thee more numerous than thý fathers; (Gen. xli. 40) I shall be greater than thou; and SN occasionally after transitive verbs also, as a botox bonu (Gen. xxix. 30) and he loved Rachel more than Leah.c

4. The absolute SUPERLATIVE is expressed simply by the definite article, which imparts to the adjective a degree of significance almost amounting to the sense of "par excellence" (§ 83. 4); e. g. p 1 (Gen. ix. 24) his, youngest son, properly his son, who is emphatically the young one; (1 Sam. xvii. 28) his eldest brother; 1 (Num. xxvii. 11) his nearest relative ; D' (Esth. iv. 3) most people:d hence if two objects only are compared, the adjective with the article has the force of the comparative; the name

e.g.

of הַקְטַנָּה of the elder was Leah, and the name הַגְּדֹלָה

the younger was Rachel (Gen. xxix. 16); D' (1 Ki. xviii. 25) the greater number.

5. If the adjective is followed by a genitive, that is, if it involves a relative superlative, it stands either in the construct state succeeded by the noun; e.g. "' (2 Chron. xxi. 17) his youngest son, lit.

a Comp. Gen. xxix. 19; Lev. xiii. 4, 20, 25, 30; xiv. 37; Judg. xiv. 18; Ezek. viii. 6, 15; xxviii. 3; xxix. 15; Amos vi. 2; Haggai ii. 9; Proverbs viii. 11; Daniel i. 10; vii. 20; viii. 3; xi. 13, etc.

b Isai. xli. 24; lii. 14; Ps. lxii. 10.

c Comp. xviii. 14; xxvi. 16; xxxvii. 3; Deut. xiv. 24; Judg. ii. 19; 1 Sam. x. 23; Prov. ix. 9; xxviii. 23; Job iv. xv. 11; Ruth iii. 10; see also Eccl. xii. 12; Esth. vi. 6.

17;

d

Comp. Gen. X. 21; xix. 38; Deut.

xxi. 3; 1 Sam. xvii, 14; Joel iv. 5.

the young one among his sons; y (Ezek. xxviii. 7) the most
violent (of the) nations;
(Isaiah xix. 11) the wisest

(among the) counsellors of Pharaoh;

(1 Sam.ix.

21) the smallest (of the) tribes of Israel:a or it remains in the absolute state provided with the article and followed by the preposition; e.g.

הָרַכָּה בְךְ ;Cant. v. 9) the most beautiful of women) הַיָּפָה בַּנָּשִׁים

(Deut. xxviii. 56) the most tender among you.

6. If the adjective has the meaning of the superlative or compara tive, it takes the article even if it is the predicate (§ 83. 18); e.g. (Judg. vi. 15) my family is the poorest in Manasseh;

D'AVD-SED DYDD DAN (Deut. vii. 7) you are the least of all the

Josh. xiv.15) he was the greatest) הָאָדָם הַגָּדוֹל בָּעֲנָקִים הוּא ; nations

man among the Anakim.

7. Sometimes, however, the simple adjective, without the article, has the force of the superlative; e.g. I have made thee rop the smallest among the nations (Obad. ver. 2); though in such cases the sense is generally strengthened by the addition of all; e.g. Job was the greatest of all the men of the East, which construction, even if taken as a comparative, naturally assumes the meaning of the superlative—he was greater than all the men of the East: but sometimes is again omitted, so that alone expresses the superlative both in connection with adjectives and with verbs; e.g. niya No (Isai. ii. 2) exalted above (all) the hills, that is, the highest hill;y; D'ap¬¬n (Judg. v.24) Jael will be praised above all women, that is, most of all women.

8. How gradations are conveyed by the repetition of nouns or adjectives, and by the introduction of synonyms, has been explained above (§ 75. 7. 6, 8, 9, 11); while the modes of enhancing the force of verbs or adjectives by means of adverbs or of graphic periphrasis, are common to all languages. Periphrasis, however, is peculiarly in harmony with the figurative character of Hebrew diction, and is employed in manifold variety; for, instance, the poorest is expressed by the firstborn of the poor (77, Isai. xiv. 30); the chief

a

Comp. 1 Sam. xvii. 40; Ezek. vii. 24; Jonah iii. 5; Micah vii. 4; Zech. xi. 7, 11; Ps. xxxv. 16; xlv. 13; Job xli. 22; Esth. ii. 9.

b Comp. Jer. xlix. 15; Prov. xxx. 30; Jonah iii. 5.

C

Comp. Gen. iii. 1; Num. xii. 3;
Deut. xiv. 2; Jer. xvii. 9.

nation by the firstfruit of the nations (ja n'y87,, Num. xxiv. 20); very high mountains by the mountains of God (7777, Psalm xxxvi. 7).a

a See § 75. 12; compare Ezekiel xxvii. 22; Amos vi. 1, 6; Job xviii. 13; Cant, iv. 14.