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One people. One dream. The wife of the one. One of the shrubs. One of the mountains. One of his servants.

One soul. One of the towns. One year.
the towns. Two men. Thirty-two men.
Two pillars.
His twelve sons. 12,000 horsemen.

Two flasks of wine.

Single words.

The one bird. In one of

Two months. 22,000 men, 54,000 oxen. Twelve guards. 12,000 horsemen. His two servants. His two brothers. The twelve tribes of Israel. Eighteen years. Two women. Seventy-two years. Twenty-two springs of water. His two ears. Two golden rings. Three years. Three times. Forty shekels. 300 years. 400 pieces of silver. 600 mules. Three flocks of sheep. Seventy-two loaves of bread. 130

Thirteen rams. Three arrows. years. Thirty-two souls. 100 prophets. 800 armed men. 900 years. 200 ewes. 1,000 pieces of silver. 1,000 vessels. 400 souls. 2,000 cubits. 3,000 sheep. 6,000 pieces of gold (§ 85. 3). Sixty-five pieces of silver. Forty cows. 70,000 men. Seventy-four years. Ninetyfive sons. Forty-one years. Twenty-one days. 75,683 men.

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§ 91. THE ORDINAL AND OTHER NUMBERS.

1. The ORDINAL NUMBERS from one to ten are in every respect

הַחֹדֶשׁ ; the first year הַשָּׁנָה הָרִאשֹׁנָה construed like adjectives; as

the ninth month (see § 36).

2. If the cardinal numbers beyond ten are used as ordinals, they either follow the construct state, or precede the absolute state of the noun; e.g. in the eighteenth year is either

nay nhwy nabw? (2 Chr. xxxiv. 8; 2 Ki. xxii. 3).a

va

or

3. If the nouns and Di precede the numeral in this sense, they are sometimes, in the absolute state, repeated after the numeral; e.g. nw ww! D'y (1 Ki. xvi. 8) in the twenty-sixth year; Di ¬y DIY Dia (Num. vii. 78) on the twelfth day.b

4. In counting the years, or the days of the months, the cardinals are often used of the numbers from one to ten also; e.g. YEN DIVE (Zech. vii. 1) in the fourth year (see No. 2); n n

(2 Ki. viii.

16) in the fifth year; www (xviii. 10) in the sixth year; yan (Deut. xv. 9) the seventh year; in

Dia (Neh. viii. 2)

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the שְׁנַת שְׁתַּיִם שְׁנַת אַחַת on the first day of the month; and even

first year, the second year, where the numeral, agreeing with the noun, stands in the feminine.c

5. But in the statement of dates, the nouns Di' and quently omitted; e.g. w

day of the month. d

are fre

nya (2 Ki. xxv. 8) on the seventh

6. If the cardinal numbers are employed in the sense of ordinals, they have usually the article, if this is permitted by the context, as

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(vi. 38) in the eleventh year;

fiftieth year (see No. 3); y

No.3);

' n (Lev. xxv. 10) the (Deut. xv. 9) the seventh year.

7. The DISTRIBUTIVE NUMBERS are expressed simply by a repetition of the corresponding cardinals; e.g. groups of seven each; the NUMERAL ADVERBS generally by Dye

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(Gen. vii. 2, 3)

Comp. Gen. viii. 5; Exod. xii. 3; Lev. xxiii. 32; Deut. i. 3; 1 Sam. xx. 27; 1 Ki. x. 29; 2 Ki. xxv. 8; Ezek. xxix. 17; see also § 90. 13.

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Compare Hagg. i. 1; Zech. i. 1; fourteen; compare § 75. 7. d; see also

Dan. ix. 1, 2; Ezra i. 1.

Num. xvii. 18; xxxi. 30.

(prop. step, blow), e.g. ♫ON DVD once, DD twice, by wh

a

hundred times; or in a ; מֵאָה פְּעָמִים,ten times עֶשֶׁר פְּעָמִים,thrice

few instances by (foot), e.g.

(Ex. xxiii. 14) three times; or by 'ny times (from y, Neh. ix. 28), or D'

xxxi. 7) portions, or i

(Genesis

parts, or measures (xxvi. 12); and

C

שְׁתַּיִם,once * בְּאַחַת or אַחַת being omitted, by פַּעַם ,sometimes

D'n twice,

seven times,

(Job

or

xxxiii. 29) three times, y (Ps. cxix. 164)

y (Gen. iv. 24) seventy-seven times, D

hundred times; or by the dual, as Dye (2 Sam. xii. 6) four times or fourfold, ny sevenfold.f

In an analogous manner, a second time is ', a third time ♫

s.שְׁבִיעִית a seventh time בַּשְׁלִישִׁית or

שְׁתֵּי יָדוֹת ;one-third שְׁלִישִׁית ;half רְבִיעִית ; too-thirds פִּי שְׁנַיִם

8. FRACTIONS Occurring in the Hebrew Scriptures are: " one

yor ya one-fourth

or

phone-fifth (Gen. xlvii. 24, 26); y (Lev. xiv. 10) one-tenth (of an ephah, that is, an omer); ni yn (Neh. xi. 1) nine-tenths.

♫it, ya78 (xlvii. 24) four-fifths;

F. THE VERB.

§ 92. THE TENSES.

As the Hebrew verb possesses only two distinct tenses, the past (or preterite) and the future, and these in one mood only, the manifold relations in which actions may be considered, can, of necessity, be but imperfectly expressed. Neither of the tenses maintains its strict and original signification; a certain vagueness is unavoidable; the future especially is employed in many meanings and modifications, which other languages convey by auxiliary verbs or different moods; and the discernment of the reader must discover the nicer shades of the idea, which, whilst Hebrew was a living language, were no

a

Comp. Num. xxii. 28 ; xxxii. 33.

b Genesis xliii. 34; 2 Sam. xix. 44; Dan. i. 20.1 Ki. x. 22; Num. x. 4. d 2 Ki. vi. 10; Psalm lxii. 12; Job xxxiii. 14; Neh. xiii. 20.

• Prov. xvii. 10; Eccl. viii. 12.

f Gen. iv. 15, 24; Prov. vi. 31.

8 Gen. xxii. 15; 1 Sam. iii. 8; 1 Ki. xviii. 44; Ezek. xxi. 19.

h 2 Ki. xi. 7; Zech. xiii. 8; comp. 2 Ki. ii. 9; however, is also double portion, literally portion of two (Deut. xxi. 17).

i Exod. xxix. 40; 2 Ki. vi, 25.

doubt felt with sufficient clearness. Yet the internal connection between the fundamental and the derived meanings of the tenses is, in most cases, plainly obvious, and may be pointed out with some degree of certainty.

The broad distinction between the past and the future seems to be this, that the former denotes actions finished and completed, while the latter describes actions in the course of accomplishment; therefore the one has sometimes been called perfectum, the other imperfectum (or infectum). Both are thus, indeed, two distinct tenses, not merely two moods of the same tense; e. g. you have built (D']) houses, but you will not dwell (1) in them; you have planted (DVD) vineyards, but you will not drink () their wine (Amos v. 11).

We shall, in the following sections, try to trace the gradual steps and transitions observable in the meanings of the tenses.

§ 93. THE PAST TENSE.

The preterite denotes

a

1. The actual or absolute PAST, whether the action has but just been completed, or is entirely a matter of history; be.g. 'Ape ba¬wb phoy nwy-¬ (1 Sam. xv. 2) I have remembered that

(9 .Gen. vi) נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק הָיָה בְּדֹרֹתָיו ;which Amalek did to Israel

Noah was a righteous man in his generations.

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2. The PLUPERFECT, the action being past at the time of another past action; e.g. David brought the ark to the place is which he had prepared for it (2 Chr. i. 4).d

3. The PRESENT, the action reaching from the past into the present time, or being accomplished with such rapidity or certainty that it may be regarded as already effected; or describing the ordinary and customary action, because that which has hitherto been done, may be supposed to be always done; e.g. DNE 182 (Gen. xlii. 7) whence do you come ? (Deut. xxxii. 22) fire burns in My anger; disdain wisdom; hence verbs

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1 (Prov. i. 7) fools

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denoting a quality or condition have in the preterite the meaning of the present, as he is wise, he is old, he is small; and so

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he hates, he refuses, he rejoices.

4. The FUTURE, but chiefly in prophetic diction, which, in harmony with its peculiar character, contemplates the predicted event as an accomplished fact; and hence also in reference to solemn promises, vows, or compacts; e. g. thou shalt still plant vineyards, yapı the planters will plant and enjoy them (Jer. xxxi. 5); the Lord says, bebe by I break the yoke of the king of Babylon (xxviii. 2, comp. ver. 3);

xv. 18) to thy seed I shall give this land.b

(Gen.

5. The WISH, akin to the prediction or the promise in so far as the ardour of desire eagerly anticipates its realisation; e.g. ♫TD (Isai. lxiii. 19) oh that Thou wouldest rend the heavens, that Thou wouldest descend; (Job xxiii. 3) oh that I knew; which usage is, more natural if the wish refers to the past, e. g.

Num. xiv.2) would God that we had died in) לוּ מַתְנוּ בְאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם

the land of Egypt.

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6. The SECOND or PAST FUTURE (futurum exactum), the action being past in reference to another event lying in the future; e.g. then

for God will then כִּי־יָצָא אֱלֹהִים לְפָנֶיךָ,thou shalt go out to battle

have gone forth before thee (1 Chron. xiv. 15).d

7. The first and second parts of CONDITIONAL SENTENCES, especially if the whole matter lies in the past; for the conjunctions (D, 1, ) and the mutual relation of the parts, are deemed sufficient to

לוּלֵא לוּלֵא מְהַרְתְּ לֹא נוֹתַר .mark the character of the proposition; e. g

if thou hadst not hastened, nothing would have been left (comp. 1 Sam. xxv. 34); or the second part alone, if the first is to be under

Jer. xiv. 1-6; Psa. i. 1; x. 3; xv. 3; | cxvi. 16; Lam. iv. 22.

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