The Adjective

The Adjective
§ 30. The adj. as attribute, being virtually in apposition to the noun, is placed after it, and agrees with it in gend., numb., and case. Genesis 21:8 ‏וַיַּעַשׂ מִשְׁתֶּה גָדוֹל‎ he made a great feast; Genesis 20:9 ‏הֵבֵאתָ עָלַי חְַטָאָה גְדֹלָה‎ thou hast brought on me a great sin; Isaiah 5:9 ‏בָּתִּים רַבִּים לְשַׁמָּה‎ many houses shall be desolate. It also agrees in determination, being without the Art. if its noun be indef., but having the Art. if the noun be determined in any way (by Art., def. gen. or suff.). Genesis 21:8; Genesis 20:9 above. 2 Kings 4:9 ‏אִישׁ אלהים קָדוֹשׁ‎ a holy man of God; 1 Samuel 12:22 ‏שְׁמוֹ הַגָּדוֹל‎ his great name; 1 Samuel 17:13 ‏שְׁלשֶׁת בְּנֵי יִשַׁי הַגְּדֹלִים‎ the three eldest sons of Jesse; Isaiah 8:7 ‏מֵי הַנָּהָר הָֽעְַצוּמִים‎ the many waters of the River. If there be several adj. the concord of all is the same; Isaiah 27:1 ‏בְּחַרְבּוֹ הַקָּשָׁה וְהַגְּדוֹלָה וְהַֽחְַזָקָה‎ with his sore and great and strong sword.
The concord of the adj. when pred. is the same as when it is qualificative, though liable to be less exact. The position of pred. in the sentence is also variable (§ 103 seq.). The pred. is usually indefinite.
§ 31. The adj. having no dual is used in plur. with dual nouns; Isaiah 35:3 ‏בִּרְכַּיִם כּֽשְׁלוֹת‎ failing knees; Isaiah 42:7 ‏לִפְקֹחַ עֵינַיִם עִוְרוֹת‎ to open blind eyes; Exodus 17:12 ‏וִידֵי משֶׁה כְּבֵדִים‎ the hands of M. were heavy (hand mas. only here, cf. Ezekiel 2:9). Genesis 29:17, 1 Samuel 3:2, Psalms 18:27; Psalms 130:2, Proverbs 6:17, Proverbs 6:18.
With collectives agreement may be grammatical in the sing., or ad sensum in the plur.; ad sensum in the plur.; 1 Samuel 13:15 ‏הָעָם הַנִּמְצְאִים עִמּוֹ‎ the people that were present with him; but in 1 Samuel 13:16 ‏העם הַנִּמְצָא‎ § 115.
With the plur. of eminence the adj. is usually sing.; Isaiah 19:4 ‏אְַדֹנִים קָשֶׁה‎ a harsh master. Psalms 7:9 ‏אלהים צַדִּיק‎ righteous God; but in some parts of the Hex. (E) plur., Joshua 24:19 ‏אלהים קְדשִׁים‎ a holy God (cf. pl. vb. Genesis 20:13; Genesis 35:7). So 1 Samuel 17:26 ‏א׳ חַיִּים‎ the living God, Deuteronomy 5:23, Jeremiah 23:36, but also ‏א׳ חַי‎ 2 Kings 19:4, 2 Kings 19:16. Cf. Teraphim of single image, 1 Samuel 19:13, 1 Samuel 19:16. Genesis 31:34 (E), where Ter. is treated as pl., may be doubtful.
§ 32. The demonstrative adj. ‏זֶה‎, ‏הוּא‎ this, that, have the same concord as other adj. But (1) they necessarily make their noun def., ‏הָאִישׁ הַזֶּה‎ this man, ‏הַיָּמִים הָהֵם‎ those days, and have themselves the Art. (2) In the case of nouns determined by pron. suff. they are in Appos. without the Art., Exodus 10:1 ‏אֹתֹתַי אֵלֶּה‎ these my signs; and so always. (3) With another adj. or several they stand last, 1 Kings 3:6 ‏הַחֶסֶד הַגָּדוֹל הַזֶּה‎ this great goodness (1 Kings 3:9); Deuteronomy 1:19 ‏הַמִּדְבָּר הַגָּדוֹל וְהַנּוֹרָא הַהוּא‎ that great and terrible wilderness; Genesis 41:35 ‏הַשָּׁנִים הַטֹּבוֹת הַבָּאֹת הָאֵלֶּה‎ these good coming years.
Rem. 1. Occasionally the adj. precedes the noun, particularly ‏רַב‎ in plur. (sing. Isaiah 21:7; Isaiah 63:7, Psalms 31:19; Psalms 145:7), Jeremiah 16:16, Psalms 32:10; Psalms 89:51, Proverbs 7:26; Proverbs 31:29, Nehemiah 9:28, 1 Chronicles 28:5. Ezekiel 24:12 (fem. cons.) might suggest that in some instances of the sing. the adj. is used nominally.— Isaiah 28:21 the adj. may be pred., strange is his work. In other cases the adj. is independent and the consn. apposition, Isaiah 23:12 thou violated one, virgin, &c.; Isaiah 53:11 perhaps the place of ‏צדיק‎ is due to attraction of vb. ‏יצדיק‎; Isaiah 10:30 also apposition, thou poor one, Anathoth (Ew. al. would rd. ‏עְַנִיהָ‎ imp. answer her). Jeremiah 3:7, Jeremiah 3:10 ‏בגודה‎ is almost a proper name, Treacherous, her sister.
Rem. 2. Sometimes the noun is defined and adj. without the Art. (1) Numerals as ‏אחד‎ one, and words similarly used as ‏אַחֵר‎ another, ‏רבים‎ many, being def. of themselves, may dispense with Art. Genesis 42:19 (Art. Genesis 42:33), 1 Samuel 13:17, 2 Kings 25:16, Jeremiah 24:2, Ezekiel 10:9; Genesis 43:14, Jeremiah 22:26, Ezekiel 39:27. (2) In some cases the adj. is acc. of condition, or at any rate of the nature of pred. Genesis 37:2, Nu 14, 37, 1 Samuel 2:23 (Sep. wants), Isaiah 57:20 (Isaiah 11:9), Ezekiel 4:13; Ezekiel 34:12, Haggai 1:4, Psalms 18:17; Psalms 92:12.—Isaiah 17:6 prob. rd. ‏סעפֵי הַפּ׳‎. (3) Possibly euphony in some cases led to om. of Art. 2 Samuel 6:3, unless new cart expressed a single idea (cf Micah 2:7) to which Art. was prefixed. (4) Other exx. Jeremiah 2:21, where Hitz. suggests that ‏סורֵי הַגפן‎ may = ‏הַסורים לְגפן‎, 1 Samuel 15:9 where rd. ‏נִבְזָה וְנִמְאָס‎ (cf. 1 Kings 19:11) at any rate. Daniel 8:13; Daniel 11:31. So formulas like ‏אלהים חַי‎, ‏א׳ חַיִּים‎ the living God.
In other cases the adj. is defined and noun without Art. (1) Numerals and similar words like ‏כל‎, having a certain definiteness of their own, may communicate it to their noun, which then dispenses with Art. Genesis 21:29; Genesis 41:26, Numbers 11:25, cf. 2 Samuel 20:3, Genesis 1:21; Genesis 9:10. (2) Certain half-technical terms came to be def. of themselves, as court, gate, entrance, &c. (§ 22, R. 4): court 1 Kings 7:12, 2 Kings 20:4 (K're), Ezekiel 40:28, Ezekiel 40:31 (Ezekiel 47:16 text obscure); gate Ezekiel 9:2, Zechariah 14:10 (Nehemiah 3:6, gate is cons.); entrance Jeremiah 38:14. So way 1 Samuel 12:23, Jeremiah 6:16 (cf. Judges 21:19); day, particularly with ordinals, Genesis 1:31, Exodus 12:15; Exodus 20:10; Deuteronomy 5:14, Leviticus 19:6; Leviticus 22:27; cf. Isaiah 43:13 ‏מיום‎ = ‏מֵֽהיום‎. (3) Other exx. 1 Samuel 6:18; 1 Samuel 16:23, 2 Samuel 12:4, Jeremiah 6:20; Jeremiah 17:2 (Psalms 104:18); Jeremiah 32:14 (text obscure), Zechariah 4:7, Nehemiah 9:35, Psalms 62:3, Ezekiel 21:14 (text uncertain). 2 Kings 20:13 rather as Jeremiah 6:20 than as Son_7:10. 1 Samuel 19:22 rd. perhaps ‏הַגֹּרֶן‎ (Sep.) for ‏הגדל‎. (4) With ptcp. Judges 21:19, Jeremiah 27:3; Jeremiah 46:16 (Zechariah 11:2).
Rem. 3. The usage § 32 (2) goes throughout all stages of the language, Genesis 24:8, Exodus 11:8, Deuteronomy 5:26; Deuteronomy 11:18, Joshua 2:14, Joshua 2:20, Judges 6:14, 1 Kings 8:59; 1 Kings 10:8; 1 Kings 22:23, Jeremiah 31:22, Ezra 2:65, Nehemiah 6:14; Nehemiah 7:67, 2 Chronicles 18:22; 2 Chronicles 24:18, Daniel 10:17.—Joshua 2:17 is doubly anomalous (cf. Judges 16:28). The demons. is without Art. sometimes in the phrase ‏בַּלילה הוא‎ on that night, Genesis 19:33; Genesis 30:16; Genesis 32:23, 1 Samuel 19:10, cf. Psalms 12:7 (§ 6, R. 1). 1 Samuel 2:23 text dubious.—On the other hand 2 Kings 1:2; 2 Kings 8:8-9 rd. ‏חָלְיִ‎ (cf. Jeremiah 10:19). In 1 Samuel 17:17 num. may define ‏לחם‎ (1 Samuel 14:29?). In 1 Samuel 17:12 text faulty.
The order § 32 (3) may be changed when adj. is emphatic, 2 Chronicles 1:10, or when other specifications are linked to it, Jeremiah 13:10.
Rem. 4. When two adj. qualify a fem. noun the second is sometimes left in mas. 1 Kings 19:11 ‏רוח גדולה וחזק‎ a great and strong wind, Jeremiah 20:9 (1 Samuel 15:9). And in cases of a commodity and its measure or number the adj. may agree with the commodity as the main thing, 1 Samuel 17:17 this ephah of parched corn; 1 Samuel 17:28.
Rem. 5. The adj. is sometimes used nominally and put by the noun in gen.; 2 Kings 18:17 ‏חֵיל כָּבֵד‎ a great force, Isaiah 22:24 ‏כָּל־כְּלֵי הַקָּטָן‎ all vessels of the smallest, Son_7:10 ‏יִיִן הַטּוֹב‎ wine of the best. Deuteronomy 19:13; Deuteronomy 27:25, Jeremiah 22:17 (cf. 2 Kings 24:4), Numbers 5:18, 2 Kings 25:9 (Amos 6:2?), Zechariah 14:4, Psalms 73:10; Psalms 74:15 (cf. Exodus 14:27); Psalms 78:49; Psalms 109:2, 2 Chronicles 4:10, Ecclesiastes 1:13; Ecclesiastes 8:10.—Other exx. of adj. used nominally, Genesis 30:35, Genesis 30:37 (exposing the white), Deuteronomy 28:48 (and nakedness), Joshua 3:4 (a distance), Judges 9:16; Judges 14:14 (sweetness), Joshua 24:14, 2 Kings 10:15 (perh. om. ‏את‎), Jeremiah 2:25; Jeremiah 15:15; Jeremiah 30:12, Isaiah 28:4 (flower of a fading thing), Isaiah 28:16, Psalms 111:8, Job 33:27 (perverted right).— Conversely the noun may be put in gen. by the adj. used nominally, often with superlative meaning, Judges 5:29 (the wisest), Isaiah 19:11; Isaiah 35:9, Ezekiel 7:24; Ezekiel 28:7. Exodus 15:16, 1 Samuel 16:7; 1 Samuel 17:40, Jeremiah 15:15, Psalms 46:4; Psalms 65:5. Proverbs 16:19, ‏שׁפל‎ might be inf.
Rem. 6. The adj. when it expresses the characteristic attribute of the noun is sometimes used instead of it; Isaiah 24:23 ‏הַלְּבָנָה‎ the moon (the white), ‏הַֽחַמָּה‎ the sun (the hot), Isaiah 30:16 ‏קַל‎ the horse (swift), Jeremiah 8:16, Malachi 3:11 ‏הָֽאֹכֵל‎ the consumer (locust). Mostly in poetry and less common than in Ar.