Grammar:Gender/0

Gender

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

Dual Gendered Nouns

There are several words In Tanakh which are treated as both masculine and feminine, at times taking a masculine verb or adjective and at other times taking a feminine one. R. SaadiaCommentary Bereshit 19:23About R. Saadia Gaon suggests that in such cases one must conclude either that these words are dual gendered, or that the verse is assuming a missing word and it is that word which conforms with the gender of the verb or adjective that follows.¹ 

• ארון – Though the word is usually treated as masculine, at times it takes feminine verbs as well. See Shemuel I 4, where verse 11 reads, "וַאֲרוֹן אֱלֹהִים נִלְקָח", while verse 17 reads, "וַאֲרוֹן הָאֱלֹהִים נִלְקָחָה".‎²  See Radak there for discussion.
• ארץ - Compare Bereshit 1:2 (הָאָרֶץ הָיְתָה), where "ארץ" is feminine, with Yechezkel 21:24 (מֵאֶרֶץ אֶחָד), where it is masculine.  See also Yeshayahu 33:9 where the word takes both a feminine and masculine adjective (אָבַל אֻמְלְלָה אָרֶץ). See Ibn Ezra there who notes this, but compare Shadal who suggests that the verse should be understood as if written: "אָבַל יושב האָרֶץ ואֻמְלְלָה אָרֶץ".
• אש – Compare Shemot 22:5 where it takes a feminine verb (כִּי תֵצֵא אֵשׁ)³  with Yirmeyahu 48:45 where it takes a masculine one (כִּי אֵשׁ יָצָא).⁴  See also Iyyov 20:26 where it takes both forms in the very same verse (תְּאׇכְלֵהוּ אֵשׁ לֹא נֻפָּח).⁵
• בית – Compare Mishlei 2:18 where it is feminine () with Devarim 8:12 (בָתִּים טֹבִים) where it is masculine (like most occurrences).⁶
• גן – Compare Bereshit 2:15 where it takes a feminine form (וַיַּנִּחֵהוּ בְגַן עֵדֶן לְעׇבְדָהּ וּלְשׇׁמְרָהּ),⁷ with Shir HaShirim 4:12, where it takes a masculine adjective ("גַּן נָעוּל").⁸ Ibn Ezra further notes that the plural form of the verb also sometimes appears with a masculine ending (גנים)⁹ and sometimes with a feminine one (גנות).¹⁰
• דרך – Compare Bereshit 28:20 where it is masculine ("וּשְׁמָרַנִי בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה")¹¹ with Shemot 18:20, where it is feminine ("הַדֶּרֶךְ יֵלְכוּ בָהּ").¹² See also Yeshayahu 35:8 where it takes both forms in one verse (וָדֶרֶךְ וְדֶרֶךְ הַקֹּדֶשׁ יִקָּרֵא לָהּ לֹא יַעַבְרֶנּוּ).¹³
• חצר – Though it usually acts as a feminine noun, as in Melakhim I 6:36 (הֶחָצֵר הַפְּנִימִית),¹⁴ see Yechezkel 40:19 and 23 where it takes a masculine adjective ("לֶחָצֵר הַפְּנִימִי"). see also Shemot 35:17 where in the same verse, it is referred to as both feminine and masculine ("אֵת קַלְעֵי הֶחָצֵר אֶת עַמֻּדָיו וְאֶת אֲדָנֶיהָ").¹⁵ 
• יד – Compare Bereshit 26:25 where it is feminine ("וְיָדוֹ אֹחֶזֶת")¹⁶ with Shemot 17:12 where it is masculine ("וִידֵי מֹשֶׁה כְּבֵדִים").¹⁷  See also Yechezkel 2:9 where it takes both forms in the same verse, "וְהִנֵּה יָד שְׁלוּחָה אֵלָי וְהִנֵּה בוֹ".‎¹⁸
• מחנה – Compare Tehillim 27:3 where it is treated as feminine (תַּחֲנֶה עָלַי מַחֲנֶה)¹⁹ with Bereshit 33:8 where it is treated as masculine (הַמַּחֲנֶה הַזֶּה).²⁰ See also Bereshit 32:9²¹ where in the very same verse it takes both a feminine and masculine adjective (הַמַּחֲנֶה הָאַחַת וְהִכָּהוּ... הַמַּחֲנֶה הַנִּשְׁאָר).
• מקום – See Ibn Ezra, Dikduk Bereshit 2:15 
• רוח – Compare Bereshit 1:2 where it is takes a feminine verb ("יוְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת")²² with Bemidbar 11:31 where it takes a masculine verb ("וְרוּחַ נָסַע").  See also Melakhim 19:11²³ and Iyyov 1:19²⁴ in each of which it acts as both masculine and feminine in the very same verse.²⁵
• שמש – Compare Bereshit 15:17 where it takes a feminine verb (הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בָּאָה)²⁶ and Bereshit 19:23 where it takes a masculine verb (הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ יָצָא).²⁷  See, though, R. Saadia that in the latter cases perhaps the verses mean "אור השמש יצא".

Androgynous Verbs

Sometimes a verb will combine a masculine and feminine form. For example:

• Bereshit 30:38 – "וַיֵּחַמְנָה בְּבֹאָן לִשְׁתּוֹת" (as opposed to the expected "ותחמנה"). See RashbamBereshit 30:38About R. Shemuel b. Meir, Ibn EzraBereshit First Commentary 30:38About R. Avraham ibn Ezra, ShadalBereshit 30:38About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto and R. D"Z HoffmannBereshit 30:38About R. David Zvi Hoffmann. Cf. Hoil MosheShemuel I 6:12About R. Moshe Yitzchak Ashkenazi who suggests that perhaps the androgynous form is used because the verse speaks of mating.
• Shemuel I 6:12 – "וַיִּשַּׁרְנָה הַפָּרוֹת בַּדֶּרֶךְ" (as opposed to the expected "ותישרנה"). See RashiShemuel I 6:12About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, the commentary attributed to R"Y KaraShemuel I 6:12About Attributed to R. Yosef Kara, and Radak.
• Yirmeyahu 49:11 – "וְאַלְמְנוֹתֶיךָ עָלַי תִּבְטָחוּ" (as opposed to "תבטחנה")
• Yechezkel 37:7 – "וַתִּקְרְבוּ עֲצָמוֹת" (as opposed to "ותקרבנה"). See RadakYechezkel 37:7About R. David Kimchi, and see MalbimYechezkel Beur HaMilot 37:7About R. Meir Leibush Weiser who attempts to explain the unusual usage.²⁸
• Daniel 8:22 – "אַרְבַּע מַלְכֻיוֹת מִגּוֹי יַעֲמֹדְנָה" (as opposed to "תעמדנה"). See RashbamBereshit 30:38About R. Shemuel b. Meir, ShadalBereshit 30:38About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto and R. D"Z HoffmannBereshit 30:38About R. David Zvi Hoffmann.

Double Feminine

Sometimes a word will have two feminine markers. Radak suggests that in such cases, the doubling serves as an intensifier

• הֶחְבְּאַתָה – See Yehoshua 6:17, "כִּי הֶחְבְּאַתָה אֶת הַמַּלְאָכִים" (as opposed to the expected "החביאה").  Radak explains that the connotation is that Rachav had hidden the spies very well.
• יְשׁוּעָתָה – See Tehillim 3:3, "אֵין יְשׁוּעָתָה לּוֹ" (as opposed to the expected "ישועה"). Radak explains that the word refers to a  "great salvation".
• עֶזְרָתָה – See Tehillim 44:27, 63:8, 94:17  (this form replaces the expected "עזרה"). Radak (on Tehillim 3:3) explains that in each case the people are either requesting or thanking Hashem for abundant aid.
•  תבואתה (דברים ל״ג:ט״ז), נפלאתה (שמואל ב א׳:כ״ו)

Pausal Form

¹ For example,Bereshit 19:23 reads, "הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ יָצָא" whereas elsewhere the noun is feminine. R. Saadia raises the possibility that the word is generally feminine, but in this (and similar verses) the verse means to say "אור השמש יצא".

² For another example where the word is treated as feminine, see Divrei HaYamim II 8:11 ("אֲשֶׁר בָּאָה אֲלֵיהֶם אֲרוֹן י"י").

³ See also Shemot 9:23, Vayikra 6:3,6, Vayikra 9:24, 10:2, Bemidbar 11:2 and others

⁴ This is less common; see also Tehillim 104:4.

⁵ See R. Moshe ibn Chiquitilla here and Rashi Bereshit 32:9 who notes this.

⁶ See Ibn Ezra dikduk bereshit 2:15 lexical

⁷ See Ibn Ezra there who notes this but also brings opinions that perhaps the words "לְעׇבְדָהּ וּלְשׇׁמְרָהּ" refer back not to the garden but to the land (אדמה, a feminine noun).

⁸ See also Yeshayahu 58:11 and Yirmeyahu 31:11 where it also is treated as masculine.

⁹ See Shir HaShirim 4:15.

¹⁰ See Kohelet 2:5, "עָשִׂיתִי לִי גַּנּוֹת וּפַרְדֵּסִים".

¹¹ See also Devarim 17:16, 28:7.

¹² See also Nechemyah 9:12 (הדרך אשר ילכו בה).

¹³ See Rashi Yeshayahu 35:9 who notes this.

¹⁴ See also Shemot 39:42, Melakhim I 7:8-9, 7:12, Melakhim II 21:5, Melakhim II 23:12 and others.

¹⁵ See Rashi and Ibn Ezra Second Commentary (there) who note the phenomenon.

¹⁶ See many other verses as well, including Shemot 3:19, 13:9, Yeshayahu 5:25 or 9:1.

¹⁷ This is less common as noted by Shadal (and see Ibn Ezra).

¹⁸ See Rashi, Radak and Shadal there who notes the phenomenon.

¹⁹ See also Divrei HaYamim I 11:15.

²⁰ See other verses as well, including: Bereshit 32:11, 33:8, and 50:9.

²¹ See Rashi who notes this. See also Rashbam, Ibn Ezra and R"Y Bekhor Shor who talk about the phenomenon in general.

²² This is the more common form. See also Bereshit 41:8, 45:26, Shemot 14:21, Bemidbar 14:26, Shofetim 6:34 and many others.

²³ The verse reads: וְרוּחַ גְּדוֹלָה וְחָזָק מְפָרֵק הָרִים

²⁴ The verse reads: רוּחַ גְּדוֹלָה בָּאָה מֵעֵבֶר הַמִּדְבָּר וַיִּגַּע בְּאַרְבַּע פִּנּוֹת הַבַּיִת.

²⁵ See R"Y Kara on Melakhim who notes this.

²⁶ Se also Shemot 22:2, Devarim 24:15, Shemuel II 2:24, Shemuel II 12:11, Nachum 3:17 and others.

²⁷ See also Bereshit 28:11, 32:32, Vayikra 22:7, Yehoshua 10:12-13, Shemuel II 23:4 and others.

²⁸ He suggests that there are both עצמים (joined, bigger bones which take a masculine form) and עצמות (smaller pieces of bone which take a feminine form).  Since in the vision the smaller pieces were to join to become bigger ones, this is alluded to in the androgynous form.