Grammar:Gender/0
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Gender
Nonconformity between Subject and Gender
Sometimes a feminine noun will take a masculine verb or vice versa:
Dual Gendered Nouns
Several words can be treated as both masculine and feminine:
- מחנה – Compare Tehillim 27:3 where it is treated as feminine (תַּחֲנֶה עָלַי מַחֲנֶה) with Bereshit 33:8 (and many other verses) where it is treated as masculine (הַמַּחֲנֶה הַזֶּה). See also Bereshit 32:91 where in the very same verse it takes both a feminine and masculine adjective (הַמַּחֲנֶה הָאַחַת וְהִכָּהוּ... הַמַּחֲנֶה הַנִּשְׁאָר).
- שמש – Compare Bereshit 15:17 where it takes a feminine verb (הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בָּאָה)2 and Bereshit 19:23 where it takes a masculine verb (הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ יָצָא).3 R. Saadia (19:23) suggests that either the word can be treated as both masculine or feminine or one must assume that a missing word is simply assumed by the verse (and 19:23 would mean: "אור השמש יצא").
- חצר – Though it usually acts as a feminine noun, as in Melakhim I 6:36 (הֶחָצֵר הַפְּנִימִית),4 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").5
- דרך – Compare Bereshit 28:20 where it is masculine ("וּשְׁמָרַנִי בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה")6 with Shemot 18:20, where it is feminine ("הַדֶּרֶךְ יֵלְכוּ בָהּ").7 See also Yeshayahu 35:8 where it takes both forms in one verse (וָדֶרֶךְ וְדֶרֶךְ הַקֹּדֶשׁ יִקָּרֵא לָהּ לֹא יַעַבְרֶנּוּ).8
- יד – Compare Bereshit 26:25 where it is feminine ("וְיָדוֹ אֹחֶזֶת")9 with Shemot 17:12 where it is masculine ("וִידֵי מֹשֶׁה כְּבֵדִים").10 See also Yechezkel 2:9 where it takes both forms in the same verse, "וְהִנֵּה יָד שְׁלוּחָה אֵלָי וְהִנֵּה בוֹ".11
- בית –
- מקום
- רוח – Compare Bereshit 1:2 where it is takes a feminine verb ("יוְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת")12 with Bemidbar 11:131 where it takes a masculine verb ("וְרוּחַ נָסַע"). see aslo Melakhim 19:11 where it acts as both masculine and feminine in the same phrase (וְרוּחַ גְּדוֹלָה וְחָזָק מְפָרֵק הָרִים).13
- אש – Compare Shemot 22:5 where it takes a feminine verb (כִּי תֵצֵא אֵשׁ) with Yirmeyahu 48:45 where it takes a masculine one (כִּי אֵשׁ יָצָא).14 See also Iyyov 20:26 where it takes both forms (תְּאׇכְלֵהוּ אֵשׁ לֹא נֻפָּח).15
- ארץ - See Yeshayahu 33:9 (twice in verse - compare Ibn Ezra and Shadal).
- rashi Shemuel I 1:9
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 Rashbam, Ibn Ezra, Shadal and R. D"Z Hoffmann. Cf. Hoil Moshe 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 Rashi and the commentary attributed to R"Y Kara.
- Yirmeyahu 49:11 – "וְאַלְמְנוֹתֶיךָ עָלַי תִּבְטָחוּ" (as opposed to "תבטחנה")
- Yechezkel 37:7 – "וַתִּקְרְבוּ עֲצָמוֹת" (as opposed to "ותקרבנה"). See Radak, and see Malbim who attempts to explain the unusual usage.16
- Daniel 8:22 – "אַרְבַּע מַלְכֻיוֹת מִגּוֹי יַעֲמֹדְנָה" (as opposed to "תעמדנה"). See Rashbam, Shadal and R. D"Z Hoffmann.