Grammar:Gender/0

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Gender

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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 RadakShemuel I 4:17Shemuel I 6:12Yechezkel 37:7About R. David Kimchi 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 EzraYeshayahu 33:9About R. Avraham ibn Ezra there who notes this, but compare ShadalYeshayahu 33:9About R. Shemuel David Luzzatto 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 (כִּי שָׁחָה אֶל מָוֶת בֵּיתָהּ) with Devarim 8:12 (בָתִּים טֹבִים) where it is masculine (like most occurrences).6
  • גן – Compare Bereshit 2:15 where it takes a feminine referent (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
  • גפן – This word is treated as feminine in almost all verses,11 with the exception of Hoshea 10:1 (גֶּפֶן בּוֹקֵק יִשְׂרָאֵל).
  • דרך – Compare Bereshit 28:20 where it is masculine ("וּשְׁמָרַנִי בַּדֶּרֶךְ הַזֶּה")12 with Shemot 18:20 where it is feminine ("הַדֶּרֶךְ יֵלְכוּ בָהּ").13 See also Yeshayahu 35:8 where it takes both forms in one verse (וָדֶרֶךְ וְדֶרֶךְ הַקֹּדֶשׁ יִקָּרֵא לָהּ לֹא יַעַבְרֶנּוּ).14
  • חצר – Though it usually acts as a feminine noun, as in Melakhim I 6:36 (הֶחָצֵר הַפְּנִימִית),15 see Yechezkel 40:19-23 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").16 
  • יד – Compare Bereshit 26:25 where it is feminine ("וְיָדוֹ אֹחֶזֶת")17 with Shemot 17:12 where it is masculine ("וִידֵי מֹשֶׁה כְּבֵדִים").18  See also Yechezkel 2:9 where it takes both forms in the same verse, "וְהִנֵּה יָד שְׁלוּחָה אֵלָי וְהִנֵּה בוֹ".‎19
  • מחנה – Compare Tehillim 27:3 where it is treated as feminine (תַּחֲנֶה עָלַי מַחֲנֶה)20 with Bereshit 33:8 where it is treated as masculine (הַמַּחֲנֶה הַזֶּה).21 See also Bereshit 32:922 where in the very same verse it takes both a feminine and masculine adjective (הַמַּחֲנֶה הָאַחַת וְהִכָּהוּ... הַמַּחֲנֶה הַנִּשְׁאָר).
  • מלאכה –Though normally treated as feminine, in several verse it takes a masculine verb or adjective.  See, for example, Shemot 12:16, "כׇּל מְלָאכָה לֹא יֵעָשֶׂה בָהֶם".‎23  See also Shemuel I 15:9 where it takes both a feminine and masculine adjective in one verse: "וְכׇל הַמְּלָאכָה נְמִבְזָה וְנָמֵס".
  • מקום – The word is usually masculine, but see Ibn Ezra Bereshit 2:15 Bereshit Lexical Commentary 2:15About R. Avraham ibn Ezra
  • רוח – Compare Bereshit 1:2 where it is takes a feminine verb ("יוְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת")24 with Bemidbar 11:31 where it takes a masculine verb ("וְרוּחַ נָסַע").  See also Melakhim I 19:1125 and Iyyov 1:1926 in each of which it acts as both masculine and feminine in the very same verse.27
  • שמש – Compare Bereshit 15:17 where it takes a feminine verb (הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ בָּאָה)28 and Bereshit 19:23 where it takes a masculine verb (הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ יָצָא).29  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:

Double Feminine

Sometimes a word will have two feminine markers. Radak Yehoshua 6:17Shemuel I 4:17Shemuel I 6:12Shemuel II 1:26Yechezkel 37:7Tehillim 3:3Tehillim 120:1About R. David Kimchisuggests that in such cases, the doubling serves as an intensifier

Pausal Form

Words often slightly change their form when they indicate the end of a semantic unit (at the end of a verse or clause).34  This is known as the pausal form, as in many cases, the vocalization is slightly elongated, causing the reader to pause slightly.  After the prepositions בְ, לְ, אֵת the suffix ־ְךָ in pausal form becomes ־ָךְ, (for example: בָּךְ, לָךְ, אִתָּךְ). Though these words appear as "feminine", they are simply the pausal forms of their male counterparts.