Grammar:Gender/0

Gender

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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 32:9 where in the very same verse it takes both a feminine and masculine adjective (הַמַּחֲנֶה הָאַחַת וְהִכָּהוּ... הַמַּחֲנֶה הַנִּשְׁאָר).
• שמש –
• חצר
• בית
• מקום
• רוח
• Rashi Bereshit 32:9, Shemot 35:17, Shemuel I 1:9, Yeshayahu 35:9, Yechezkel 2:9.

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 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 and the commentary attributed to R"Y KaraShemuel I 6:12About Attributed to R. Yosef Kara.
• 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.¹
• Daniel 8:22 – "אַרְבַּע מַלְכֻיוֹת מִגּוֹי יַעֲמֹדְנָה" (as opposed to "תעמדנה").

 

Pausal Form

¹ 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.