Grammar:Person/0

Person

This topic has not yet undergone editorial review

Change of Person

At times Tanakh switches person (from first person to second, or second to third etc.) when it seems unwarranted. In many such cases,  commentators debate the verse's intent, whether a new person is speaking or being addressed, an d if not, why the verse makes it sound as if there is.  Some examples:

• Bereshit 27:31– Esav tells his father, "יָקֻם אָבִי וְיֹאכַל מִצֵּיד בְּנוֹ בַּעֲבֻר תְּבָרְכַנִּי נַפְשֶׁךָ", beginning in third person and ending in second. In this case the third person formulation might be a sign of respect.
• Bereshit 49:4 – "כִּי עָלִיתָ מִשְׁכְּבֵי אָבִיךָ אָז חִלַּלְתָּ יְצוּעִי עָלָה"
• Bereshit 49:9 – Yaakov blesses Yehuda "מִטֶּרֶף בְּנִי עָלִיתָ כָּרַע רָבַץ כְּאַרְיֵה", beginning in second person and ending in third. See Shdal that such switches are common throughout the blessings.¹
• The Decalogue – The first two commandments of the Decalogue ("I am your God", "You shall have no other gods...") are spoken in first person, with Hashem referring to himself as "I", "me" and the like. The rest of the ten, however, speak of Hashem in third person ("Do not take Hashem's name in vain" rather than: "Do not take My name...").  According to Ibn Ezra the switch in person is insignificant
• Ruth 4: 3 – Boaz tells the potential redeemer of Ruth, ""אִם תִּגְאַל גְּאָל וְאִם לֹא יִגְאַל הַגִּידָה לִּי", beginning in second person, but mid-sentence switching to third person.
• See Ibn Janach (as cited by Ibn Ezra), Ibn Kaspi and Hoil Moshe that despite the third person formulation, Boaz is speaking to the redeemer throughout and the switch in speaker is simply the way of the text.
• Alternatively,
• Tehillim 81:17 – The verse opens by speaking of Hashem in third person " וַיַּאֲכִילֵהוּ מֵחֵלֶב חִטָּה " but ends with His speaking in first person, "וּמִצּוּר דְּבַשׁ אַשְׂבִּיעֶךָ".  See the commentary attributed to Rashbam and Ibn Ezra that this is simply "the way of the text".
• Malakhi 2:15 – The verse switches from second to third person: וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּם בְּרוּחֲכֶם וּבְאֵשֶׁת נְעוּרֶיךָ אַל יִבְגֹּד.  Compare Radak, that this is simply the way of the text, with Rashi, who suggests that the final clause is truncated and should read as if written "אל יבגוד רוחך" (making the verse consistent).
• Other examples: Yeshayahu 1:28,² Yeshayahu 38:12,³ Yeshayahu 42:20,⁴ Yirmeyahu 11:16,⁵ Yirmeyahu 30:8,⁶ Iyyov 17:10⁷

¹ For example, see Bereshit 49:17-18, where Yaakov switches from third to second person, and Bereshit 24-25t similarly.

² The verse switches from third to second person: "כִּי יֵבֹשׁוּ מֵאֵילִים אֲשֶׁר חֲמַדְתֶּם". See Ibn Ezra, Radak and Ibn Kaspi who attribute the switch to "the way of the text". Cf. Shadal that the prophet speaks of the officers in third person initially so that it will be clear that he is not speaking to a majority of the nation.

³ See Radak.

⁴ See Abarbanel and Radak.

⁵ See Radak.

⁶ The verse switches from second to third person: "אֶשְׁבֹּר עֻלּוֹ מֵעַל צַוָּארֶךָ...  וְלֹא יַעַבְדוּ בוֹ עוֹד זָרִים". See Radak and Shadal that both halves of the verse refer to Israel and there is no significance to the switch in person.  Cf. Abarbanel and Malbim that the words "וְלֹא יַעַבְדוּ בוֹ" refer back to the yoke ("עֻלּוֹ") mentioned in the first half of the verse.

⁷ See Moshe Kimchi Lexical commentary that this is the "way of our language".