Grammar:Person/0

Person

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Change of Person

At times Tanakh switches from speaking in second person to third person (or vice versa) when it seems unwarranted, as there does not seem to be a switch in addressee. In many such cases,  commentators debate the verse's intent, whether a new person is speaking or being addressed, and if not, why the verse makes it sound as if there is.  Some of many examples follow:

• 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 – Yaakov rebukes Reuven, "כִּי עָלִיתָ מִשְׁכְּבֵי אָבִיךָ אָז חִלַּלְתָּ יְצוּעִי עָלָה", starting in second person (עָלִיתָ) but ending in third (עָלָה). According to Targum Onkelos, despite the change in person, both clauses are speaking of Reuven's actions.¹  Chizkuni, instead, suggests that Yaakov is addressing these words not to Reuven but to the rest of the tribes, to explain why Reuven was no longer deserving of the honors of the firstborn.²
• Bereshit 49:9 – Yaakov blesses Yehuda: "מִטֶּרֶף בְּנִי עָלִיתָ כָּרַע רָבַץ כְּאַרְיֵה", beginning in second person and ending in third. See Shadal that such switches are common throughout the blessings.³
• 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, while others suggest that it indicates that only the first two statements were relayed directly by God to the people, while the rest were relayed by Moshe.
• 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, in the midst of his speech he turned to the others in attendance and addressed them.
• 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" (in which case the enitre verse is really in second person).
• Other examples – Yeshayahu 1:28,⁴ Yeshayahu 38:12,⁵ Yeshayahu 42:20,⁶ Yirmeyahu 11:16,⁷ Yirmeyahu 22:24,⁸ Yirmeyahu 30:8,⁹ Yechezkel 5:15,¹⁰ Yechezkel 28:22,¹¹ Yechezkel 31:10,¹² Iyyov 17:10¹³

¹ See Shadal on verse 9 that such switches are common throughout the blessings and should not be viewed as significant. Cf, R. Avraham b. HaRamabm who suggests that perhaps Yaakov spoke in third person, intentionally being less explicit,  so as not to shame Reuven as much.

² Others suggest that this clause is connected to the preceding one and slightly reorder the words so that it does no contain a change in person at all. They translate, "then you defiled he who mounted my couch", with Yaakov referring to either Reuven or himself (R"Y Bekhor Shor, noting that Yaakov did not want to state explicitly that either was defiled), or perhaps Bilhah (Hoil Moshe). Ibn Ezra raises another reading: "my couch departed". He explains that after Reuven defiled himself by sleeping with Bilhah, Yaakov no longer had relations with his wives.

³ For example, see Bereshit 49:17-18, where Yaakov switches from third to second person, and Bereshit 24-25t similarly.

⁴ 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.

⁵ See Radak.

⁶ See Abarbanel and Radak.

⁷ See Radak.

⁸ See Shadal.

⁹ 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.

¹⁰ Compare Radak with Shadal and Malbim.

¹¹ See Radak and Abarbanel.

¹² See Radak.

¹³ See Moshe Kimchi Lexical commentary that this is the "way of our language".