Page:Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (1910 Kautzsch-Cowley edition).djvu/364

 may form part of certain combinations (as a subject, predicate, or object, or even as a genitive, see below); but such a use of the infinitive absolute (instead of the infinitive construct with or without a preposition) is, on the whole, rare, and, moreover, open to question on critical grounds. On the other hand, the infinitive absolute frequently exhibits its character as an expression of the by taking an object, either in the accusative or even with a preposition.

Examples of the use of the infinitive absolute:—

(a) As subject, ;, , ; epexegetically, after a demonstrative pronoun,  f.,.

(b) As predicate, and the effect of righteousness (is)  (prop. to find rest) and confidence.

(c) As object, ;, , ; according to the sense also  23:14, as well as  ( and  virtually depend on the idea of the wish contained in ); , where a long series of infinitives absolute is governed by , and 59:13 (six infinitives governed by  in verse 12);  is strange since the object precedes the infinitive absolute which governs it, also , where the statement of place precedes the infinitive absolute.—In ,  the infinitive absolute as the object of the verb is placed before it for the sake of emphasis (with the verb negatived by  in , ), so also in  where it is the remoter object and co-ordinated with a substantive.

(d) As genitive, ; so perhaps also 4:4 ; cf. further,,. The infinitive absolute is never used in immediate connexion with prepositions (which as being originally substantives govern the genitive), but always the infinitive construct; but if a second infinitive is co-ordinated by with such an infinitive construct, it has the form of the infinitive absolute (since it is released from the immediate government of the preposition), e.g.  ... ; ;, 33 (after ); after  , ,.

(e) Governing an accusative of the object, e.g. ; cf. ,, , , , and of the examples in a–d, ,  f., , &c.; followed by a preposition, e.g.  ;.

If the object be a personal pronoun, then, since the infinitive absolute can never be united with a suffix (see the note on a), it is affixed by means of the accusative-sign, e.g.  ;.