Page:Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (1910 Kautzsch-Cowley edition).djvu/372

 examples, ), e.g.  ;   (prop. in the seeing) the ring..., and when he heard (prop. in his hearing), &c.

But by far the most frequent is the connexion of the infinitive construct with. Starting from the fundamental meaning of, i.e. direction towards something, infinitives with serve to express the most varied ideas of purpose or aim, and very commonly also (with a weakening or a complete disregard of the original meaning of the ) to introduce the object of an action, or finally even (like the infinitive absolute used adverbially, , and the Latin gerund in -ndo) to state motives or attendant circumstances. See the instances in the Remarks.

Rem. 1. The original meaning of the is most plainly seen in those infinitives with  which expressly state a purpose (hence as the equivalent of a final clause), e.g.  and the Lord came down, ; also with a change of subject, e.g.  and thou hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite  (i.e. that she may be) thy wife; cf. , .—If there is a special emphasis on the infinitive with, it is placed, with its complement, before the governing verb, e.g. , , , ,  with ; ,  with.

2. Just as clearly the idea of aiming at a definite purpose or turning towards an object may be seen in the combination of the verb, with and an infinitive. In fact may mean, either (a) he was in the act of, he was about to (as it were, he set himself), he was ready, to do something, or (b) he or it was appointed or compelled, &c., to do the action in question. In the latter case corresponds to the Latin faciendum erat, cf. also the English I am to go. In both cases (as elsewhere when copula) is often omitted.

Examples of (a)  (just about to set);   (here with the secondary idea of a continuous action); with the omission of ,  is ready to save me;  (?), ,  (et foedus suum manifestaturus est eis);  (?), 19:8 (