Page:Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (1910 Kautzsch-Cowley edition).djvu/409



1. When a relative verb (incomplete in itself) receives its necessary complement in the form of a verbal idea, the latter is, as a rule, subordinated in the infinitive construct (with or without ), less frequently in the infinitive absolute, in a few instances in the form of a participle (or verbal adjective), or finally in the imperfect without the copula. In these combinations the principal idea is very frequently represented by the subordinate member of the sentence, whilst the governing verb rather contains a mere definition of the manner of the action; cf. d and g below, and, note 2.

(a) On the subordination of an infinitive construct as an accusative of the object, and as the complement of relative verbal ideas, see above,, and the numerous examples given in ; on the infinitive absolute as object, see .—The complement in the form of a participle (as in Greek, and also frequently in Syriac) occurs in  (cf. for the form, ) when thou hast ceased as a spoiler, i.e. to spoil;  , i.e. so as to sit, &c.;  what meanest thou, sleeping? i.e. that thou sleepest; by a verbal adjective,  now his eyes , i.e. to wax dim (unless we read =, cf. ); by a substantive,  and Noah began to be an husbandman (omitting the article before ).

(b) Examples of the subordination of the complementary verbal idea in the imperfect (in English usually rendered by to, in order to or that) are—(1) with both verbs in the same person: after the perfect,, &c.; ,  ; after a perfect consecutive,  (where for  we should read with the LXX ); after an imperfect, , , , ; after an imperf. consec., ; after a participle, a.—(2) with a difference in the persons: after a perfect, this is the thing  (that) ye should do; a negative imperfect follows  in ; after the imperfect,  (5)  (that) they call thee, i.e. thou shalt no longer be called, &c.;   (and) have mercy, i.e. I will no more have mercy;, .— peradventure I shall prevail (that) we may smite thom, and (that) I may drive them out of the land ( may, however, be a scribal error for , due to the preceding , and in that case the example would belong to No. 1); after a participle,