Page:Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar (1910 Kautzsch-Cowley edition).djvu/480

 Rem. 1. The close relation between verbal-clauses beginning with the subject and actual noun-clauses, is seen finally from the fact that the former also are somewhat frequently added with (or subordinated) to a preceding sentence in order to lay stress upon some accompanying circumstance; on such noun-clauses describing a state or circumstance, cf. . This is especially the case, again, when the circumstantial appendage involves an antithesis; cf. seeing that nevertheless Abraham shall surely become, &c.; 24:56, 26:27,, , , , and such examples as , 29:17, where by means of a new subject is introduced in express antithesis to one just mentioned. Moreover, in the examples treated above, under b and c (, &c.), the subject is frequently introduced by, which then corresponds to the Greek δέ, used to interpose an explanation, &c., see Winer, , § 53. 7b.

2. By a peculiar construction verbal-clauses may be joined by means of and a following subject to participial clauses, e.g. , &c.; 44:3, 4, , , ; for other examples, see  (where it is pointed out, note 1, that the apodosis also frequently appears in the form of a noun-clause, a further proof of the close relation between verbal-clauses beginning with the subject and noun-clauses proper). Without doubt there is in all these cases a kind of inversion of the principal clause and the temporal subordinate clause; the latter for the sake of greater emphasis being raised to an independent noun-clause, while the real principal action is added as though it were an accompanying circumstance, and hence in the form of an ordinary circumstantial clause. [Cf. Driver,, § 166 ff.]

2. According to what has been remarked above, under a, the natural order of words within the verbal sentence is: Verb—Subject, or Verb—Subject—Object. But as in the noun-clause so also in the verbal-clause, a variation of the usual order of words frequently occurs when any member of the sentence is to be specially emphasized by priority of position. Thus the order may be:—

(a) Object—Verb—Subject:, , , and frequently. Naturally the examples are far more numerous, in which the object precedes a verbal form which includes the subject in itself, e.g., 6:16, 8:17, 9:13, , , , , , , , &c.

(b) Verb—Object—Subject:, , , (but  is probably only a subsequent addition); , , , &c.

(c) Subject—Object—Verb:, , , , , ,.