elder
son,
48:14
הצעיר
the
younger
,
42:13
הַקָּטֹן
the little one, i.e. the
youngest
(of Joseph’s brethren),
Lv 21:10
הַגָּדֹול מֵאֶחָיו
the
chiefest
of his brethren,
Nu 35:25
+
הכהן הגדול
the
chief
priest,
הצעיר ב׳
the
least
among
Ju 6:15
,
הצעירה מן
the
least
of
1 S 9:21
,
הַיָּפָה ב׳
the
fairest
among
Ct 1:8
,
2 K 10:3 Pr 30:3
0,
cf.
Jos 14:15
.
c.
with nouns which are not definite in themselves, but
acquire their definition from the context, or from the manner in which they are introduced:
thus (
α
) in the standing phrases
הַיֹּום
to-day
,
Gn 4:14
;
21:26
+
often;
הַלַּיְלָה
to-night
,
Gn 19:5
;
30:15
+, once
1 S 15:16
last night;
so
הַשָּׁנָה
this
year,
2 K 19:29 Jer 28:16
;
הַפַּעַם
this
time,
Gn 18:32
+,
בַּמִּלְחָמָה
in battle
1 S 26:1
0;
30:24 2 S 19:4
. (
β
)
הַנָּהָר
the
river
=
Euphrates;
Ex 2:15
the
(local)
well
,
Jos 8:11
the
valley,
1 S 17:3
;
1 S 19:10
the
wall,
v
13
the
bed,
20:21
הַנַּעַר
the
lad (whom Jonathan would naturally take with him),
v
34
the
table. Hence occas. where a suffix would define the noun more precisely, as
הַחֲמֹור
2 S 19:27
+ =
my
ass,
Ju 3:20 1 S
1:9 הַכִּסֵּא
=
his
seat,
Ju 4:15 1 K 22:35 2 K 10:15
+
הַמֶּרְכָּבָה
,
1 S 18:10
;
20:33
הַחֲנִית
.
d.
it is a peculiarity of Hebrew thought to conceive an object as defined by its being
taken for a particular purpose
, and thus by a kind of prolepsis to prefix the art. to the noun denoting it:
1 S 10:1
and Samuel took
אֶת־פַּךְ הַשֶּׁמֶן
lit.
the
cruse of oil, not, however, a curse which had been defined previously, but one rendered definite by
being now taken;
in English idiom ‘
a
cruse of oil,’
v
25
בַּסֵּפֶר
lit. in
the
scroll or book, the one, viz. taken for the purpose, i.e. in
a
scroll (so
Ex 17:14 Nu 5:23 Jb 19:2
3),
21:10
בַּשִּׂמְלָה
,
Ju 4:18
וַתְּכַסֵּהוּ בַּשְּׂמִיכָה
,
v
1
9;
7:13
הָאֹהֶל
a
tent,
8:25
;
9:48
אֶת־הַקַּרְדֻּמֹּת
hatchests
,
20:16
every one able to sling
בָּאֶבֶן אֶל־הַשַּׂעֲרָה
with
a
stone at
a
hair,
1 S 6:8
בָּאַרְגָּז
(unless indeed the
אַרְגָּז
was an understood appendage in every cart),
Nu 11:27
הַנַּעַר
a
young man,
13:23
בַּמֹּוט
on
a
pole,
Jos 2:15
בַּחֶבֶל
with
a
cord,
2 S 17:17
השׁפחה
a
girl (
cf.
Dr
1 S 1:
4;
19:13
). Sometimes it is uncertain whether an art. is to be referred to
c
or
d
: e.g.
1 S 2:13
his
prong or
a
prong,
2 S 18:9
his
mule or
a
mule, etc.
e.
with nouns that denote
objects or classes of objects that are known to all
, as
הַצֹּאן
,
הַזָּהָב
,
הַמַּיִם
;
Gn 13:2
Abram was very rich
בַּמִּקְנֶה בַּכֶּסֶף וּבַזָּהָב
,
Ex 31:4
לַעֲשֹׂות בַּזָּהָב וּבַכֶּסֶף
,
Dt 14:26
and thou shalt lay out the money
וּבַצֹּאן וּבַיַּיִן וּבַשֵּׁכָר בַּבָּקָר
,
2 K
+
plus, denotes often that other passages, etc., might be cited. So also where the forms of verbs, nouns, and adjectives are illustrated by citations, near the beginning of articles; while etc. in such connexions commonly indicates that other forms of the word occur, which it has not been thought worth while to cite.
cf.
confer
, compare.
v
verse.
Dr S. R. Driver.