the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

in the same sense; or when it supplies the place of signs of persons, moods, tenses, and numbers. Vide rule 139. It is said to be conversive, when it changes the signification of a future, into that of a preter tense; or the sense of a preter into that of a future.

The five following rules are taken from Granville Sharp, and supported by numerous examples. Their accuracy is submitted to the critical reader.

Rule I.

" prefixed to future tenses converts them to perfect tenses; and when prefixed to verbs in the perfect tense, it regularly converts them to the future tense. This is the necessary construction for both cases (not only “interdum,” sometimes, as the grammarians tell us, but) always, constantly and regularly, in every sentence, that is independent of the three particular circumstances described in the subsequent three rules, or general exception.

"The only instance of irregularity or particular exception, respecting, that I have been able to find, is in that portion of the 119th Psalm, wherein is the leading letter of each sentence, as an acrostic or alphabetical psalm; which probably ought to be considered merely as a poetical license for that kind of composition.

Rule II.

"When is prefixed to a verb, which immediately follows another verb of the same tense, without a prefixed 1, and in the same sentence, the in that case is merely conjunctive, and the second verb to which it is prefixed (and even a third or fourth, if they are of the same tense, and follow in the same sentence with a prefixed to each,) must be construed according to its proper tense, whether future or imperative, and often also the perfect tense; but not always; as there are a few instances of exception.

Rule III.

"A prefixed 1 does not affect, or convert any verb, in the imperative mood, nor any verb, or verbs in the future tense, which follow an imperative mood in the same sentence. But to perfect tenses the

4 ויהי 22 אור: 23 וירא 24 אלהים 3 את 4 האור 21 כי 25

bin Aleim nibedel thub

ĕheshek ubin ēaur

טוב 26 ויבדל 27 אלהים בין 28 האור 21 ובין 28 החשך:12

Alēim Uiquera

5 ויקרא 29 אלהים 3 לאור 21 יום 30 ולחשך 12 קרא 29

lilē

uiēi

oreb

ahed ium bequer uiēi

לילה 31 ויהי 22 ערב 32 ויהי 22 בקר 33 יום 30 אחד: 34

22. and there was. 1 conversive. See num. 19. For 7 see num. 20.

23. light. See num. 21. Caloric or latent heat has been supposed to be here principally intended. As a verb it is most frequently rendered to shine, or enlighten, also to kindle, to set on fire, to be glorious; as a noun, light, the sun, fire, the morning, lightning, urim, herbs,

.the אל for לאור .c&

1

prefixed is conversive without hindrance from a preceding imperative verb.

Rule IV.

"After an interrogation, either of the emphatical, or of the interrogatory relatives D or D, the prefixed doth not influence any verb, or verbs of the future tense, or the present tense; but in perfect tenses, the 1 is regularly conversive, and is not influenced by a preceding interrogation,

Rule V.

"Ifa future tense put for a preterperfect tense" (which must be by : having a prefixed 1) " precedes a preter tense," (having also a pre3 fixed) "the latter is (merely) copulative." The use of this rule, most probably, will very seldom occur, but the following example has been found in 1 Sam. vii. 16. 1 " (a future tense converted to a preter tense) and Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life: and he went from year to year, and he circuited Bethel, and Gilgal, and Mispeh, (the Vaus prefixed to the two last verbs are merely copulative, because the preceding verb is a converted future, and the next verb which follows is also a converted future} Dav and he judged Israel in all these places.

4 And God saw the light that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.

5 And God called the light day, and the darkness he called night.,) And the evening and the morning were the first day.

24. and God saw. 1 convers. Vide num. 19. 7 for 77 3ď pers. masc. sing. fut. Kal of to see. It drops the final in the future. See rule 102.

25. that. By rule 202. nn to restrain, is the root. Vide num. 393. It is rendered, yea, though, because, surely, but, when, therefore, and often interrogatively.

26.

27.

good. By rule 195 is found to be good. Hence 10 masc. fem. good. Rule 158. num. 538.

and God divided, I conversive. Vide num. 19. 7 is the 3d pers. m. sing. fut. Kal of ¬ to divide. As a noun, a part separated. Also 12 is separate, and 1 apart.

28. ¡ between. From 1 to divide. Rule 195. The repetition of this particle in this verse is not singular, nor an idiom peculiar to the Hebrew language. Postea a from between. Rules 176. 145. † and between. Rule 157.

29.

ויקרא

and God called. and convers. Num. 19. p' is the 3d pers. masc. sing. fut. Kal of p to call. See num. 412.

30. day. Rule 195, from to make a noise.

The plural is D'D' vid. num. 18. 558. Drin by day. Barker observes that adverbs in Hebrew" are formed from every part of speech, and are as various as there are circumstances of an action."

31. night. A noun fem. Rules 16. 153. The root by rule 195 is to move round. Also n by night.

32. evening. A noun masc. sing. from y to mix. The twilight is a mixture of light and darkness.

33. pa morning. A noun masc. sing. from p to survey, or look out; the morning looks out of the east.

34. root is

one. See num. 486. Reject the formative &. Rule 147. the to unite. Rule 196.

betuk requio iĕi

ēmim

6 ויאמר 19 אלהים 3 יהי 20 רקיע 35 בתוך 36 המים 18

Uiosh .lemim mim bin mebedil uiēi

Alēim

7 ויהי 22 מבדיל 37 בין 28 מים 18 למים: 18 ויעש 38 אלהים 3

to

metehet asher ēmim bin uibedel erequio at

את 4 הרקיע 35 ויבדל 39 בין 28 המים 18 אשר 40 מתחת 41

ubin lerequio

ēmim

asher

mol

lerequio

לרקיע 42 ובין 28 המים 18 אשר 40 מעל 43 לרקיע 42

uiei shemim lerequio Alēim Uiquera .ken uiēi

5 3

Aleim

Uiamer .sheni ium bequer uiēi oreb

8 ויהי 22 כן: 44 ויקרא 29 אלהים לרקיע 42 שמים 5 ויהי 22

9 ערב 32 ויהי 22 בקר 33 יום 30 שני: 45 ויאמר 19 אלהים 5

ēmim iquuu

metehet

ēshemim

al

מקום יקוו 46 המים 18, מתחת 41 השמים 5 אל 47

רקע.

48

mequum

35. pan expanse. 'is formative. Rule 165. The root is expand. Rule 194. Postea with

36. in the midst of. 1 in a prefix. Rule 148. in a noun, the middle; is formative. Rules 158, 9. It is from to cut or divide. Rule 195.

37. causing a division. Rule 73. Masc. sing. part. Ben. Hiphil of 7. Num. 27. Rule 75.

38. v and God made. 1 convers. Num. 19. wy for mwy is the 3d pers. m. sing. fut. Kal of nwy to make. It is a verb in Lamed He, and drops its final in the future. Vide rule 102.

39.7" and he divided. 1 convers. Num. 19. 7 is the 3d pers. m. sing. fut. Kal of 72 to divide. Ante num. 27. 37. As on the first day, light was separated from the chaos, so on the second was air; and this division was effected by an expansion, as yp signifies;, there is obvious impropriety therefore in the use of the term firmament here, as if the heavens were a solid body, and the stars and planets attached to it.

40. W which. Also who, whom, that. A relative of every gender, number, and person. Vide rules 134, 135. As a verb to go before, to prosher, to esteem. As a noun, a step, progress, success. As a particle, where, because, that, as, when.

41. An under. Dat or from. Rules 176. 145. лn under. Reject

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

7 And God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.

8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together into one place and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

also the formative л prefixed. Rule 189. 194. then place 1 before the two radicals, vid. rule 200, and the root will be found to be nna to descend.

ל

42. p the expanse. ↳ prefixed, vid. rule 175, sometimes has the sense of a pronoun or article, that or the, and seems to be abridged from x, which is used in the same sense, and as a verb signifies to intervene, or interpose. preceding, or prefixed, signifies also to, among, towards, at, near, as to, for, according to, instead of, about, with, within, after, &c. yp, vide num. 35. 39.*

43. hyn above. prefixed. Rules 176. 145. From 1 or ɔ□ to distribute; it has various meanings, from, without, before, against, more than, from being; and is also negative, lest, not, by upon, above, vide in num. 13. hyp from above, from upon, more than, near, &c.

44. so. From to prepare. by wherefore, or accordingly.

" after that time. therefore. Tyto this time. ¡ also signifies,

certainly, surely, thus, because, and in Psalm cxxvii. 2. instead of 80, it should be rendered justly or rightly, for 1 as a noun signifies right; unless but is the true reading, which is not supported.

45. second. For the formative ' vide rule 168. From nɔ to repeat. Rule 200. Vide the table at num. 486.

יקון

46. np shall be gathered together. For p vid. rule 102. It is the 3d pers. m. plur. fut. Niphal of mp to collect. It agrees with D.

Rule 127.

4. to. See in num. 42. Sometimes it is negative, not, but, &c. At other times it is used before the object of a verb, as n num. 4. 48. Dpp place. Dis formative. Rule 178. So is 1. Rules 158, 159. From Dp to be established. By rule 195.

* When either of the letters 1, 2, or 4 are prefixed to a noun, they usually exclude

emphatic.

C