227 lines
8.2 KiB
ReStructuredText
227 lines
8.2 KiB
ReStructuredText
:github_url: https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_uhg/src/branch/master/content/adjective.rst
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.. _adjective:
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Adjective
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=========
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Summary
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-------
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An adjective is a word that describes a person(s), place(s), or thing(s). Within a sentence, usually an adjective describes a noun.
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However, in Biblical Hebrew an adjective itself can function as a noun or even as an adverb (to describe a verb).
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Article
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-------
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In Bibical Hebrew, adjectives always match the :ref:`noun<noun>` they describe in
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gender (:ref:`masculine<gender_masculine>` or :ref:`feminine<gender_feminine>`)
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and number (:ref:`singular<number_singular>` or :ref:`plural<number_plural>`).
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However, there are some exceptions to this rule. If a noun is :ref:`dual<number_dual>`,
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its accompanying adjective will be plural. Also, the gender of some
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nouns does not match their apparent form (as in נָשִׁים "women", which is
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grammatically-feminine although it appears grammatically-masculine); in
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these cases, an accompanying adjective will match the gender of the noun
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itself rather than the apparent form. Similarly, for nouns with either :ref:`collective singular<number_singular-collective>`
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(as in עַם, meaning "people") or :ref:`majestic plural<number_plural-majestic>` (as in אֱלֹהִים, meaning "God"),
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the accompanying adjective may match the implied number rather than the apparent form.
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Form
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----
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The forms of the adjective closely resemble the forms of the
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:ref:`common noun<noun_common>`.
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Paradigm
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~~~~~~~~
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.. csv-table:: Adjective Paradigm
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:header-rows: 1
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Parsing,Hebrew,Transliteration,Gloss
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masculine singular absolute,טוֹב,tov,good
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masculine singular construct,טוֹב,tov,good
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masculine singular determined,הַטּוֹב,hattov,the good
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feminine singular absolute,טוֹבָה,tovah,good
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feminine singular construct,טוֹבַת,tovath,good
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feminine singular determined,הַטּוֹבָה,hattovah,the good
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masculine plural absolute,טוֹבִים,tovim,good
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masculine plural contruct,טוֹבֵי,tove,good
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mascuuline plural determined,הַטּוֹבִים,hattovim,the good
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feminine plural absolute,טוֹבוֹת,tovoth,good
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feminine plural construct,טוֹבוֹת,tovoth,good
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feminine plural determined,הַטּוֹבוֹת,hattovoth,the good
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Function
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--------
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.. _adjective-attributive:
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Describes a noun
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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The most common use of adjectives in Biblical Hebrew is to describe a noun.
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There are two kinds of adjectives that function in this way, attributive adjectives and predicative adjectives.
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In almost all instances, an attributive adjective immediately follows the noun that it
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describes and has the same form in gender, number, and :ref:`definiteness<definiteness>`.
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Thus, if the noun is masculine, the adjective is also masculine. If the noun is singular, the adjective is
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also singular. If the noun is definite, the adjective is also definite; and so on.
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.. note:: When a :ref:`cardinal<adjective_cardinal_number>` or an
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:ref:`ordinal<adjective_ordinal_number>` number functions as an attributive
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adjective, sometimes it comes *before* the noun it describes
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instead of *after* the noun.
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.. csv-table:: Example: 1SA 18:17
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בִתִּ֨י הַגְּדוֹלָ֤ה
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vitti **haggedolah**
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my-daughter **the-old**
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my **older** daughter
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.. csv-table:: Example: JOS 10:2
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כִּ֣י עִ֤יר **גְּדוֹלָה֙** גִּבְע֔וֹן
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for city **great** Gibeon
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because Gibeon was a **large** city
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.. _adjective-predicative:
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Predicative adjectives are adjectives that describe nouns using a :ref:`linking verb<verb-linking-verbs>`.
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Often the linking verb is not present in the Hebrew text and must be supplied when translating into English.
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Like attributive adjectives, a predicative adjective usually has the same form as the noun it
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describes in both gender and number. Unlike attributive adjectives, however, a predicative
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adjective can be indefinite even if it describes a :ref:`definite<definiteness>` noun.
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.. note:: Sometimes, predicative adjectives and attributive adjectives look
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identical and must be distinguished simply from the context.
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.. csv-table:: Example: 2SA 14:20
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וַאדֹנִ֣י חָכָ֗ם
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wadoni **hakham**
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And-my-lord **wise**
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My master is **wise**
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.. csv-table:: Example: 2KI 20:19
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טֹ֥וב דְּבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבַּ֑רְתָּ
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**towv** devar-yehwah 'asher dibbarta
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**Good** word-of\_Yahweh that you-spoke.
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The word of Yahweh that you have spoken is **good**.
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.. _adjective-nominal:
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Functions as a :ref:`noun<noun>`
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Rather than describing a noun, sometimes an adjective itself functions as a noun in the sentence. This is called a nominal adjective.
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.. csv-table:: Example: PSA 3:2
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רַ֝בִּ֗ים קָמִ֥ים עָלָֽי
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**rabbim** qamim 'alay
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**many** are-rising-up against-me
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**many people** are rising up against me
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.. csv-table:: Example: ISA 30:12
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לָכֵ֗ן כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ **קְד֣וֹשׁ** יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל
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Therefore thus he-says **holy-of** Israel
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"Therefore the **Holy One** of Israel says,"
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.. _adjective-adverbial:
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Functions as an :ref:`adverb<adverb>`
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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Sometimes an adjective functions as an adverb, meaning that it describes a verb instead of a noun. This is called an adverbial adjective.
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.. csv-table:: Example: JOS 21:10
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כִּ֥י לָהֶ֛ם הָיָ֥ה הַגּוֹרָ֖ל רִיאשֹׁנָֽה
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for to-them it-was the-lot **first**
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For the **first** casting of lots had fallen to them.
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Other uses of adjectives
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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.. _adjective-comparative:
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compares two or more items
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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In Biblical Hebrew, adjectives are often used with either the
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preposition מִן ("from") or the phrase מִכֹּל ("from all") to express a
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comparison between two or more items. This is called a comparative adjective.
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.. csv-table:: Example: JDG 14:18
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מַה־\ **מָּת֣וֹק** מִדְּבַ֔שׁ וּמֶ֥ה **עַ֖ז** מֵאֲרִ֑י
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mah-\ **mmathoq** middevash umeh **'az** me'ari
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What\_\ **sweet** than-honey and-what **strong** from-lion
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"What is **sweeter** than honey, and what is **stronger** than a lion"
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.. csv-table:: Example: GEN 3:1
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וְהַנָּחָשׁ֙ הָיָ֣ה **עָר֔וּם מִכֹּל֙** חַיַּ֣ת הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה
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wehannahash hayah **'arum mikkol** hayyath hassadeh
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And-the-serpent was **shrewd from-all** beings-of the-field
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Now the serpent was **more shrewd than any other** beast of the field
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.. _adjective-intensive:
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adjectives with stronger meaning
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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In Biblical Hebrew, the meaning of an adjective can be strengthened by
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pairing it either with the word מְאֹד ("very") or with the phrase
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לֵאלֹהִים ("to God"). This is called an intensive adjective.
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.. csv-table:: Example: GEN 1:31
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וְהִנֵּה־ט֖וֹב מְאֹ֑ד
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wehinneh-\ **tov me'od**
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And-behold\_\ **good very**
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"Behold, it was **very good**"
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.. csv-table:: Example: JON 3:3
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עִיר־גְּדוֹלָה֙ לֵֽאלֹהִ֔ים
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'ir-**gedolah lelohim**
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city\_\ **great to-God**
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a **very large** city
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.. _adjective-superlative:
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adjectives with strongest meaning
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
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Biblical Hebrew utilizes different ways to strengthen an adjective to
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its greatest degree ("the smallest", "the greatest", etc.). This is called a superlative adjective.
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Usually, the superlative meaning of an adjective must be determined from the context.
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.. csv-table:: Example: 1SA 16:11 –– adjective with the :ref:`definite article<particle_definite_article>`
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עֹ֚וד שָׁאַ֣ר הַקָּטָ֔ן
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'owd sha'ar **haqqatan**
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Still remains **the-young**
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There remains yet **the youngest**
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.. csv-table:: Example: MIC 7:4 –– adjective with a :ref:`pronominal suffix<suffix_pronominal>`
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טוֹבָ֣ם כְּחֵ֔דֶק
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**tovam** kehedeq
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**good-their** like-brier
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**the best of them** is like a brier
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.. csv-table:: Example: SNG 1:8 –– adjective with a :ref:`prepositional<preposition>` phrase
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הַיָּפָ֖ה בַּנָּשִׁ֑ים
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**hayyafah** bannashim
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**the-fair** among-women
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**the fairest** among women
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