# Ch6 Preposition Parsing Drill

*For each Hebrew prepositional phrase: (1) identify the preposition as it appears, (2) give the base (dictionary) form of the preposition, (3) describe any vowel change and explain why it occurred, (4) identify the object noun, (5) translate the phrase.*

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## Instructions

| Column | What to supply |
|---|---|
| **Preposition** | The preposition as it actually appears in the phrase (with pointing) |
| **Base Form** | The citation/dictionary form of the preposition |
| **Change / Reason** | What vowel changed (if any) and the grammatical reason |
| **Object** | The noun or word governed by the preposition |
| **Translation** | Full idiomatic English translation of the phrase |

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## Part A — Inseparable Prepositions: Standard and Sheva Rules (Items 1–8)

| # | Hebrew | Preposition | Base Form | Change / Reason | Object | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | בְּדָבָר | | | | | |
| 2 | לְמֶלֶךְ | | | | | |
| 3 | כְּאִישׁ | | | | | |
| 4 | בִּשְׁמוּאֵל | | | | | |
| 5 | לִשְׁלֹמֹה | | | | | |
| 6 | בֶּאֱמֶת | | | | | |
| 7 | לֵאלֹהִים | | | | | |
| 8 | כֶּחָכְמָה | | | | | |

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## Part B — Inseparable Prepositions Fused with the Article (Items 9–16)

| # | Hebrew | Preposition | Base Form | Change / Reason | Object | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | בַּמֶּלֶךְ | | | | | |
| 10 | לַשָּׁמַיִם | | | | | |
| 11 | כַּיּוֹם | | | | | |
| 12 | בַּבַּיִת | | | | | |
| 13 | לָהָר | | | | | |
| 14 | בָּאָרֶץ | | | | | |
| 15 | לָעָם | | | | | |
| 16 | כָּהָאִישׁ | | | | | |

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## Part C — מִן: Independent, Prefixed, and Compensatory Forms (Items 17–21)

| # | Hebrew | Preposition | Base Form | Change / Reason | Object | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | מִן הַמֶּלֶךְ | | | | | |
| 18 | מִמֶּלֶךְ | | | | | |
| 19 | מִיַּד | | | | | |
| 20 | מֵהָאָרֶץ | | | | | |
| 21 | מֵאֱלֹהִים | | | | | |

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## Part D — Independent Prepositions (Items 22–25)

*These prepositions do not change form based on the following consonant.*

| # | Hebrew | Preposition | Base Form | Change / Reason | Object | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | אֶל הָעִיר | | | | | |
| 23 | עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם | | | | | |
| 24 | עִם הָעַם | | | | | |
| 25 | אֵת הַמֶּלֶךְ | | | | | |

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## Answer Key

### Part A — Standard and Sheva Rules

| # | Hebrew | Preposition | Base Form | Change / Reason | Object | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | בְּדָבָר | בְּ | בְּ | None — default sheva before normal consonant | דָּבָר | in a word / with a word |
| 2 | לְמֶלֶךְ | לְ | לְ | None — default sheva before normal consonant | מֶלֶךְ | to a king / for a king |
| 3 | כְּאִישׁ | כְּ | כְּ | None — default sheva before normal consonant (א is quiescent here) | אִישׁ | like a man |
| 4 | בִּשְׁמוּאֵל | בִּ | בְּ | Sheva → hireq: שְׁ has a sheva; two consecutive shevas not permitted; first sheva upgrades to hireq | שְׁמוּאֵל | in/with Samuel |
| 5 | לִשְׁלֹמֹה | לִ | לְ | Sheva → hireq: שְׁ has a sheva; two consecutive shevas not permitted | שְׁלֹמֹה | to Solomon |
| 6 | בֶּאֱמֶת | בֶּ | בְּ | Composite sheva matching: אֱ has hateph seghol (ֱ); prep takes seghol (ֶ) to match vowel class | אֱמֶת | in truth |
| 7 | לֵאלֹהִים | לֵ | לְ | Composite sheva matching: אֱ has hateph seghol under א of אֱלֹהִים; prep takes the matching seghol, then lengthens before א to tsere | אֱלֹהִים | to God |
| 8 | כֶּחָכְמָה | כֶּ | כְּ | Composite sheva matching: ח has hateph patach in some forms; the prep takes patach (ַ) class; note: standard form before ח with vocal shewa may also give seghol by assimilation | חָכְמָה | like wisdom |

> **Notes on items 6–8:** When the first consonant of the following word is a guttural bearing a **composite sheva (hateph vowel)**, the inseparable preposition takes the simple vowel that matches the class of that composite sheva: hateph patach → patach (ַ); hateph seghol → seghol (ֶ); hateph qamets → qamets (ָ).

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### Part B — Article Fusion

| # | Hebrew | Preposition | Base Form | Change / Reason | Object | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | בַּמֶּלֶךְ | בַּ | בְּ | Article fusion: הַ of הַמֶּלֶךְ drops; its patach transfers to בְּ; dagesh forte in מ | מֶלֶךְ | in the king / with the king |
| 10 | לַשָּׁמַיִם | לַ | לְ | Article fusion: הַ of הַשָּׁמַיִם drops; patach transfers to לְ; dagesh forte in שׁ | שָּׁמַיִם | to the heavens |
| 11 | כַּיּוֹם | כַּ | כְּ | Article fusion: הַ of הַיּוֹם drops; patach transfers to כְּ; dagesh forte in י | יּוֹם | like the day / as today |
| 12 | בַּבַּיִת | בַּ | בְּ | Article fusion: הַ of הַבַּיִת drops; patach transfers; dagesh forte in בּ (the article's dagesh and the dagesh lene merge) | בַּיִת | in the house |
| 13 | לָהָר | לָ | לְ | Article fusion with guttural: הָ of הָהָר drops; ה is a guttural — cannot take dagesh forte; short patach lengthens compensatorily to qamets (ָ) | הָר | to the mountain |
| 14 | בָּאָרֶץ | בָּ | בְּ | Article fusion with guttural: הָ of הָאָרֶץ drops; א is a guttural — no dagesh forte; patach lengthens to qamets (ָ) | אָרֶץ | in the earth / in the land |
| 15 | לָעָם | לָ | לְ | Article fusion with guttural: הָ of הָעָם drops; ע is a guttural — no dagesh forte; patach lengthens to qamets (ָ) | עָם | to the people |
| 16 | כָּהָאִישׁ | כָּ | כְּ | Article fusion with guttural: הָ of הָאִישׁ drops; א is a guttural — no dagesh forte; qamets under כָּ | אִישׁ | like the man |

> **Guttural article-fusion diagnostic:** If you see **בָּ לָ כָּ** (with qamets) rather than **בַּ לַ כַּ** (with patach + dagesh), the following noun begins with a guttural or ר that rejected the dagesh forte.

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### Part C — מִן Forms

| # | Hebrew | Preposition | Base Form | Change / Reason | Object | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | מִן הַמֶּלֶךְ | מִן | מִן | No change — independent form before article | הַמֶּלֶךְ | from the king |
| 18 | מִמֶּלֶךְ | מִ | מִן | Nun assimilates: נ disappears; dagesh forte in מ of מֶּלֶךְ marks the assimilation | מֶלֶךְ | from a king |
| 19 | מִיַּד | מִ | מִן | Nun assimilates: dagesh forte in י of יַּד (יד = "hand") | יָד | from the hand |
| 20 | מֵהָאָרֶץ | מֵ | מִן | Compensatory lengthening: ה is a guttural; rejects dagesh forte; hireq (ִ) → tsere (ֵ) as compensation | הָאָרֶץ | from the earth |
| 21 | מֵאֱלֹהִים | מֵ | מִן | Compensatory lengthening: א is a guttural; rejects dagesh forte; hireq → tsere | אֱלֹהִים | from God |

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### Part D — Independent Prepositions

| # | Hebrew | Preposition | Base Form | Change / Reason | Object | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | אֶל הָעִיר | אֶל | אֶל | None — independent preposition, no prefix change | הָעִיר | to the city |
| 23 | עַל הַשָּׁמַיִם | עַל | עַל | None — independent preposition | הַשָּׁמַיִם | upon the heavens / over the heavens |
| 24 | עִם הָעַם | עִם | עִם | None — independent preposition | הָעַם | with the people |
| 25 | אֵת הַמֶּלֶךְ | אֵת | אֵת | None — direct object marker; no vowel change rule; note: this is the DOM, not a preposition | הַמֶּלֶךְ | [marks "the king" as the definite direct object] — untranslated |

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## Reflection Questions

1. **Identifying article fusion:** You encounter the form **לַבַּיִת**. How do you know that the definite article is present even though the letter ה does not appear? What two clues tell you the article has been absorbed?

2. **Guttural contrast:** Compare **בַּמֶּלֶךְ** (item 9) with **בָּהָר** (item 13). Both represent בְּ fused with the definite article. Why does one have patach + dagesh forte (בַּ) and the other has qamets without dagesh (בָּ)? What principle governs the difference?

3. **מִן forms:** Explain the difference between **מִן הַמֶּלֶךְ**, **מִמֶּלֶךְ**, and **מֵאֱלֹהִים**. Why does each one look different, and what single underlying form (מִן) connects them all?
