# BBH Chapter 9 — Hebrew Pronominal Suffixes

## Files

### Exercises

Exercise | Description
--- | ---
exercises/ch9-suffix-parsing/ | 25-item parsing drill — identify base word, suffix, PGN, and translation for nouns and prepositions with pronominal suffixes

### Flashcards

File | Format | Description
--- | --- | ---
ch9-vocab-deck.md | Markdown | Vocabulary deck — 12 nouns and 8 particles/adverbs with OT frequency
ch9-vocab-deck.txt | Anki import | Vocabulary deck — tab-separated, ready for Anki File → Import (20 cards)
ch9-vocab-deck-fd.txt | Flashcards Deluxe | Vocabulary deck — tab-separated, ready for Flashcards Deluxe import (20 cards)

### Notebooks

Notebook | What it shows
--- | ---
OT Noun Morphology | Top noun lemmas showing which most commonly take pronominal suffixes (construct-heavy lemmas)

Basics of Biblical Hebrew, Pratico & Van Pelt, Chapter 9

## 1. Introduction

Pronominal suffixes are the primary way Hebrew expresses possession on nouns and the object of prepositions. They are attached directly to the noun or preposition. Hebrew uses these far more than independent pronouns for possession. Wherever English says "his horse" or "to her," Hebrew typically writes the noun or preposition with a suffix: סוּסוֹ ("his horse"), לָהּ ("to her").

Because pronominal suffixes appear on virtually every page of the Hebrew Bible, mastery of the paradigm is essential. Once you recognize the suffix, you can strip it away, identify the base word independently, and arrive at a full translation.

## 2. Type 1 vs. Type 2 Suffixes

Hebrew uses two distinct suffix sets depending on the form of the word receiving the suffix.

- Type 1 — attached to singular nouns. The noun takes a construct-like form (often with vowel reduction in the stem) before the suffix connects.
- Type 2 — attached to plural nouns and to prepositions that have a built-in plural-like connecting vowel. The Type 2 suffix contains a yod (י) connecting element in most cells.

### Full Paradigm Table

Person | Gender | Number | Type 1 | Type 2 | English
--- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---
1 | c | sg | ִי | ַי | my
2 | m | sg | ְךָ | ֶיךָ | your (ms)
2 | f | sg | ֵךְ | ַיִךְ | your (fs)
3 | m | sg | וֹ | ָיו | his
3 | f | sg | הָ | ֶיהָ | her
1 | c | pl | ֵנוּ | ֵינוּ | our
2 | m | pl | כֶם | ֵיכֶם | your (mp)
2 | f | pl | כֶן | ֵיכֶן | your (fp)
3 | m | pl | ָם / הֶם | ֵיהֶם | their (m)
3 | f | pl | ָן / הֶן | ֵיהֶן | their (f)

> Quick diagnostic: If you see a yod (י) before the suffix element, you are almost certainly looking at a Type 2 suffix. The Type 1 suffixes attach more directly with just a vowel connector.

## 3. Suffixes on Singular Nouns

The model noun is סוּס (horse, ms). Before Type 1 suffixes attach, the noun moves to a construct-like form. Vowel changes in the stem are normal — the absolute form does not always predict the suffixed form directly.

### סוּס + Pronominal Suffixes (Type 1)

Person | Gender | Number | Suffixed Form | Translation
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
1 | c | sg | סוּסִי | my horse
2 | m | sg | סוּסְךָ | your (ms) horse
2 | f | sg | סוּסֵךְ | your (fs) horse
3 | m | sg | סוּסוֹ | his horse
3 | f | sg | סוּסָהּ | her horse
1 | c | pl | סוּסֵנוּ | our horse
2 | m | pl | סוּסְכֶם | your (mp) horse
2 | f | pl | סוּסְכֶן | your (fp) horse
3 | m | pl | סוּסָם | their (m) horse
3 | f | pl | סוּסָן | their (f) horse

> Note on vowel changes: Many nouns undergo vowel reduction in the stem when suffixes attach. For example, דָּבָר (word) becomes דְּבַר- before suffixes: דְּבָרִי (my word), דְּבָרְךָ (your word). The two long vowels in the absolute collapse to short vowels as the accent shifts toward the suffix. This is not irregular — it follows predictable patterns tied to syllable structure (you will study these fully when you reach noun paradigms in later chapters).

## 4. Suffixes on Prepositions

Prepositions in Hebrew take pronominal suffixes in the same way nouns do, but the preposition typically uses Type 2 (plural-style) suffix forms. Each preposition has its own characteristic vowel pattern before the suffixes attach; you will need to learn each preposition's suffixed paradigm individually.

### לְ (to, for) + Pronominal Suffixes

Person | Gender | Number | Suffixed Form | Translation
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
1 | c | sg | לִי | to/for me
2 | m | sg | לְךָ | to/for you (ms)
2 | f | sg | לָךְ | to/for you (fs)
3 | m | sg | לוֹ | to/for him
3 | f | sg | לָהּ | to/for her
1 | c | pl | לָנוּ | to/for us
2 | m | pl | לָכֶם | to/for you (mp)
2 | f | pl | לָכֶן | to/for you (fp)
3 | m | pl | לָהֶם | to/for them (m)
3 | f | pl | לָהֶן | to/for them (f)

### אֶת (direct object marker / "with") + Pronominal Suffixes

When the direct object marker אֶת takes pronominal suffixes, it expresses "me, you, him, her" etc. as direct objects. The form shifts to אֹת- before most suffixes:

Person | Gender | Number | Suffixed Form | Translation
--- | --- | --- | --- | ---
1 | c | sg | אֹתִי | me (DOM)
2 | m | sg | אֹתְךָ | you (ms, DOM)
2 | f | sg | אֹתָךְ | you (fs, DOM)
3 | m | sg | אֹתוֹ | him (DOM)
3 | f | sg | אֹתָהּ | her (DOM)
1 | c | pl | אֹתָנוּ | us (DOM)
2 | m | pl | אֶתְכֶם | you (mp, DOM)
2 | f | pl | אֶתְכֶן | you (fp, DOM)
3 | m | pl | אֹתָם | them (m, DOM)
3 | f | pl | אֹתָן | them (f, DOM)

> Note: The 2mp and 2fp forms (אֶתְכֶם, אֶתְכֶן) retain the short e-vowel pattern rather than shifting to Holem; compare לָכֶם (lākem) vs. אֶתְכֶם (ʾeṯkem). These are simply forms to memorize.

## 5. Suffixes on the Definite Direct Object Marker

The form אֵת (with the Tsere) is the direct object marker (DOM). When suffixes attach to it, the vowel shifts: אֹת- (with Holem) appears before most suffix forms (see the full table in §4 above). These suffixed DOM forms function exactly like personal pronouns in the accusative:

Hebrew | English
--- | ---
רָאָה אֹתִי | he saw me
שָׁמַר אֹתוֹ | he kept/watched him
אָהַב אֹתָהּ | he loved her
שָׁלַח אֹתָנוּ | he sent us

The suffixed אֹת- forms are among the most common constructions in narrative Hebrew. Recognizing them immediately — without stopping to parse — is a practical reading goal.

## 6. Identifying Suffixes in Context

When you encounter an unfamiliar form with what might be a suffix, follow this four-step procedure:

1. Identify the base word type. Is it a preposition, a noun, or the direct object marker? The form of the word before the suffix changes depending on the base.
2. Strip the suffix. Working from right to left, peel off the suffix element. What remains should be a recognizable (possibly reduced) form of the base word.
3. Parse the base independently. Identify the noun (gender, number, state) or preposition.
4. Identify the suffix from the paradigm. Match the suffix element to the paradigm table. Check both Type 1 and Type 2 columns if you are uncertain.

### Common Pitfalls

Pitfall | Confusion | How to Distinguish
--- | --- | ---
3ms suffix וֹ vs. plural ending ּוֹת | Both involve a long o-vowel | ּוֹת is always followed by ת; the suffix וֹ never has a following consonant
2ms ְךָ vs. 2fs ֵךְ | Both end in ךְ/ךָ | 2ms has a Qamets under the kaf (ָ); 2fs has a silent shewa and no final vowel letter
3fs הָ vs. definite article הַ | Both begin with ה | The suffix הָ always comes at the end of the word; the article always comes at the beginning
Type 1 vs. Type 2 on the same suffix | E.g., ִי (1cs Type 1) vs. ַי (1cs Type 2) | Check whether the base word is a singular noun (Type 1) or plural/preposition (Type 2)

## 7. Frequency

Pronominal suffixes on nouns and prepositions are extremely frequent. The suffix וֹ (3ms "his/its") on nouns is among the most common morphological elements in the entire Old Testament. The suffixed forms of לְ, בְּ, and אֵת collectively appear thousands of times. Some rough frequency data:

Element | Approximate OT occurrences
--- | ---
Suffix וֹ (3ms) on nouns | ~6,000+
לוֹ (to/for him) | ~1,300+
אֹתוֹ (him, DOM) | ~800+
לִי (to/for me) | ~500+
אֹתָם (them m, DOM) | ~450+

Because virtually every chapter of narrative Hebrew contains dozens of suffixed forms, investing time in the paradigm tables now pays dividends from Genesis 1 onward.

## 8. Key Terms

Term | Definition
--- | ---
pronominal suffix | A short pronoun element attached directly to a noun, preposition, or verb
Type 1 suffix | Suffix set used on singular nouns; connects with a short vowel
Type 2 suffix | Suffix set used on plural nouns and prepositions; contains a yod (י) connector in most cells
connecting vowel | The vowel (often Shewa, Patach, or Tsere) that links the base word to the suffix
possessive | Expressing ownership (my, your, his, her, our, their) — conveyed in Hebrew by pronominal suffixes on nouns
direct object suffix | A pronominal suffix on אֵת that expresses the object of the verb (me, you, him, etc.)
paradigm | A complete table of all inflected forms of a morphological pattern
construct state | The form a noun takes when it stands in a genitive relationship; singular nouns often appear in this form before Type 1 suffixes