# Chapter 9 — Hebrew Pronominal Suffix Parsing Drill

**Topic:** Pronominal Suffixes on Nouns, Prepositions, and the Direct Object Marker
**BBH Chapter 9**

---

## Instructions

For each Hebrew form below:

1. **Base Word** — Identify the underlying noun, preposition, or particle (give the lexical/absolute form)
2. **Suffix** — Write the suffix element only (e.g., וֹ, ִי, ְךָ)
3. **Parse (PGN)** — Person–Gender–Number of the suffix (e.g., 3ms, 2fs, 1cp)
4. **Translation** — Full translation of the suffixed form (e.g., "his horse," "to me," "her")

---

## Exercise Table

| # | Hebrew | Base Word | Suffix | Parse (PGN) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | סוּסוֹ | | | | |
| 2 | דְּבָרִי | | | | |
| 3 | מַלְכְּכֶם | | | | |
| 4 | אָחִיהָ | | | | |
| 5 | בֵּיתְךָ | | | | |
| 6 | עַמֵּנוּ | | | | |
| 7 | אֲדֹנֵיכֶם | | | | |
| 8 | בְּנָהּ | | | | |
| 9 | שְׁמֵיהֶם | | | | |
| 10 | אַרְצָם | | | | |
| 11 | לִי | | | | |
| 12 | לְךָ | | | | |
| 13 | לָהּ | | | | |
| 14 | לָנוּ | | | | |
| 15 | לָכֶם | | | | |
| 16 | בָּהּ | | | | |
| 17 | בָּם | | | | |
| 18 | עִמִּי | | | | |
| 19 | אֵלֶיךָ | | | | |
| 20 | עָלָיו | | | | |
| 21 | אֹתִי | | | | |
| 22 | אֹתוֹ | | | | |
| 23 | אֹתָהּ | | | | |
| 24 | אֹתָנוּ | | | | |
| 25 | אֹתָם | | | | |

---

## Answer Key

| # | Hebrew | Base Word | Suffix | Parse (PGN) | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | סוּסוֹ | סוּס (horse) | וֹ | 3ms | his horse |
| 2 | דְּבָרִי | דָּבָר (word) | ִי | 1cs | my word |
| 3 | מַלְכְּכֶם | מֶלֶךְ (king) | כֶם | 2mp | your (mp) king |
| 4 | אָחִיהָ | אָח (brother) | הָ | 3fs | her brother |
| 5 | בֵּיתְךָ | בַּיִת (house) | ְךָ | 2ms | your (ms) house |
| 6 | עַמֵּנוּ | עַם (people) | ֵנוּ | 1cp | our people |
| 7 | אֲדֹנֵיכֶם | אָדוֹן (lord/master) | ֵיכֶם | 2mp | your (mp) lord/masters |
| 8 | בְּנָהּ | בֵּן (son) | הָ | 3fs | her son |
| 9 | שְׁמֵיהֶם | שָׁמַיִם (heavens) | ֵיהֶם | 3mp | their (m) heavens |
| 10 | אַרְצָם | אֶרֶץ (land/earth) | ָם | 3mp | their (m) land |
| 11 | לִי | לְ (to/for) | ִי | 1cs | to/for me |
| 12 | לְךָ | לְ (to/for) | ְךָ | 2ms | to/for you (ms) |
| 13 | לָהּ | לְ (to/for) | הָ | 3fs | to/for her |
| 14 | לָנוּ | לְ (to/for) | ֵנוּ | 1cp | to/for us |
| 15 | לָכֶם | לְ (to/for) | כֶם | 2mp | to/for you (mp) |
| 16 | בָּהּ | בְּ (in/with) | הָ | 3fs | in/with her (or: in it, fs) |
| 17 | בָּם | בְּ (in/with) | ָם | 3mp | in/with them (m) |
| 18 | עִמִּי | עִם (with) | ִי | 1cs | with me |
| 19 | אֵלֶיךָ | אֶל (to/toward) | ְךָ | 2ms | to/toward you (ms) |
| 20 | עָלָיו | עַל (upon/over) | ָיו | 3ms | upon/over him |
| 21 | אֹתִי | אֵת (DOM) | ִי | 1cs | me (direct object) |
| 22 | אֹתוֹ | אֵת (DOM) | וֹ | 3ms | him (direct object) |
| 23 | אֹתָהּ | אֵת (DOM) | הָ | 3fs | her (direct object) |
| 24 | אֹתָנוּ | אֵת (DOM) | ֵנוּ | 1cp | us (direct object) |
| 25 | אֹתָם | אֵת (DOM) | ָם | 3mp | them (m, direct object) |

---

## Parsing Notes

**Items 1–10: Nouns with suffixes**

- **#1 סוּסוֹ** — The Holem (וֹ) at the end of an otherwise complete noun-stem = 3ms suffix. One of the most common morphological elements in the OT.
- **#2 דְּבָרִי** — The absolute דָּבָר has two long vowels (Qamets–Qamets). Before the 1cs suffix ִי, the stem vowels reduce (Shewa + Patach). This is a standard "segolate-adjacent" reduction pattern.
- **#3 מַלְכְּכֶם** — The noun מֶלֶךְ reduces to מַלְכּ- before 2mp suffix. Note the doubled consonant before the suffix (Dagesh Forte in כּ).
- **#4 אָחִיהָ** — אָח (brother) is an irregular noun; it takes the form אָחִי- before suffixes (like the plural אַחִים). The 3fs suffix הָ follows.
- **#5 בֵּיתְךָ** — בַּיִת (house) shifts to בֵּית- before Type 1 suffixes. The ְךָ (2ms) attaches with a Shewa.
- **#6 עַמֵּנוּ** — עַם (people) doubles the final mem before the 1cp suffix ֵנוּ. Note "Immanuel" (עִמָּנוּ אֵל) uses the same pattern with עִם.
- **#7 אֲדֹנֵיכֶם** — אָדוֹן (lord) uses the Type 2 (plural-style) suffix set: ֵיכֶם. The form looks plural but here is used as a "plural of majesty" singular base + Type 2 suffix.
- **#8 בְּנָהּ** — בֵּן (son) reduces to בְּנ- before suffixes. The ָהּ = 3fs suffix (Qamets + He mappiq).
- **#9 שְׁמֵיהֶם** — שָׁמַיִם (heavens) is an inherently dual/plural noun. It uses the Type 2 suffix ֵיהֶם (3mp). The base reduces to שְׁמֵי-.
- **#10 אַרְצָם** — אֶרֶץ (land) reduces to אַרְצ- before 3mp suffix. The suffix ָם is the short form of 3mp (alongside הֶם).

**Items 11–20: Prepositions with suffixes**

- **#11–15** — All forms of לְ (to/for). Note that לְ + 1cs = לִי (Hiriq, not Shewa); לְ + 1cp = לָנוּ (Qamets); לְ + 2mp = לָכֶם (Qamets).
- **#16–17** — בְּ (in/with) + suffixes: בָּהּ (3fs), בָּם (3mp short form). The preposition בְּ lengthens its vowel to Qamets before many suffixes.
- **#18 עִמִּי** — עִם (with) + 1cs: the מ doubles (Dagesh Forte) before the suffix. This doubling is characteristic of עִם with suffixes.
- **#19 אֵלֶיךָ** — אֶל (to/toward) uses the extended form אֵלֵי- before Type 2 suffixes. The base form expands with a Tsere + yod connector.
- **#20 עָלָיו** — עַל (upon/over) + 3ms = עָלָיו. The ָיו suffix is the 3ms Type 2 form. This is a very common form in the OT.

**Items 21–25: אֵת (DOM) with suffixes**

- The DOM אֵת becomes אֹת- (with Holem) before most suffixes. The Holem is a diagnostic clue.
- **#21 אֹתִי** — 1cs: "me." Very frequent in all narrative texts.
- **#22 אֹתוֹ** — 3ms: "him." Extremely common (among the most frequent DOM forms).
- **#23 אֹתָהּ** — 3fs: "her." The Qamets + He mappiq = 3fs suffix.
- **#24 אֹתָנוּ** — 1cp: "us." The suffix is ָנוּ here (not ֵנוּ as on prepositions — a slight vowel variation).
- **#25 אֹתָם** — 3mp: "them (m)." The short 3mp suffix ָם.

---

## Reflection Questions

1. In items 7 (אֲדֹנֵיכֶם) and 9 (שְׁמֵיהֶם), the suffix set used is Type 2 (with a yod connector). Both base nouns are plural (or plural in form). How does this confirm the rule that Type 2 suffixes attach to plural nouns?

2. Compare לָהּ (item 13) with בָּהּ (item 16). Both end in ָהּ (Qamets + He mappiq). What is different between them, and how do you know which preposition each is built on?

3. Items 21–25 all use אֵת (DOM) + suffix. What change occurs in the vowel of אֵת when a suffix attaches, and why does recognizing this change matter for reading Hebrew narrative?
