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The Infinitive in Biblical Hebrew

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The Infinitive in Biblical Hebrew BHLaP 2 June 26-28, 2018 The Hebrew University of Jerusalem The Infinitive in Biblical Hebrew Edit Doron, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem 1. Introduction Biblical Hebrew (BH) verbal forms manifest rich inflection within the finite (Fin) clause, encoding the functional categories of temporality (T), mood (Mood), grammatical aspect (Asp), and modality (Mod). These categories have been widely discussed in the literature, and their relative role is still under debate (recently Hatav 1997, 2008, Joosten 2002, Cook 2006, 2012 and others). In particular, Asp and Mod have proven hard to disentangle in the morphology of the BH verb. The present work will reflect this by assuming that these two categories are composed together as Asp/Mod (AM) in the inflection of the verb. Objectives of the paper are to show that: I. The same functional categories which determine the inflection of the BH finite verb also determine the feature specification of the BH infinitive. (In particular, the functional categories of the BH infinitive are clausal rather than nominal (section 4).) II. BH has a single infinitive combined with different inflectional categories, yielding the so-called Infinitive Absolute and Infinitive Construct, which, together with the finite (Fin) verb, gives rise to 4 clause types: Fin, Poss-inf, PRO-inf, and Nom-inf. III. These clause types are classified by their highest functional projection TFin, T, AM, Mood, which accounts for their distribution. IV. There is a concomitant 4-way alternation of attachment options of subject and object clitics to the verb: [+Scl+Ocl], [+Scl−Ocl], [−Scl+Ocl], [−Scl−Ocl]. The examples in (1) illustrate, using the same verb remember, the Fin and infinitival clause types in their typical functions. The Fin construction is a clause in the indicative mood, or in a variety of irrealis moods (imperative/ jussive/ cohortative), and Nom-inf is an irrealis root clause. Irrealis mood endows the clause with illocutionary force. Poss-inf and PRO-inf are embedded clauses lacking force, and their distribution will be discussed in detail below.1 Poss-inf often functions as a temporal adverbial, and PRO-inf – as a purpose adverbial: 1.a Fin וַיִּזְ כֹּר ףיוֹסֵ אֵת הַחֲֹלמוֹתאֲשֶׁר חָ לַם לָהֶׁ ם )בראשית מב i. Indicative )9 wayyizkōr yōsēp̄ ʔēṯ ha-ħălōmōṯ ʔăšɛr ħālam lā-hɛm and.remembered.3MS Joseph ACC the-dreams that dreamt.3MS to-3MP Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them. (Gen. 42:9) זְ כֹּר לַעֲבָדֶׁ יָך לְַאבְרָ הָם קלְיִצְחָ ּולְיַעֲקֹב )דברים ט ii. Imperative )27 zəḵōr la-ʕăḇāḏɛ-ḵā lə-ʔaḇrāhām lə-yiṣħāq ū-lə-yaʕăqōḇ remember.IMPR.2MS to-servants-POSS.2MP to-Abraham to-Isaac and-to-Jacob Remember Your servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Deut 9:27) זָכוֹּר אֶׁ ת-יוֹם הַשַבָת לְקַדְ שוֹ )שמות כ b. Nom-inf )7 zāḵōr ʔɛṯ yōm haš-šabbāṯ lə-qaddəš-ō remember.INFABS ACC day.CS the-sabbath to-sanctify.INF-ACC.3MS Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (Ex. 20:8) 1 The distinction between the BH Poss-inf and PRO-inf, which serves the base of the distinction between the Modern Hebrew Gerund and Infinitive, is already found in Doron 2016, 2019. 1 עַל נַהֲרוֹת לבָבֶׁ םשָ יָשַבְ נּו גַם-בָכִ ינּו בְ זָכְרֵ נּו אֶׁ ת-צִ ּיוֹן )תהילים קלז c Poss-inf )1 ʕal nahărōṯ bāḇɛl šām yāšaḇ-nū gam bāḵī-nū bə-zoḵr-ēnū ʔɛṯ ṣiyyōn by rivers.CS Babylon there sat-1P also wept-1P when-remember.INF-POSS.1P ACC Zion By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept when we remembered Zion. (Ps. 137:1) d PRO-inf2 וְהָיְתָה תהַקֶׁשֶׁ בֶׁעָנָן ּורְאִ יתִ יהָ לִּזְכֹּר בְרִ יתעוֹלָם בֵ ין אֱֹלהִ ים ּובֵ ין כָל-נֶׁפֶׁש חַ ּיָה )בראשית ט 16( wəhāyəṯ-ā haq-qɛšɛṯ bɛ-ʕānān ū-rəʔī-ṯī-hā and.be.MOD-3FS the-rainbow.F in.the-cloud and-will.see-1S-ACC.3FS li-zkōr bərīṯ ʕōlām bēn ʔɛ̆ lōhīm ū-bēn kol nɛp̄ ɛš ħayyā to-remember.INF covenant.CS eternity between God and-between all soul living The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature. (Gen. 9:16) The Poss-inf suject is in the possessive case, overtly marked for pronomial subjects, in particular the 1st person singular, where the possessive marking differs from accusative marking of the corresponding object clitics in the PRO-inf construction. Thus, the 1st person object clitic -ēnī in (2a) differs in form from the 1st person subject clitic -ī in (2b): 2.a PRO-inf הַ לְ ]הָרְ גֵנִּי PRO[ אַתָ האֹמֵ רכַאֲשֶׁר הָרַ גְתָאֶׁ ת-הַמִצְרִ י )שמות ב 14( ha-lə-[hārḡ-ēnī PRO] ʔattā ʔōmēr kaʔăšɛr hāraḡ-tā ʔɛṯ ham-miṣrī Q-to- [kill.INF-ACC.1S PRO] you intend.PTC.MS as killed-2MS ACC the Egyptian Do you intend to kill me as you killed the Egyptian? (Ex. 2:14) b Poss-inf וְ ֹלא-יִהְ יֶׁה בָכֶׁםנֶׁגֶׁף לְמַשְחִ ית בְ ]הַ כֹּתִּ יבְאֶרֶ ץמִּצְרָ יִּם[ )שמות יב 13( wə-lō yihyɛ ḇ-āḵɛm nɛḡɛp̄ lə-mašħīṯ and-NEG be.MOD at-2MP plague to-destroy.PTC.MS bə- [hakkōṯ-ī bə-ʔɛrɛṣ miṣrāyīm] when-[strike.INF.POSS.1S at-land.CS Egypt] And the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt. (Ex. 12:13) 3.a Fin [+Scl+Ocl] עֲשִ יתִ יו ʕăśī-ṯī-w made-1S-ACC.3MS b Nom-inf [−Scl−Ocl] עָשֹה ʕāśō make.INFABS c Poss-inf [+Scl−Ocl] בַ עֲשוֹתִ י ba-ʕăśōṯ-ī when-make.INF-POSS.1S d PRO-inf [−Scl+Ocl] לַ עֲשוֹתֵ נִ י la-ʕăśōṯ-ēnī to-make.INF-ACC.1S 2 It should be clear that the contrast between the overt vs. covert subject in Poss-inf vs. PRO-inf is grammatical and has nothing to do with the pragmatic contrast between overt and null pronominal subjects in finite clauses like (i), where the overt/covert choice has to do with information structure: i. ּובְ הֵעָלוֹת הֶׁעָנָן מֵ עַל הַמִשְ כָן יִּסְ עּו בְ נֵי יִּשְ רָ אֵ ל בְ כֹל מַסְ עֵיהֶׁ ם, וְאִ ם ֹלא- יֵעָלֶׁה הֶׁעָנָן--וְ ֹלא יִּסְ עּו עַ ד-יוֹם הֵעָֹלתוֹ )שמות מ 36-37( 2 4.a Fin הַ גוֹיִם אֲשֶׁ ר הוֹּצֵ אתִּ ים לְעֵינֵיהֶׁ ם )יחזקאל כ 14( hag-gōyim ʔăšɛr hōṣē-ṯī-m lə-ʕēnē-hɛm the peoples that brought.out-1S-ACC.2MP to-eyes-POSS.3MP the peoples in whose sight I had brought them out (Eze. 20:14) b PRO-inf לְ הוֹּצִּ יָאם מֵאֶרֶ ץמִּצְרָ יִּם )שמות יב 42( lə-hōṣīʔ-ām mē-ʔɛrɛṣ miṣrāyim to-bring.out.INF-ACC.3MP from-land.CS Egypt for bringing them out of the land of Egypt (Ex. 12:42) c Poss-inf ְב יהוֹּצִּיאִּ אוֹּתָ ם מֵאֶרֶ ץמִּצְרָ יִּם * בְ הוֹּצִּיאִּ ים מֵאֶרֶ ץמִּצְרָ יִּם )ויקרא כג 43( bə-hōṣīʔ-ī ʔōṯām mē-ʔɛrɛṣ miṣrāyim when-bring.out.INF-POSS.1S ACC.3MP from-land.CS Egypt when I brought them out of the land of Egypt (Lev. 23:43) * bə-hōṣīʔ-ī-m mē-ʔɛrɛṣ miṣrāyim when-bring.out.INF-POSS.1S -ACC.3MP from-land.CS Egypt The ungrammaticality in the (c) example above is not due to “heaviness” of two combined clitics, since even if the subject is not a pronominal clitic but a full lexical item, even then an object clitic is impossible in the Poss-inf construction: 5. Poss-inf וַי ָשֶׁ ם יְהוָה לְקַ יִן אוֹת לְבִ לְתִ י הַ כוֹּת-אֹּתוֹּ כָל-מֹּצְ אוֹּ * לְבִ לְתִ י הַ כוֹּתוֹּ כָל-מֹצְ אוֹ )בראשית ד a )15 wayyāśɛm YHWH lə-qayin ʔōṯ lə-ḇiltī hakkōṯ ʔoṯō kol mōṣʔ-ō and.put.3MS Lord to-Cain mark to-NEG kill.INF ACC.3MS any find.PTC.MS-POSS.3MS And the Lord set a mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.(Gen. 4:15) * lə-ḇiltī hakkōṯ-ō kol mōṣʔ-ō to-NEG kill.INF-ACC.3MS any find.PTC.MS-POSS.3MS בֶׁ ן-ַארְ בָעִ ים שָ נָה ָאנֹכִ י בִ שְ ֹלחַמֹּשֶ ה עֶבֶ ד- יְהוָהאֹּתִּ י … * בִ שָ לְחֵנִּי מֹשֶׁ ה )יהושע יד b )7 bɛn ʔarbāʕīm šānā ʔānōḵī bi-šəlōaħ mōšɛ ʕɛḇɛḏ JHWH ʔōṯī son.CS forty year I when-send.INF Moses servant.CS Lord ACC.1S I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me… (Josh. 14:7) * bə-šolħ-ēnī mōšɛ when-send.INF-ACC.1S Moses 6. The four clausal types are distinguished by what Wurmbrand 2001, 2014 has called their restructuring signature: how much of the hierarchy of clausal functional categories is projected in the clause. Temporal Non-temporal Fin Poss-inf PRO-inf Nom-inf TPFin TP 2 2 TFin AM-P T AM-P AM-P 2 2 2 AM MoodP AM MoodP AM MoodP MoodP 2 2 2 2 Mood VoiceP Mood VoiceP Mood VoiceP Mood VoiceP 2 2 2 2 Voice VP Voice VP Voice VP Voice VP 3 7. highest inflection +T −T + verbal Fin PRO-inf [+Scl+Ocl] [−Scl+Ocl] − verbal Poss-inf Nom-inf [+Scl−Ocl] [−Scl−Ocl] This corresponds to what has often been remarked in the literature: object clitics attach to inflection which is characteristically verbal (e.g. in Romance, Cardinaletti and Shlonsky 2004, Cardinaletti 2008).3 2. One infinitive, different inflectional categories Historically, the Infinitive Absolute (INFABS) is the original infinitive, also found in Akkadian (Blau 1979:§30), while the Infinitive Construct (INF) has been claimed to originate in a different Proto-Semitic form, related to the imperfective (Bauer and Leander 1922:§43).
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