Inseparable Prepositions - Prepositions attached directly to a noun. For
example:
‫ בבַּ יִת‬in a house/with a house/at a house
ְּ‫( ב‬in, with, at)
ְּ‫( ל‬to, for)
‫ לבַּ יִת‬to a house/for a house
ְּ‫( כ‬like)
‫ כבַּ יִת‬like a house
Preposition + Definite Article:
‫ בַּ בַּ יִת‬in the house/with the house/at the house
‫ לַּבַּ יִת‬to the house/for the house
‫ כַּ בַּ יִת‬like the house
If the object begins with a vocal shewa, the vowel of the
inseparable preposition is a hireq.
For example: ‫יאים‬
ִ ִ‫ לִ נב‬to prophets ‫ַּם‬
ְִּ ‫ירּושל‬
ָׁ
ִ‫ ב‬in Jerusalem
If the object begins with a khatef qamets ְּ , khatef patakh ְּ , or
khatef segol ְּ , the inseparable preposition adopts the short vowel
of the object. This usually occurs in guttural first consonants.
For example: ‫ בַּ ה ָׁד ִרים‬in rooms
‫כָׁ א ִניָׁה‬
like a ship
In rare instances of an object beginning with a khatef segol ְּ
beneath an ‫א‬, the vowel beneath the ‫ א‬completely disappears and
the vowel of the inseparable preposition is a tsere.
For example: ‫אל ִהים‬
ְּ ֵּ‫ ב‬with God
When combined with the definite article, each of these examples follows
the standard rules for prepositions & definite article combination (patakh
or qamets vowel, etc.)
The preposition ‫ ִמן‬occurs more than 7,500 times in the Hebrew Bible.
The preposition ‫( ִמן‬from, because of, some of) has two forms: maqqep
and inseparable. In the inseparable form, the nun disappears.
For example:
‫ ִמן־מֶ לְֶך‬from a king
(or)
‫ִממֶ לְֶך‬
from a king
When the nun disappears, it leaves a dagesh in the first root letter.
Nouns beginning with a guttural consonant (‫א‬,ְּ‫ה‬,ְּ‫ח‬,ְּ‫ )ע‬or ‫ר‬:
1. The preposition usually takes the form of the inseparable
preposition.
2. The vowel lengthens (compensatory lengthening) from a hireq
to a tsere to compensate for the guttural consonant refusing to take
the dagesh from the disappearing nun.
For example: ‫ מֵּ עִ יר‬from a city
‫מֵּ ָאב‬
from a father
When the definite article is present, the vowel lengthens to a
tsere in the inseparable form.
We should expect the vowel to lengthen since the ‫ ה‬of the
definite article is a guttural consonant. The vowel does not
change in the maqqep form. For example:
‫ ִמן־הַּ מֶ לְֶך‬from the king
‫ מֵּ הַּ מֶ לְֶך‬from the king
Nun Assimilation
‫ְֶךְְְְְְּּּּּּמןְּמֶ לְֶך‬
ִ
‫ִממֶ ל‬
When a nun drops, it wants to put a
dagesh in the following consonant
‫ִמןְּהַּ מֶ לְֶך‬
‫ִמהַּ מֶ לְֶך‬
Gutturals refuse to take a dagesh so something
else has to give.
‫מֵּ הַּ מֶ לְֶך‬
Since the guttural refuses the dagesh, the vowel
lengthens beneath the preceding consonant.
In English, we use the word “than” to create comparison. For
example: The man is taller than the boy.
Hebrew uses the preposition ‫ ִמן‬to create comparison.
For example:
‫יאְּמן־הַּ מֶ לְֶך‬
ִ
ִ‫חָׁ כָׁ םְּהַּ נָׁב‬
Literal Translation: Wise (is) the prophet from the king.
Comparative translation: The prophet is wiser than the king.
In English we use relative pronouns who, which, and that to introduce a
relative clause.
For example: The book that is on the table. “is on the table” explains
where the book is relative to the table.
The phrase “on the table” is the relative clause.
In Hebrew, the relative pronoun is ‫ א ֶשר‬and can be translated as
who, which, or that depending on context.
Number and gender do not affect ‫א ֶשר‬.
‫ הַּ מֶ לְֶךְּא ֶשרְּעַּ ל־הַּ כִ סֵּ א‬the king who is on the throne
the famine which is in the
land
the river that is in the
‫הַּ נָׁהָׁ רְּא ֶשרְּבַּ ָׁשדֶ ה‬
field
‫הָׁ ָׁרעָׁ בְּא ֶשרְּבָׁ אֶ ֶרץ‬