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CONTENTS OF No. IX.

Note. In page 78, lines 26, 27, read, "by hitting Orlando's horse (which the
knight had just remounted) a blow with his fist,' &c.

162005

SOUTHERN REVIEW.

NO. IX.

FEBRUARY, 1830.

ART. I.-Grammar of the Hebrew Language. By MOSES STUART, Associate Professor of Sacred Literature in the Theological Institution, at Andover. Third Edition, 1828.

THE Hebrew Language must always be an object of great interest to civilized nations, and still more to those who profess the Christian religion. In it have been preserved the oldest records which exist of the transactions of the human race, and the foundations of our faith. We rejoice to perceive that its study is extending in our country, and that works calculated to facilitate its acquisition, are already issuing from our press, one of these we propose to examine.

The limited space which we can allot to grammatical discussions, particularly when they relate to a language, which though highly important, is yet but little studied, will not permit us to review every part of the work before us. We shall, therefore, confine our observations to one important point, the construction and conjugation of the verbs.-In page 73:

"§ 174. The usual conjugations of the verbs, are as follows:

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"(a) 1 Poel 1 2 Poal

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"These conjugations are found in the class named Ayin doubled (y) and very rarely appear in any other. They take the place of Piel, Pual, and Hithpael, as these appear in regular verbs; see § 262.

"(b) In verbs Ayin Vav ( § 269), forms similar in appearance are common substitutes for the regular Piel, Pual and Hithpael; viz: 1 Polel p. 2 Polal D. 3 Hithpolel Daipnn." &c.

The grammarians do not agree in the number of the conjugations; many, to whose opinion the author of the Grammar before us seems to adhere, constitute only seven as enumerated above; some admit eight, viz. beside these seven, one active which they name the quadriliteral conjugation, of which Hithpael is derived. Their objections to seven, as well as their reasons for eight, we suspect, are the following:

It is highly improbable that three out of seven conjugations shall be wanting in two important classes of numerous verbs y and W. It is at the same time incorrect to substitute for them, others in different irregular shapes and structure, whilst, these verbs are to be found: sometimes only in their original structure of Piel, Pual, and Hithpael (see table in the Appendix,) sometimes only in the quadriliteral forms, (see Appendix) and sometimes in both forms at once. which the author of our work exhibits as an example in his Paradigm, p. 208, is found in both forms, quadriliteral and common, (see Appendix.) Also the verb represented by the author in his Paradigm p. 210, is found both in common Piel,

כב Even the verb

(Isa. xliv. 26,) and there exist even regular verbs in quadriliteral

אֲקוֹמֵם Ps. cxix. 28, as well as in a quadriliteral form) קַיְמֵנוּ as

תְּאָכְלֵהוּ (.15 .Job, ix) לִמְשֹׁפְטִי (.5 .Ps. ci) מלושני

forms, as:

(Job, xx. 26.) of verbs

.

In the Appendix, we shall exhibit a table of all verbs in yy;

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it is unnecessary to draw up one of verbs W as they are plainly to be seen in all correct Lexicons. The small space allowed will only permit us to furnish the reader with one instance from the Bible, for every form in the table at the Appendix.

"§ 173, (b) In Hebrew grammar, the word conjugation is applied to different forms of the same verb, and corresponds in some degree with the term voice in Greek grammar, although it is employed in a much more extensive sense. The passive and middle voices, in Greek, exhibit the original idea of the verb under certain modifications, or with

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