Hebrew Syntax: An Outline

Ronald J. Williams

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802022189 ISBN 13: 9780802022189

Publisher: University of Toronto Press, 1976

Although the morphology and lexicon of Hebrew are reasonably well understood, its syntax has long been a neglected area of study. Syntax, the relationship of words to one another, forms, together with morphology, the material of grammar. Its relative importance varies according to the language considered. This is particularly true of word order, for when an inflected language loses its case endings, word order assumes many of the functions of the former cases. This outline by Professor Williams re-emphasizes the significance of word order in Hebrew. Developed over fifteen years in a formal course on Hebrew syntax at the University of Toronto, it treats the syntax of the noun, the verb, particles and clauses, with a selection of illustrative examples. Its contents are based on classical Hebrew prose, but some account is also taken of the deviations in later prose and poetry. In this new edition English translations have been provided for all Hebrew phrases and sentences, and the bibliography has been expanded.

About the Author:

RONALD J. WILLIAMS is Professor Emeritus of Hebrew and Egyptology in the Department of Near Eastern Studies, University of Toronto.

From the Inside Flap:

'The particular excellence of the book... is its abundant quotation, to illustrate every nuance of the language of the Hebrew Bible.'