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Tag: Genesis 1:1

By Biblical Hebrew

The Use of the Definite Direct Object Marker אֵת in Biblical Hebrew (Genesis 1:1)

Genesis 1:1 in Hebrew בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃ Introduction to אֵת The word אֵת appears twice in Genesis 1:1: - אֵת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם – "the heavens" - וְאֵת הָאָֽרֶץ – "and the earth" In Biblical Hebrew, אֵת functions as the definite direct object marker, which means it marks the noun that receives the…

By Aramaic Grammar

“Yat” and the Marking of Definiteness: The Syntax of Direct Objects in Targum Onkelos

בְּקַדְמִין בְּרָא יְיָ יָת שְׁמַיָּא וְיָת אַרְעָא (Genesis 1:1 in Targum Onkelos) In the beginning, the LORD created the heavens and the earth Opening Focus: Why Study יָת? In Biblical Aramaic, and especially in Targum Onkelos, the particle יָת (yat) plays a critical grammatical role. It marks definite direct objects, a feature not found in…

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