The idea of opposition or contrast may be expressed in Classical Hebrew by the lexemes אֲבָל ʾăḇå̄l and אוּלָם ʾūlå̄m. The adverb אֲבָל ʾăḇå̄l expresses the antithesis of a previously stated idea: אֲבָל֙ שָׂרָ֣ה אִשְׁתְּךָ֗ יֹלֶ֤דֶת לְךָ֙ בֵּ֔ן ʾăḇå̄l śå̄rå̄ ʾištǝḵå̄ yōlɛḏɛṯ lǝḵå̄ bēn ‘(No), but your wife Sarah shall bear you a son’ (Gen. 17.19) (Clines 1993 1:109; HALOT 1:7). Similarly the conjunction אוּלָם ʾūlå̄m may denote contrast either in a nominal clause (e.g., וְאוּלָ֛ם ל֥וּז שֵׁם־הָעִ֖יר לָרִאשֹׁנָֽה wǝ-ʾūlå̄m lūz šēm-hå̄-ʿīr lå̄-rīšōnå̄ ‘but Luz was the name of the city at f…
Adversative: Biblical Hebrew(382 words)
Cite this page
Arnold, Bill T., “Adversative: Biblical Hebrew”, in: Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics, Edited by: Geoffrey Khan. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/2212-4241_ehll_EHLL_COM_00000029>
First published online: 2013
First print edition: 9789004176423
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