Focus Construction with ki ?im in Biblical Hebrew

A discourse-analytical approach to contrastive focus in Biblical Hebrew, providing a systematic framework for interpreting numerous difficult passages in the Hebrew Bible.

Format: Hardback
Length: 300 pages
Publication date: 07 November 2023
Publisher: Pennsylvania State University Press

This study employs cutting-edge linguistic theory to examine a recurring syntactic phenomenon in the Hebrew Bible that has thus far defied explanation: כי אם. The combination of the two particles כי and אם yields a construction that is notoriously challenging to describe, analyze syntactically, and translate. Dictionaries of Biblical Hebrew offer a bewildering array of translations for this construction, including "that if," "except," "unless," "but," "but only," and "surely," among other possibilities. In this book, Grace J. Park presents a novel approach that aims for greater precision and consistency in translation. Park argues that כי אם is employed in three distinct patterns: the "full focus" pattern, the "reduced focus" pattern, and the less common "non-focus" pattern. Her syntactic analysis of all 156 occurrences of the כי אם construction in the Bible provides greater clarity to the contentious passages.

Drawing on recent linguistic research into the typology of clausal nominalization and previous work on contrastive focus, this innovative project offers valuable new insights into the syntax of Biblical Hebrew. It will be particularly useful for scholars seeking to translate כי אם more consistently and accurately.

Weight: 612g
Dimension: 159 x 236 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781646022465