Focus Construction with kî ʾim in Biblical Hebrew

The combination of the two particles כי and אם produces a construction that is notoriously difficult to describe, analyze syntactically, and translate. Dictionaries of Biblical Hebrew offer a dizzying variety of translations for this construction, including “that if,” “except,” “unless,” “but,” “but only,” and “surely,” among other possibilities. In this book, Grace J. Park provides a new approach that strives for greater precision and consistency in translation. Park argues that כי אם is used in three 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 lends greater clarity to the contested passages.

Drawing on recent linguistic research into the typology of clausal nominalization as well as previous work on contrastive focus, this innovative project provides important new insight into the syntax of Biblical Hebrew. It will be especially valuable for scholars seeking to translate כי אם more consistently and accurately.

Grace J. Park is Postdoctoral Researcher at the Freie Universität Berlin.

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Technical Terms

Chapter 1. Introduction

1.1. Introduction

1.2. Previous Explanations of כי אם

1.3. The Focus כי אם Pattern

1.3.1. Change in Word Order in Part C

1.3.2. Negative Polarity Items (NPIs)

1.3.3. Negative Polarity Items in the Focus כי אם Pattern

1.4. Problems with Previous Analyses of כי אם as a Unit

1.5. Contrastive Focus with a Change in Word Order

1.5.1. Different Types of Word Order Change in Biblical Hebrew

1.5.2. Change of Word Order in Part C

1.5.3. Contrastive Focus

1.6. Plan

Chapter 2. כי in the Focus כי אם Pattern

2.1. Introduction

2.2. Stand-Alone Nominalization

2.2.1 Evans’s Use of Ellipsis

2.2.2. Mithun’s Notion of Extension

2.2.3. Ellipsis vs. Extension for the Analysis of Biblical Hebrew

2.3. Clausal Nominalizations Formed with כי : Sentence Level vs. Discourse Level

2.3.1. Contextual Effects at the Sentence Level

2.3.2. Assertion as a Contextual Effect at the Discourse Level

2.3.3. Interrogative (Rhetorical Question) as a Contextual Effect at the Discourse Level

2.3.4. Mirativity as a Contextual Effect at the Discourse Level

2.3.5. Contrastive Focus as a Contextual Effect at the Discourse Level

2.4. Summary

Chapter 3. אם in the Focus כי אם Pattern

3.1. Introduction

3.2. Antithetic Conditional Protases

3.3. Ellipsis in the Pseudo-F ocus כי אם Pattern

3.4. Ellipsis after אם in the Focus כי אם Pattern

3.5. Ellipsis of אם or כי אם in the Focus כי אם Pattern

3.6. Summary

Chapter 4. The Full and Reduced Focus כי אם Pattern

4.1. Introduction

4.2. Parallelism between Part A and Part B + C

4.3. Repetition of Verbal Phrases in the Full Focus כי אם Pattern

4.3.1. Typical Examples of the Full Focus כי אם Pattern

4.3.2. Semantically Equivalent Verbal Phrases in Part A and Part C

4.4. The Reduced Focus כי אם Pattern: Ellipsis of the Repeated Verbal Phrase in Part C

4.5. Ellipsis in Part A

4.5.1. Ellipsis of the Negated Element in Part A

4.5.2. Ellipsis of Part A in Its Entirety

4.6. Ellipsis and Its Constraints

4.6.1. The Focus כי אם Pattern and the Constraint on Coordinate Structures

4.6.2. The Focus כי אם Pattern and the Constraint on Forward Ellipsis

4.6.3. The Focus כי אם Pattern and the Constraint of the Semantic Relations of Nonelided Constituents

4.6.4. The Focus כי אם Pattern and the Constraint on Content Identity

4.6.5. The Focus כי אם Pattern and the Constraint on Context Identity

4.6.6. The Focus כי אם Pattern and the Constraint on Local Proximity

4.7. Summary

Chapter 5. Right Dislocation in Part C

5.1. Introduction

5.2. Right Dislocation in the Full Focus כי אם Pattern

5.2.1. Jer 9:22–23

5.2.2. Jer 7:22–23

5.2.3. Deut 7:2c–5

5.2.4. Parenthetical Units and the Focus כי אם Pattern

5.3. Right Dislocation in the Reduced Focus כי אם Pattern

5.3.1. 2 Sam 13:33

5.3.2. Jer 16:14–15 and Jer 31:29–30

5.3.3. Ezek 12:23

5.3.4. Deut 12:4–7

5.3.5. 2 Chr 25:7b–8a

5.3.6. Isa 65:17–18

5.3.7. 1 Sam 8:19

5.4. Summary

Chapter 6. Different Ways to Express Negation in Part A

6.1. Introduction

6.2. Rhetorical Questions Formed with אם

6.3. Rhetorical Questions Formed with אם in Oaths

6.3.1. Conditional אם Clauses vs. Rhetorical Questions Formed with אם

6.3.2. The כּהֹ יעַשֲֶׂה Oath Formula and Right Dislocation

6.3.3. The כּהֹ יעַשֲֶׂה Oath Formula as a Parenthetical Unit

6.4. Rhetorical Questions Introduced by אם in Part A

6.4.1. Ezek 33:11 and Gen 42:15

6.4.2. Num 14:30–31

6.5. Rhetorical Questions with Interrogative Pronouns in Part A

6.5.1. Deut 10:12–13 and Eccl 5:10

6.5.2. Isa 42:19a and 2 Chr 2:5

6.6. Unmarked Rhetorical Question in Part A

6.7. Embedded Negation in Part A

6.7.1. Deut 12:13–14 and 2 Kgs 10:23

6.7.2. 2 Kgs 5:15 and Eccl 3:12

6.8. Summary

Chapter 7. The Multiple Focus כי אם Pattern

7.1. Introduction

7.2. Typical Examples of the Multiple Focus כי אם Pattern

7.2.1. Deut 12:13–14

7.2.2. 2 Kgs 17:35–37

7.2.3. Deut 12:17–18

7.2.4. Ps 1:1–2

7.3. Multiple Focus כי אם Pattern in Reduced Form

7.3.1. Resumptive Elements in the Focus כי אם Pattern

7.3.2. Lev 21:1b–3

7.4. Ezek 44:9b–16 as a Multiple Focus כי אם Pattern

7.4.1. Previous Readings of Ezek 44:9b–16

הֵמּהָ .

7.4.2 in Ezek 44:9b–16

7.4.3. Redefinition of the Extent of the אשר Clause

יבָוֹא אלֶ־מקִדְָּשׁיִ .

7.4.4 in Part A and Part C

7.4.5. Parenthetical Unit: vv. 12–14

7.5. Summary

Chapter 8. The Precondition Focus כי אם Pattern

8.1. Introduction

8.2. The Full Precondition Focus כי אם Pattern

8.3. The Reduced Precondition Focus כי אם Pattern

8.3.1. 2 Kgs 4:24

8.3.2. 2 Kgs 23:9

8.3.3. Isa 55:10–11

8.3.4. Isa 59:1–2

8.4. Rhetorical Precondition Focus כי אם Pattern

8.4.1. Judg 15:7 (Full Form)

8.4.2. Isa 65:6 (Reduced Form)

8.4.3. Gen 47:18 (Reduced Form)

8.4.4. 2 Sam 5:6 (Reduced Form)

8.5. Summary

Chapter 9. The Nonfocus כי אם Pattern

9.1. Introduction

כי אם .

9.2 with a Conditional Protasis Formed with אם

אם .

9.2.1 Clause Repeating the Preceding Passage

אם .

9.2.2 Clause that Negates the Preceding Passage

אם .

9.2.3 Clause that Neither Repeats Nor Negates the Preceding Passage

כי אם .

9.3 with a Concessive אם Clause

כי אם .

9.4 with a Temporal אם Clause

כי אם .

9.5 with Rhetorical Questions Formed with אם

9.5.1. Rhetorical Questions Beginning with כי אם in Oaths

9.5.2. Rhetorical Questions Beginning with כי אם in Nonoath Contexts

9.6. Summary

Chapter 10. Possible Examples of the Focus כי אם Pattern

10.1. Introduction

10.2. The Ellipsis of אם in Part B

10.2.1. Some Examples of the לא . . . כי Construction

10.2.2. Rhetorical Questions in Part A

10.3. The Ellipsis of כי אם in Part B

10.4. The Ellipsis of אם in Part B as well as the Entirety of Part A

10.5. Summary

Chapter 11. Conclusion

Appendix A: The Full Focus כי אם Pattern

Appendix B: The Reduced Focus כי אם Pattern

Appendix C: The Nonfocus כי אם Pattern

Bibliography

Ancient Sources Index

Subject Index

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