Lesson 9 | Suffixes + Construct Form
[5] Directional and Paragogic
There are two more loose ends to tie up in this lesson on suffixes. (Don’t worry—they are easy!) Before we do, review the first six lines of this summary chart on Hebrew prefixes and suffixes.
types of prefixes and suffixes
| conjunction |
וַיְסַפֵּר |
and he told |
| article |
הַחֲלוֹם |
the dream |
| preposition |
לְהִשְׁתַּחֲוֺת |
to bow down |
| relative |
שֶׁגַּם |
that also |
| interrogative |
הֲבוֹא נָבוֹא |
will we surely come? |
| | |
| pronominal |
אָבִיו |
his father |
| directional |
אָרְצָה |
to [the] ground |
| paragogic |
וָאֶתְּנָה |
and I gave |
Directional ה
We do not have anything like this in English, but it is not hard to understand. As you can see in the chart above, words of location like אֶרֶץ (earth, land, ground) can receive this suffix when that location is where you are headed—אָרְצָה (to the land/ground).
Paragogic ה and ן
The final type of suffix is called “paragogic.” This is a fancy word meaning to lengthen. And that is really all it does. It is an add-on letter that has no definite effect on the meaning (though some suggest it adds emphasis).
So, unlike the ה prefixes, it can be difficult to distinguish the meaning of a ה at the end of a word. Is it a 3fs pronoun suffix? Maybe its a directional suffix? Or is it a paragogic suffix, added simply to keep me on my toes? Your ability to answer these questions will only come with experience in the text.