Article
In Bibical Hebrew, adjectives always match the noun they describe in gender (masculine or feminine) and number (singular or plural). However, there are some exceptions to this rule. If a noun is dual, its accompanying adjective will be plural. Also, the gender of some nouns does not match their apparent form (as in נָשִׁים "women", which is grammatically-feminine although it appears grammatically-masculine); in these cases, an accompanying adjective will match the gender of the noun itself rather than the apparent form. Similarly, if a noun is collective (as in עַם, meaning "people") or if a plural noun refers to one person (as in אֱלֹהִים, meaning "God"), the accompanying adjective may match the implied number rather than the apparent form.
Form
The forms of the adjective closely resemble the forms of the noun.
Paradigm
| word | Hebrew | Transliteration | Gloss |
|---|
| masculine singular absolute | טוֹב | tov | good |
| masculine singular construct | טוֹב | tov | good |
| masculine singular determined | הַטּוֹב | hattov | the good |
| feminine singular absolute | טוֹבָה | tovah | good |
| feminine singular construct | טוֹבַת | tovath | good |
| feminine singular determined | הַטּוֹבָה | hattovah | the good |
| masculine plural absolute | טוֹבִים | tovim | good |
| masculine plural contruct | טוֹבֵי | tove | good |
| mascuuline plural determined | הַטּוֹבִים | hattovim | the good |
| feminine plural absolute | טוֹבוֹת | tovoth | good |
| feminine plural construct | טוֹבוֹת | tovoth | good |
| feminine plural determined | הַטּוֹבוֹת | hattovoth | the good |
Function
Attributive
An attributive adjective is an adjective that describes a noun. This is the most common use of adjectives in Biblical Hebrew. In almost all instances, attributive adjectives immediately follow the noun that they describe and have the same form. Thus, if the noun is masculine, the adjective is also masculine; if the noun is singular, the adjective is also singular; if the noun is definite, the adjective is also definite; and so on.
NOTE: When cardinal and ordinal numbers are used as attributive adjectives, they sometimes come before the noun they describe instead of after the noun.
| בִתִּ֨י הַגְּדוֹלָ֤ה |
| vitti **haggedolah** |
| my-daughter **the-old** |
| my **older** daughter |
| כִּ֣י עִ֤יר **גְּדוֹלָה֙** גִּבְע֔וֹן |
|
| for city **great** Gibeon |
| because Gibeon was a **large** city |
Predicative
A predicative adjective is an adjective that describes a noun using a linking verb. Often the linking verb is not present in the Hebrew text and must be supplied when translating into English. Like attributive adjectives, predicative adjectives usually have the same form as the noun they describe in both gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural). Unlike attributive adjectives, however, a predicative adjective can be indefinite even if it describes a definite noun.
NOTE: Sometimes, predicative adjectives and attributive adjectives look identical and must be distinguished based only on the context.
| וַאדֹנִ֣י חָכָ֗ם |
| wadoni **hakham** |
| And-my-lord **wise** |
| My master is **wise** |
| טֹ֥וב דְּבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר דִּבַּ֑רְתָּ |
| **towv** devar-yehwah 'asher dibbarta |
| **Good** word-of_Yahweh that you-spoke. |
| The word of Yahweh that you have spoken is **good**. |
Substantive
A substantive adjective is an adjective that functions as a noun in the sentence. This is a common occurrence in Biblical Hebrew.
| רַ֝בִּ֗ים קָמִ֥ים עָלָֽי |
| **rabbim** qamim 'alay |
| **many** are-rising-up against-me |
| **many people** are rising up against me |
| לָכֵ֗ן כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ **קְד֣וֹשׁ** יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל |
|
| Therefore thus he-says **holy-of** Israel |
| Therefore the **Holy One** of Israel says, |
Adverbial
An adverbial adjective is an adjective that functions as an adverb, meaning that it describes a verb instead of a noun. This is a rare occurrence in Biblical Hebrew.
| כִּ֥י לָהֶ֛ם הָיָ֥ה הַגּוֹרָ֖ל רִיאשֹׁנָֽה |
|
| for to-them it-was the-lot **first** |
| For the **first** casting of lots had fallen to them. |
Other Uses
Comparative
In Biblical Hebrew, adjectives are often used with either the preposition מִן ("from") or the phrase מִכֹּל ("from all") to express a comparison between two or more items.
| מַה־**מָּת֣וֹק** מִדְּבַ֔שׁ וּמֶ֥ה **עַ֖ז** מֵאֲרִ֑י |
| mah-**mmathoq** middevash umeh **'az** me'ari |
| What_**sweet** than-honey and-what **strong** from-lion |
| What is **sweeter** than honey, and what is **stronger** than a lion |
| וְהַנָּחָשׁ֙ הָיָ֣ה **עָר֔וּם מִכֹּל֙** חַיַּ֣ת הַשָּׂדֶ֔ה |
| wehannahash hayah **'arum mikkol** hayyath hassadeh |
| And-the-serpent was **shrewd from-all** beings-of the-field |
| Now the serpent was **more shrewd than any other** beast of the field |
Intensive
In Biblical Hebrew, the meaning of an adjective can be strengthened by pairing it either with the word מְאֹד ("very") or with the phrase לֵאלֹהִים ("to God").
| וְהִנֵּה־ט֖וֹב מְאֹ֑ד |
| wehinneh-**tov me'od** |
| And-behold_**good very** |
| Behold, it was **very good** |
| עִיר־גְּדוֹלָה֙ לֵֽאלֹהִ֔ים |
| 'ir-**gedolah lelohim** |
| city_**great to-God** |
| a **very large** city |
Superlative
Biblical Hebrew utilizes different ways to strengthen an adjective to its greatest degree ("the smallest", "the greatest", etc.). Usually, the superlative meaning of an adjective must be determined from the context.
| עֹ֚וד שָׁאַ֣ר הַקָּטָ֔ן |
| 'owd sha'ar **haqqatan** |
| Still remains **the-young** |
| There remains yet **the youngest** |
| טוֹבָ֣ם כְּחֵ֔דֶק |
| **tovam** kehedeq |
| **good-their** like-brier |
| **the best of them** is like a brier |
- SNG 1:8 –– adjective with a prepositional phrase
| הַיָּפָ֖ה בַּנָּשִׁ֑ים |
| **hayyafah** bannashim |
| **the-fair** among-women |
| **the fairest** among women |
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