Bible HebrewNoun Gender & Number
Masculine/feminine, singular/plural endings.
Every noun is masculine or feminine
Endings usually show gender and number:
| Ending | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| masculine, one | — | סוּס a horse |
| masculine, many | ־ִים | סוּסִים horses |
| feminine, one | ־ָה | סוּסָה a mare |
| feminine, many | ־וֹת | סוּסוֹת mares |
| a pair | ־ַיִם | יָדַיִם two hands |
Some nouns break the pattern: אֶרֶץ (land) and עִיר (city) are feminine without ־ָה, and אָבוֹת (fathers) is masculine with ־וֹת.
Adjectives come after the noun and match it: אִישׁ טוֹב “a good man”, אִשָּׁה טוֹבָה “a good woman”. Verbs match their subject too: for a man or a king, הָלַךְ “he walked”; for a woman, the verb takes ־ָה, “she walked”. (This is called subject-verb agreement: the verb agrees with the one who acts.)
Check yourself
Which ending usually marks a masculine plural?
✓ ־ִים · ־וֹת · ־ָה · ־ַיִם
The ending ־ִים usually marks many men or masculine things: סוּס is “horse”, and סוּסִים is “horses”.
Which ending usually marks a feminine singular?
✓ ־ָה · ־ִים · ־וֹת · ־ֵי
The ending ־ָה usually marks a feminine word: סוּס is “horse”, and סוּסָה is “mare”.
What does the ending ־ַיִם usually mark?
✓ a pair (dual) · feminine plural · “the” · “my”
The ending ־ַיִם marks a pair: יָד is “hand”, and יָדַיִם is “two hands”.
Which ending usually marks a feminine plural?
✓ ־וֹת · ־ִים · ־ָה · ־ַיִם
The ending ־וֹת usually marks many women or feminine things: בַּת is “daughter”, and בָּנוֹת is “daughters”.
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