Bible HebrewPersonal Pronouns
I, you, he, she — independent and suffixed.
Pronouns stand alone or attach as endings
| English | Hebrew |
|---|---|
| I | אֲנִי |
| you (to a man) | אַתָּה |
| you (to a woman) | אַתְּ |
| he | הוּא |
| she | הִיא |
| we | אֲנַחְנוּ |
| you (to many people) | אַתֶּם |
| they | הֵם |
What “to a man” and “to a woman” mean. Hebrew has one “you” for a male and one for a female. The male form is used for a man, for God, and for a whole people spoken to as one person: שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל “Hear, O Israel” speaks to the nation as “you”, one. The female form is used for a woman, and for a city or people pictured as a woman, such as Jerusalem. “To many people” is the plural. These labels mean the form, wherever you see them.
“My, your, his…” are endings on the noun (here on סוּס, horse):
| English | Example |
|---|---|
| my | סוּסִי |
| your (to a man) | סוּסְךָ |
| his | סוּסוֹ |
| her | סוּסָהּ |
| our | סוּסֵנוּ |
| their | סוּסָם |
The same endings go on prepositions: לִי to me, לוֹ to him, לָנוּ to us. And Hebrew often leaves out “is”: הוּא הַמֶּלֶךְ “he (is) the king”.
Check yourself
On the way up the mountain, Isaac calls out אָבִי (Genesis 22:7). What does it mean?
✓ my father · his father · our father · a father
אָב “father” with the ending ־ִי “my”: אָבִי “my father”.
What does עַמּוֹ mean in “Israel his people” (Exodus 18:1)?
✓ his people · my people · their people · the people
עַם “people” with the ending ־וֹ “his”: עַמּוֹ “his people”.
God tells Moses אֲנִי יְהוָה (Exodus 6:2). What does it mean?
✓ I am yəḥawwe. · I and yəḥawwe · my yəḥawwe · I will be yəḥawwe.
Hebrew often leaves out “is” and “am”: אֲנִי “I” and יְהוָה “yəḥawwe” make the sentence “I am yəḥawwe”.
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