Bible HebrewMy, His, Our on Plural Nouns
“His sons” בָּנָיו, “our God” אֱלֹהֵינוּ: the endings on plural nouns, and the י that marks them.
My, his, our on plural nouns: look for the י
In Personal Pronouns you met the endings on one thing: סוּסִי “my horse”. On a plural noun the endings change a little, and they share one sign: a י before the ending. The plural ending ־ִים drops off and the new ending takes its place: בָּנִים “sons” becomes בָּנָיו “his sons” (Genesis 9:1).
אֱלֹהִים “God” is plural in form, so it takes these endings, even when it means the one God:
| Whose | Ending | On אֱלֹהִים |
|---|---|---|
| my | ־ַי | אֱלֹהַי my God (Psalm 3:8) |
| your (said to a man) | ־ֶיךָ | אֱלֹהֶיךָ your God (Deuteronomy 6:5) |
| his | ־ָיו | אֱלֹהָיו his God (Exodus 32:11) |
| her | ־ֶיהָ | אֱלֹהֶיהָ her gods (Ruth 1:15) |
| our | ־ֵינוּ | אֱלֹהֵינוּ our God (Deuteronomy 6:4) |
| your (said to a group) | ־ֵיכֶם | אֱלֹהֵיכֶם your God (Leviticus 19:2) |
| their | ־ֵיהֶם | אֱלֹהֵיהֶם their God (Exodus 29:46) |
So שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ יְהוָה אֶחָד is “Hear, O Israel: yəḥawwe our God, yəḥawwe is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). In ־ָיו “his”, the י is silent. Compare one and more than one:
| One | More than one |
|---|---|
| בְּנִי my son | בָּנַי my sons |
| יָדוֹ his hand (Genesis 22:10) | יָדָיו his hands (Genesis 48:14) |
| דְּבָרוֹ his word | דְּבָרָיו his words (1 Samuel 3:19) |
| בִּתֵּנוּ our daughter (Genesis 34:17) | בְּנֹתֵינוּ our daughters (Genesis 34:9) |
Plurals in ־וֹת keep it and add the same endings: מִצְוֹתָיו “his commandments”. These are also the endings you met on longer prepositions in Prepositions with Endings: אֵלָיו “to him”, עָלָיו “upon him”, לְפָנָיו “before him”.
Check yourself
What sign shows that “my, his, our” is on a plural noun?
✓ a י before the ending · a ה on the front · a dot in the first letter · a ו on the end
יָדוֹ “his hand”, יָדָיו “his hands”.
What does יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵינוּ mean (Deuteronomy 6:4)?
✓ yəḥawwe our God · yəḥawwe my God · yəḥawwe their God · yəḥawwe your God
אֱלֹהִים “God” with the ending ־ֵינוּ “our”: אֱלֹהֵינוּ “our God”.
Which means “his hands” (Genesis 48:14)?
✓ יָדָיו · יָדוֹ · יָדַי · יָדֵינוּ
־ָיו “his” on a plural. יָדוֹ is “his hand”, one.
“Abraham lifted up עֵינָיו” (Genesis 22:4). What does עֵינָיו mean?
✓ his eyes · his eye · my eyes · their eyes
עֵינַיִם “eyes” with ־ָיו “his”: the י shows more than one.
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