Number Singular

Summary

The singular form of a term refers to a single item, or a collection of items all of the same kind.

Article

In Biblical Hebrew, a word in its singular form usually refers to a single item, or to a collection of items all of the same kind. For nouns and adjectives, the singular form is the standard form found in a dictionary or lexicon.

Form

Nouns and adjectives

Masculine singular nouns have no special endings.

Feminine singular nouns usually end in either ־ָה or ־ֶת.

Singular Noun Paradigm

Parsing	Hebrew	Transliteration	Gloss
masculine singular absolute	סוּס	sus	stallion
masculine singular construct	סוּס	sus	stallion of
feminine singular absolute	סוּסָה	susah	mare
feminine singular construct	סוּסַת	susat	mare of

Singular Adjective Paradigm

Parsing	Hebrew	Transliteration	Gloss
masculine singular absolute	טוֹב	tov	good
masculine singular construct	טוֹב	tov	good
feminine singular absolute	טוֹבָה	tovah	good
feminine singular construct	טוֹבַת	tovath	good

Other terms

Besides nouns, a singular term can be recognized by a variety of changes to the form. These changes differ greatly from each other and are hard to sum up in a simple, helpful way. This paradigm shows a sample of the kinds of changes that signal a singular form for verbs, independent personal pronouns, and pronominal suffixes.

Qal Suffix Conjugation Singular Forms

Parsing	Hebrew	Transliteration	Gloss
common singular first person	קָטַלְתִּי	qatalti	I killed
second person masculine singular	קָטַלְתָּ	qatalta	you killed
second person feminine singular	קָטַלְתְּ	qatalt	you killed
third person masculine singular	קָטַל	qatal	he killed
third person feminine singular	קָטְלָה	qatlah	she killed
common singular first person	אֶקְטֹל	‘eqtol	I will kill
second person masculine singular	תִּקְטֹל	tiqtol	you will kill
second person feminine singular	תִּקְטְלִי	tiqteli	you will kill
third person masculine singular	יִקְטֹל	yiqtol	he will kill
third person feminine singular	תִּקְטֹל	tiqtol	she will kill

Independent Personal Pronoun Singular Forms

Parsing	Hebrew	Transliteration	Gloss
second person masculine singular	אַתָּה	‘attah	you
second person feminine singular	אַתְּ	‘at	you
third person masculine singular	הוּא	hu	he / it
third person feminine singular	הִיא / הִוא	hi / hiw	she / it

Direct Object Marker with Pronominal Suffix Singular Forms

Parsing	Hebrew	Transliteration	Gloss
second person masculine singular	אֹתְךָ	‘othekha	you
second person feminine singular	אֹתָךְ	‘othakh	you
third person masculine singular	אֹתוֹ	‘otho	him / it
third person feminine singular	אֹתָהּ	‘othah	her / it

Pronominal Suffix Singular Forms

Parsing	Hebrew	Transliteration	Gloss
second person masculine singular	לְךָ / - ְךָ	lekha / -ekha	(to) you
second person feminine singular	לָךְ / - ָךְ	lakh / -akh	(to) you
third person masculine singular	לוֹ / -וֹ	lo / -o	(to) him
third person feminine singular	לָהּ / - ָהּ	lah / -ah	(to) her

Examples

Nouns marked as singular

Common Singular

Example: ISA 1:3

יָדַ֥ע שֹׁור֙ קֹנֵ֔הוּ וַחֲמֹ֖ור אֵב֣וּס בְּעָלָ֑יו

yada’ showr qonehu wahamowr ‘evus be’alayw

He-knows ox his-owner and-the-donkey manger-of his-master

The ox knows his owner, and the donkey his master’s feeding trough

Proper names are always singular, but can be either common singular or collective singular.

Example: OBA 1:1 –– proper name with common singular

חֲזֹ֖ון עֹֽבַדְיָ֑ה

hazown ‘ovadyah

Vision-of Obadiah

The vision of Obadiah

Example: 1SA 29:1 –– proper names with collective singular and common singular

וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל חֹנִ֔ים בַּעַ֖יִן אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּיִזְרְעֶֽאל׃

weyisra’el honim ba’ayin ‘asher beyizre’el

and-Israel camped at-the-spring which-is in-Jezreel.

the Israelites camped by the spring that is in Jezreel.

Collective Singular

Sometimes a singular noun can refer to an entire kind of item rather than an individual entity. For example, the noun עַם “(people”) is singular and refers to an entire group of people as a single unit.

Example: EXO 6:7 –– collective singular of עַם

וְלָקַחְתִּ֨י אֶתְכֶ֥ם לִי֙ לְעָ֔ם

insert transliteration

And-I-take [dir.obj]-you to-me for-people

I will take you to myself as my people

With some nouns, the singular form can be used as either a common singular or a collective singular. For example, the noun עוֹף֙ can mean “bird” or “birds”.

Example: GEN 1:21 –– common singular of עוֹף

וְאֵ֨ת כָּל־ע֤וֹף כָּנָף֙ לְמִינֵ֔הוּ

we’eth kol-‘of kanaf leminehu

and-[dir.obj] every_winged bird after-its-kind.

every kind of bird that has wings

Example: GEN 40:17 –– collective singular of עוֹף

וְהָע֗וֹף אֹכֵ֥ל אֹתָ֛ם מִן־הַסַּ֖ל מֵעַ֥ל רֹאשִֽׁי

weha’of ‘okhel ‘otham min-hassal me’al roshi

and-the-birds ate them out-of_the-basket from-on my-head.

but birds were eating them from the top basket that was on my head

Adjectives marked as singular

An adjective (also active and passive adjectival participles) in singular form describes a singular noun (either common or collective).

Example: 2KI 20:19 –– predicate adjective with common singular

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.

Example: PRO 28:15 –– adjectival participle with common singular

אֲרִי־נֹ֭הֵם וְדֹ֣ב שׁוֹקֵ֑ק

insert transliteration

lion_roaring and-bear charging

Like a roaring lion or a charging bear

Verbs marked as singular

A finite verb (and/or verbal participle) in singular form indicates that the subject of the verb is singular (either common or collective).

Example: GEN 1:20 –– finite verb with collective singular

וְעוֹף֙ יְעוֹפֵ֣ף עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ

insert tranliteration

and-birds let-them-fly on_[def.art]-earth

and let birds fly above the earth

Example: GEN 1:11 –– verbal participle with collective singular

עֵ֚שֶׂב מַזְרִ֣יעַ זֶ֔רַע

insert transliteration

herbs producing seed

plants yielding seed

Participles marked as singular

Generally, all nominal and adjectival participles in plural form use the common singular. A verbal participle in plural form indicates that the subject of the participle is plural.

Example: PSA 104:3 –– nominal participle with common singular

הַֽ֝מְהַלֵּ֗ךְ עַל־כַּנְפֵי־רֽוּחַ

insert transliteration [NOMINAL PARTICIPLE]

[def.art]-walker on_wings-of_wind

you walk on the wings of the wind

Example: PRO 28:15 –– adjectival participle with common singular

אֲרִי־נֹ֭הֵם וְדֹ֣ב שׁוֹקֵ֑ק

insert transliteration

lion_roaring and-bear charging

Like a roaring lion or a charging bear

Example: GEN 1:11 –– verbal participle with collective singular

עֵ֚שֶׂב מַזְרִ֣יעַ זֶ֔רַע

insert transliteration

herbs producing seed

plants yielding seed

Personal pronouns and pronominal suffixes marked as singular

Example: JER 37:2 –– independent personal pronoun with common singular

וְלֹ֥א שָׁמַ֛ע ה֥וּא וַעֲבָדָ֖יו וְעַ֣ם הָאָ֑רֶץ

welo shama’ hu wa’avadayw we’am ha’arets

and-not he-listened he and-his-servants and-people-of the-land

but he, his servants, and the people of the land did not listen

Example: 2SA 19:4 (2SA 19:1 in Hebrew) –– pronominal suffix with common singular

בְּנִ֤י אַבְשָׁלֹום֙ בְּנִ֣י בְנִ֣י

beni ‘avshalowm beni veni

My-son Absalom my-son my-son

My son Absalom, my son, my son!