Summary
A personal pronoun is a word that indirectly refers to a particular person(s) or thing(s). In English, the
following words are personal pronouns: “I”, “we”, “you”, “he”, “she”, “they”, “them”.
Article
In Biblical Hebrew, personal pronouns change form according to gender (masculine, feminine, or common), number (singular, or plural),
and person (first, second, or third). Grammatically they are very similar to pronominal suffixes, but they
stand alone rather than attaching to other kinds of words; also, they are more limited in their function.
Function
As a general noun
Example: ISA 41:10
- אַל־תִּירָא֙ כִּ֣י עִמְּךָ־אָ֔נִי אַל־תִּשְׁתָּ֖ע
- כִּֽי־אֲנִ֣י אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ
|
| ‘al-tira’ ki ‘immekha-‘ani ‘al-tishta’ ki-‘ani ‘eloheykha |
| Not_fear for with-you_I not_be-anxious for_I your-God |
- Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not be anxious, for I am
- your God.
|
Example: EXO 6:2
| אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה |
| ‘ani yehwah |
| I Yahweh |
| I am Yahweh. |
Example: JER 12:1
| צַדִּ֤יק אַתָּה֙ |
| tsaddiq ‘attah |
| righteous you |
| you are righteous |
As subject of a finite verb
Sometimes an independent personal pronoun appears as the subject of a finite verb even though the pronominal subject is
already indicated by the verb form iteself. In these cases, the personal pronoun functions to emphasize the personal role of
the subject in performing the verbal action. When used in this way, the personal pronoun is often translated reflexively in
English: “myself”, “yourself”, etc.
Example: 1KI 18:22
| אֲנִ֞י נֹותַ֧רְתִּי נָבִ֛יא לַיהוָ֖ה |
| ‘ani nowtharti navi layhwah |
| I I-am-left prophet for-Yahweh |
| I, I alone, am left as a prophet of Yahweh |
Example: DEU 8:1
| אָנֹכִ֧י מְצַוְּךָ֛ |
| ‘anokhi metsawwekha |
| I am-commanding-you |
| I am giving you |
Sometimes a personal pronoun simply repeats a noun or pronominal suffix that has appeared earlier in the sentence. The specific
function of the repeated pronoun must be discerned from the context in these cases, but often the repetition expresses some
kind of emphasis on the identified person(s) or thing(s) within the sentence.
Example: GEN 27:34
| בָּרֲכֵ֥נִי גַם־אָ֖נִי אָבִֽי |
| barakheni gam-‘ani ‘avi |
| Bless-me also_me my-father |
| Bless me, me also, my father |
Example: EZR 7:6
| ה֤וּא עֶזְרָא֙ עָלָ֣ה מִבָּבֶ֔ל |
| hu ‘ezra’ ‘alah mibbavel |
| He Ezra came-up from-Babylon |
| Ezra came up from Babylon |
Example: GEN 36:1
| עֵשָׂ֖ו ה֥וּא אֱדֽוֹם |
| ‘esaw hu ‘edom |
| Esau he Edom |
| Esau (also called Edom) |