LESSON XII.
The Hebrew noun ebed belongs to the declension of factitious, euphonic segholate nouns of two syllables, with the tone on the penult and a furtive vowel on the final:
| Singular absolute. | Construct state. |
| עָ֑בֶדʿābed or עֶבֶדʿebed | עֶבֶדʿebed |
| With light suffix. | Grave suffix. |
| עַבְדִיʿabdî | עַבְדְכֶםʿabdĕkem |
| Plural absolute. | Construct state. |
| עֲבָדִיםʿăbādîm | עַבְדֵיʿabdê |
| With light suffix. | Grave suffix.[[1]] |
| עֲבָדַיʿăbāday | עַבְדֵיכֶםʿabdêkem |
[1]. Termed grave, because they always have the tone accent.
Declined with the personal pronoun, thus:
| Absolute | singular, | עֶבֶדʿebed | a slave. |
| Suff. | 1. | עַבְדִיʿabdî | my slave. |
| 2. m. | עַבְדְּךָʿabdĕkā | thy slave. | |
| 2. f. | עַבְדְךְʿabdk | thy slave. | |
| 3. m. | עַכְדְּךָʿakdĕkā | his slave. | |
| 3. f. | עַבְדָהּʿabdāh | her slave. | |
| 1. (plur.) | עַבְדֵנוּʿabdēnû | our slave. | |
| 2. m. | עַבְדְכֶםʿabdĕkem | your slave. | |
| 2. f. | עַבְדְכֶךʿabdĕkek | your slave. | |
| 3. m. | עַבְדָםʿabdām | their slave. | |
| 3. f. | עַבְדָךʿabdāk | their slave. | |
| Absolute | plural, | עֲבָדִיםʿăbādîm | slaves. |
| Suff. | 1. | עֲבָדַיʿăbāday | my slaves. |
| 2. m. | עֲבָדֶיךָʿăbādêkā | thy slaves. | |
| 2. f. | עֲבָדַיִךְʿăbādayik | thy slaves. | |
| 3. m. | עֲבָדָיוʿăbādāyw | his slaves. | |
| 3. f. | עֲבָדֶיהָʿăbādêhā | her slaves. | |
| 1. (plur.) | עֲבָדֵינוּʿăbādênû | our slaves. | |
| 2. m. | עֲבָדֵיכֶםʿăbādêkem | your slaves. | |
| 2. f. | עֲבְדֵיכֶןʿăbdêken | your slaves. | |
| 3. m. | עַבְדֵיהֶםʿabdêhem | their slaves. | |
| 3. f. | עַבְדֵיהֶןʿabdêhen | their slaves. |
Prefixed by a preposition, it will stand thus: בְּעבדbĕʿbd in, at, with, &c. a slave; or with לl thus, לְעבדlĕʿbd to, at, in, towards, till, until, &c. a slave; or, when the word עבדʿbd is used as a verb, it will stand in place of our infinitive mood, thus, לַֽעֲבֹ֨דlaʿăbōd to slave, as in Num. iv. 47. So this word עבדʿbd or any form of it may be prefixed by מm as a contraction of ןמnm, a preposition of various meanings or applications, as from, apart from, of, out of, by, &c. &c.; and so it may be prefixed by any of the letters הֶ֥אֱמַנְתִּ֖יheʾĕmantî forming the word heemanti, each prefixed letter giving to the root word some shade of meaning, emphasis, or adjective quality. So, also, it may be prefixed by כּk, used both as a preposition, and as a conjunction, thus, כִּעָבֶדkiʿābed as, so, according to, after, about, nearly, almost, &c. &c. a slave. Hebrew nouns may also be prefixed by particles of old obsolete words, varying their form, and exceedingly so their phonetic representation; as for example, שְׁלֹמֹהšĕlōmō Shelomah was the son and successor of King David. Now שׁš, as the particle of some ancient word, and followed by לl, becomes the sign of the possessive case; but when the word begins with these two letters, they then will be duplicated, as in Canticles iii. 7, מִטָתוֹ שֶׁלִּשְׁלֹמֹהmiṭātô šellišlōmō mittatho shellishlomoh, Solomon’s bed, &c.
Prepositions, sometimes two or more, are, or seem to be, compounded, yet used in the sense of the last in the compound, thus: מִןmin and עַלʿal used thus, מֵעַלmēʿal for עַלʿal, or לְמִןlĕmin for מִןmin, &c. &c.