# Classical Hebrew: הָאַלְמֻגִּים מִסְעָד



## Aleppan

The verse 1 Kings 10, 12 is

וַיַּעַשׂ הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת-עֲצֵי הָאַלְמֻגִּים מִסְעָד לְבֵית-יְהוָה וּלְבֵית הַמֶּלֶךְ וְכִנֹּרוֹת וּנְבָלִים לַשָּׁרִים לֹא בָא-כֵן עֲצֵי אַלְמֻגִּים וְלֹא נִרְאָה עַד הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה.

What does הָאַלְמֻגִּים מִסְעָד mean?


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## Abaye

Try here:
1 Kings 10:12 Hebrew Text Analysis

And here:
אלמג - ויקימילון


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## Drink

To break down the structure here:

ויעש verb

המלך subject

את עצי אלמגים direct object

מסעד indirect object


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## utopia

מסעד here, according to simple text analysis, as is taught in schools, is another direct object.

But in fact it's a form of co-nexus to the verb to do. It's like another theme-rheme-connection to the previous one.


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## Abaye

utopia said:


> But in fact it's a form of co-nexus to the verb to do. It's like another theme-rheme-connection to the previous one.


Can you elaborate about the gramattical function of מסעד? Or are you repeating the notion that מסעד is an indirect object, as written in a previous post?


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## utopia

No, I’m saying that’s it’s not an indirect object

In fact the bottom line of my claim is that the nexus between אלמוגים and מסעד wraps them together an they can not be separated. They function as a subject predicate outside this sentence


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## Abaye

I believe that וַיַּעַשׂ הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת-עֲצֵי הָאַלְמֻגִּים מִסְעָד is grammatically like וְאֶעֶשְׂךָ לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל, with the additional "ל" of בכל"מ. Maybe due to lack of knowledge, I cannot transform what you wrote to straightforward terms. Is there a simpler terminology for "a subject predicate outside the sentence"? In English "turn A into B", is B not an indirect object?


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## utopia

Well, if you dissect אעשך into אעשה and אותך/ אתה then you get the same result: אתה גוי גדול

The connection between the subject and predicate makes a sentence, and that connection that makes a sentence is the nexus. 

If you put it in brackets then:
ויעש המלך… [עצי האלמגים מסעד] ו
Meaning that what inside the brackets is a sentence by its own inner connection


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## Abaye

So you actually analyze ואעשך לגוי גדול as if ואעשה אותך *להיות* גוי גדול.
I don't have good arguments pro- or con-, yet find it perplexing.


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## utopia

I don’t see any other options: the אעשה משהו ל and אעשה משהו 0 משהו, are interchangeable not because of someone’s whim, but because of the nexal connection.

It’s the same connection in להגדיר משהו (כ) משהו, להציג משהו כמשהו….

We (Hebrew speakers throughout time) simply had to choose a preposition to define that connection, so it ended up with two options: ל and 0 (zero).


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