# Types of construct states



## Drink

*Moderator note:* Thread split from this thread.



LXNDR said:


> I'm not sure though that the second form is a construct state version because it's used with adjectives/adverbs and not with nouns and is itself not a noun



The construct is technically not only used with nouns.


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## LXNDR

what would be the examples without nouns?


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## Drink

Other than the common adj+noun and participle+noun constructions and the rare Biblical noun+verb construction, there are only certain exceptional cases.

For example, many forms of numbers: שלוש עשרה and שלוש מאות (both of which have שְׁלוֹשׁ instead of שָׁלוֹשׁ).

The biggest hint of the construct state is when this form of the word is only used when immediately followed by something.


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## LXNDR

adj+noun  = כפוי טובה, שבויי מלחמה
participle+noun = מקבלי קצבה, זבת חלב ודבש
Biblical noun+verb = ??


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## Drink

הושע א ב: תְּחִלַּת דִּבֶּר
ישעיהו כט א: קִרְיַת חָנָה

And of course the most famous verse, but whose interpretation is controversial:
בראשית א א: בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא


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## LXNDR

In modern Hebrew  בְּרֵאשִׁית is perceived as an adverb, wasn't this the case in the Biblical Hebrew? Or is grammatical classification of בְּרֵאשִׁית the very point of controversy?
בראשית - Wiktionary


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## Drink

Yes, that is exactly the point of controversy. In general, the word בראשית is used both ways in other places, so it's just a matter of how to interpret it in this particular verse.

The dispute is old. The Aramaic Targumim interpret it as an adverb (Onkelos בְּקַדְמִין, Yerushalmi מִן אַוְולָא). But most(?) later Jewish commentators interpret it as a noun in the construct state (Saadia Gaon's translation to Arabic has אול מא = in the beginning of when; See also Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and other classical commentators on this verse).


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## Techref

Drink said:


> The dispute is old. The Aramaic Targumim interpret it as an adverb (Onkelos בְּקַדְמִין, Yerushalmi מִן אַוְולָא). But most(?) later Jewish commentators interpret it as an adverb (Saadia Gaon's translation to Arabic has אול מא = in the beginning of when; See also Rashi, Ibn Ezra, and other classical commentators on this verse).



Sorry ... abit off topic, but could I ask what is the meaning of Yerushalmi ?
A person from Jerusalem?


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## Drink

Techref said:


> Sorry ... abit off topic, but could I ask what is the meaning of Yerushalmi ?
> A person from Jerusalem?



תרגום ירושלמי


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## Techref

Ohhh
👌🏻 👌🏻


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## LXNDR

Drink said:


> But most(?) later Jewish commentators interpret it as an adverb



Didn't you mean *a noun *here, because Rashi equates it with a noun?
רש"י על בראשית א – ויקיטקסט


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## Drink

LXNDR said:


> Didn't you mean *a noun *here, because Rashi equates it with a noun?
> רש"י על בראשית א – ויקיטקסט



Yes, typo sorry. Meant to say "noun in the construct state".


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