B-Hebrew: The Biblical Hebrew Forum

If I had a son, and I wanted to tell him to reprove or admonish his brother Aaron, would I write

הוכח אהרון

Or

אהרון הוכח?

I think you could say something like this.

Ben's answer is probably the most likely for that sentence. The standard word order in Biblical Hebrew is Verb Subject Object (VSO).

A text with a different order would usually indicate some type of emphasis being designated. So, hypothetically, if you were to find written Subject -> Verb -> Object, it would indicate that the emphasis is upon the Subject doing the action of the verb.

Additionally, notice that Ben included the Direct Object Marker (DOM) in his sentence. The DOM is used to avoid confusing the subject with the object. The DOM is used with a definite object. Even though אהרון does not have the attached article, it is definite by virtue of the fact that it is a proper name.

Is Subject -> Object -> Verb ever used?

(And if it is, what would that word order emphasize?)

Examples of this word order don't appear to be terribly common, but I've found a couple in Genesis:
Gen 17:9 has this: Gen 23:6

MGWB wrote:Is Subject -> Object -> Verb ever used?

(And if it is, what would that word order emphasize?)

Yes. Gen 17:9 is one example וְאַתָּה אֶת־בְּרִיתִי תִשְׁמֹר (and you my covenant shall keep) though according to Gesenius most of the occurrences of SOV are in poetry and in Aramaic sections in Daniel. Gensenius § 142.2.(c)

As to its meaning, a variation of the normal order of words is used to indicate an emphasis based upon the priority position of the word. So, in Gen 17:9 the emphasis would be upon the particular identify of the newly re-named Abraham as he, by virtue of the pronoun, holds the priority position in the sentence. Likewise, it could be argued grammatically that the covenant itself is placed in a priority position ahead of the verb of "keeping". From a structural point of view I think that the personal responsibility towards "my covenant" in v 9 is compared with God's initiatory action regarding "my covenant" in verse 7. In order words, I think what is being emphasized here is a "contract" of "my part" / "your part."

But remember that once we get beyond mere observation ("I see a pattern of SOV"), we get into the debatable realm of hermeneutics and the challenge of "what does it mean."

This is my understanding of what default word order is for biblical Hebrew.

Verb(vayyiqtol)-Subject-Object
Verb(veqatal)-Subject-Object

Subject-Verb(participle)-Object
Subject-Verb(yiqtol)-Object
Subject-Verb(qatal)-Object

Thank you.

So if I were to write מֹשֶׁה הוכח אהרון , how would the reader know if I were telling Moses to correct Aaron, or Aaron to correct Moses?

You would use the Direct Object Marker to remove the confusion.

The Direct Object Marker is used to avoid confusing the subject with the object. The DOM is used with a definite object. Even though אהרון does not have the attached article, it is definite by virtue of the fact that it is a proper name.

Watch the segment "Sign of the Accusative" in this video:

http://animatedhebrew.com/lectures/chap ... er_10.html

Thanks Mark! Very nice video. I had not known that the DOM could only be used with a definite noun as the object. That is important to know.