[c] Thus an initial יְ after the prefixes בְּ, וְ, כְּ, לְ, which would then be pronounced with ĭ (see § 28 a), and also almost always after םִ (see § 102 b), coalesces with the ĭ to î, e.g. בִּֽיהוּרָה in Judah (for בִּיְ׳), וִֽיהוּדָה and Judah, כִּיאֹר as the Nile, לִֽיהוּדָה for Judah, מִידֵי from the hands of.
[d] (b) When ו and י without a vowel would stand at the end of the word after quiescent Šewâ, they are either wholly rejected and only orthographically replaced by ה (e.g. בֶּ֫כֶה from bikhy, as well as the regularly formed בְּכִי weeping; cf. § 93 x) or become again vowel letters. In the latter case י becomes a homogeneous Ḥireq, and also attracts to itself the tone, whilst the preceding vowel becomes Šewâ (e.g. פְּרִ֫י from piry, properly pary); ו is changed sometimes into a toneless u (e.g. תֹּ֫הוּ from tuhw).
[e] Rem. In Syriac, where the weak letters more readily become vowel sounds, a simple i may stand even at the beginning of words instead of יְ or יִ. The LXX also, in accordance with this, write Ἰουδά for יְהוּדָה, Ἰσαάκ for יִצְחָק. Hence may be explained the Syriac usage in Hebrew of drawing back the vowel i to the preceding consonant, which properly had a simple vocal Šewâ, e.g. (according to the reading of Ben-Naphtali[1]) וִיֽלֲלַת Jer 2536 for וְיִֽלֲלַת (so Baer), כִּֽיתְרוֹן Ec 213 for כְּיִתְרוֹן, cf. also the examples in § 20 h, note 2; even וִיחֵ֫לּוּ Jb 2921 (in some editions) for וְיִ֫חֵלּוּ. According to Qimḥi (see § 47 b) יִקְטֹל was pronounced as iqṭōl, and therefore the 1st peps. was pointed אֶקְטֹל to avoid confusion. In fact the Babylonian punctuation always has ĭ for ä in the 1st pers.
[f] 2. With regard to the choice of the long vowel, in which ו and י quiesce after such vocalization and contraction, the following rules may be laid down:
(a) With a short homogeneous vowel ו and י are contracted into the corresponding long vowel (û or î), see above, b.
(b) With short ă they form the diphthongs ô and ê according to § 7 a, e.g. מֵיטִיב from מַיְטִיב; יוֹשִׁיב from יַוְשִׁיב, &c.[2]
[g] Rem. The rejection of the half vowels ו and י (see above, b) occurs especially at the end of words after a heterogeneous vowel (ă), if according to the nature of the form the contraction appears impossible. So especially in
- ↑ According to Abulwalid, Ben-Naphtali regarded the Yodh in all such cases as a vowel letter.
- ↑ Instances in which no contraction takes place after ă are, מַיְמִינִים 1 Ch 122; אַיְסִירֵם Ho 712 (but cf. § 70 b); הַיְשַׁר ψ 59 Qerê; the locatives בַּ֫יְתָה, מִצְרַ֫יְמָה, &c.—On the suffix ־ָ֫ יְכִי for ־ָ֫ יִךְ see § 91 l.—Sometimes both forms are found, as עַוְלָה and עוֹלָה; cf. חַי living, constr. state חֵי. Analogous is the contraction of מָ֫וֶת (ground-form mawt) death, constr. מוֹת; עַ֫יִן (ground-form ʿayn [ʿain]) eye, constr. עֵין.
