Thus בָּקָר cattle, oxen[1] (even joined with numerals, e.g. Ex 2137 חֲמִשָּׁה בָקָר five head of cattle), but שׁוֹר an ox; צֹאן small cattle, i.e. sheep and goats (μῆλα), cf. Jb 13 שִׁבְעַת אַלְפֵי־צֹאן seven thousand sheep; but שֶׂה a single head of small cattle (a sheep or a goat). Other more or less common collectives are: זִיז (prop. that which prowls or roams) wild beasts, טַף (perhaps prop. tripping) a number of little children; דֶּ֫שֶׁא fresh green herb, i.e. young plants, יֶ֫רֶק green, i.e. vegetation in general; עוֹף birds, fowl; רֶ֫כֶב chariots or cavalcade, רִמָּה worms, רֶ֫מֶשׂ creeping things (of small creatures), שֶׁ֫רֶץ swarming things.
[b] (b) The collective use of substantives which at the same time serve as nomina unitatis; thus, אָדָם (never in plur.) means both man (homo) and men (homines); אִישׁ a man (vir) and men (viri); אִשָּׁה woman and women (Ju 2116, 1 S 216); אַרְבֶּה a locust, but usually a swarm of locusts; נֶ֫פֶשׁ soul and souls (persons); מַקֵּל staff and staves (Gn 3037); עַ֫יִט a bird of prey and birds of prey; עָלֶה a leaf and foliage; עֵ֫שֶׂב a plant and plants, herbs; עֵץ a tree and trees (as it were foliage); פְּרִי fruit and fruits; שִׂיחַ a shrub and shrubs; in isolated instances also nouns like עֶ֫בֶד man-servant, שִׁפְחָה maid-servant, חֲמוֹר ass, שׁוֹר ox (cf. Gn 326).—On the singular (especially of gentilic names) with the article (which may, however, be omitted in poetry, cf. e.g. ψ 122 חָסִיד, Pr 1114 יוֹעֵץ) to include all individuals of the same species, cf. § 126 l. On the special meaning of the plurals formed from certain collectives, see § 124 l.
(c) The feminine ending; see § 122 s.
[c] (d) The repetition of single words, and even of whole groups of words, especially to express entirety, or in a distributive sense. The following cases are more particularly to be noticed:
1. The repetition of one or more words to express the idea of every, all, as יוֹם יוֹם Gn 3910, &c., day by day, every day; שָׁנָה שָׁנָה year by year, Dt 1422; אִישׁ אִישׁ every man, Ex 364; with בְּ before each, as בַּבֹּ֫קֶר בַּבֹּ֫קֶר Ex 1621 every morning (and similarly before a group of words, Lv 248), for which the distributive לְ is also used, לַבֹּ֫קֶר לַבֹּ֫קֶר 1 Ch 927, and with one plural לַבְּקָרִים ψ 7314, לִבְקָרִים Jb 718 parallel with לִרְגָעִים every moment. Somewhat different are the instances with בְּ before the second word only, e.g. יוֹם בְּיוֹם day by day, 1 Ch 1222; שָׁנָה בְשָׁנָה year by year, Dt 1520, 1 S 17 (but in verse 3 מִיָּמִים יָמִ֫ימָה), כְּפַ֫עַם בְּפַ֫עַם Nu 241, Ju 1620, 2030 f., 1 S 310 as at other times. Also With the two words united by means of wāw copulative, אִישׁ וְאִישׁ ψ 875, or אִישׁ וָאִישׁ Est 18; דּוֹר וָדוֹר all generations, Dt 327; יוֹם וָיוֹם Est 34; cf. Est 89,
