אָֽנֹכִ֫י אָנֹ֑כִי (once [Job 33:9] אָֽנֹכִ֑י pronoun 1 singular common I; [Gen 3:10]; [Gen 7:4]; [Gen 15:1]; [Gen 15:2]; [Gen 16:5] + often With הֲ הֶאָנֹכִי [Num 11:12]; [Job 21:4]. (Assyrian anâku, Phoenician & Moabite אנך: not in Arabic, Aramaic, Ethiopic; but ku appears as the affix of the 1 singular in the Ethiopic verb (e.g. waladku = Hebrew יָלַדְתִּי). אָנֹכִי and אֲנִי appear to be two parallel formations (both containing the element ani [compare the suffix , נִי-] or ana, & one strengthened by the addition of the demonstrative basis Ku [probably akin to כָּא, כֹּה here]: compare Sta§ 179 WSG 95 f. 98-101), of which, in most of the Semitic languages, one prevailed to the exclusion of the other, but which in Hebrew maintained their place side by side.) In some cases אני and אנכי appear capable of being used indiffer-ently; in others the choice seems to have been determined, partly by rhythmical considera-tions, partly by a growing preference for אֲנִי among later writers. Thus when appended to the verb for emphasis (whether with or without גַּם) the lighter form אֲנִי is nearly always used ( [Lev 20:5]; [Lev 26:24]; [Lev 26:32]; [Deut 12:30]; [Judg 1:3]; [Judg 8:23]; [2Sam 12:28]; [2Sam 17:15]; [2Sam 18:2]; [2Sam 18:22]; [Jer 17:18]; [Jer 21:5]; [Ezek 17:22]; [Job 13:2] +; compare the cases [Gen 27:34]; [1Sam 25:24]; [2Sam 19:1]; [1Kgs 1:26]; [Prov 23:15]); on the contrary, in the emphatic rhetorical style of Deuteronomy, אָנֹכִי is preferred (in the discourses, uniformly, except [Deut 12:30], in accusative with usage just noted, & [Deut 29:5] in a standing expression; on [Deut 32:48]; [Deut 32:51] (P) compare below) In particular phrases, also, usage prefers sometimes אֶני sometimes אָנכי thus there occurs חַיאָֿנִי [Num 14:21] & always, except [Deut 32:40] (אָ֑נִי) אִתְּךָ אֲנִי ([Jer 1:9]; [Jer 1:19]; [Jer 30:11]; [Jer 46:18]; [Isa 43:2]; [Isa 43:5]); אֲנִי יהוה [Exod 6:2]; [Exod 6:6]; [Exod 6:8] & elsewhere in P, & especially frequently in H ([Lev 18:2]; [Lev 18:4]; [Lev 18:6] etc.) & Ezekiel, also [Gen 15:7]; [Gen 28:13]; [Deut 29:5]; [Judg 6:10] +; (אנכי יהוה much less frequently; only J E & prophetic writers, [Exod 20:2] = [Deut 5:6]; [Hos 12:10]; [Hos 13:4]; [Ps 81:11]; [Exod 20:5] = [Deut 5:9]; [Isa 43:11]; [Isa 44:24]; [Isa 51:15] ([Exod 4:11] is different); compare DrJPh xi. 224 f.); אני אמרתי [Isa 38:10] (Hez.) [Isa 49:4]; [Jer 5:4]; [Jer 10:19] ([Jer 3:19] אנכי) [Ruth 4:4]; [Ps 30:7]; [Ps 31:23]; [Ps 41:5]; [Ps 82:6] +; ויאמר אָ֫נִי (in response to a question) [Gen 27:24]; [Judg 13:11]; [2Sam 20:17]; [1Kgs 13:14]; [1Kgs 18:8] (אנכי ׳וי only [2Sam 2:20] on the contrary, with a predicate, אָנֹבִי is regularly employed, [Gen 24:34]; [1Sam 30:13]; [2Sam 1:8] עֲמָלֵקִי אָנֹ֑בִי [2Sam 11:5]; [2Sam 20:17]; [Isa 6:5]; [Jer 1:6]; [Jonah 1:9]); (הִנְנִי) וַאֲנִי הִנֵּה [Gen 6:17]; [Gen 9:9]; [Exod 31:6]; [Num 3:12] + (but הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי [Gen 24:14]; [Gen 24:43]; [Gen 25:32]; [Exod 3:13]; [Exod 19:9] +; הִנֵּה אֲנִי is very uncommon; see ib.226). So far as the usage of particular books is concerned, in the Pentateuch (except Deuteronomy) אֲנִי is used in P (including H) always (about 130 t.) except [Gen 23:4] (compare Ezekiel below); in J E אנכי is preferred, though not exclusively ([Gen 81:48]). In Samuel there are 50 instances of each form. Jeremiah has some 54 instances of אֶני 37 of אנכי. In later books the preponderance of אֲנִי is evident. Thus in Ezekiel אני occurs 138 t., אנכי once [Gen 36:28] (perhaps a reminiscence of [Jer 11:4] b [Jer 24:7]; [Jer 30:22]); in Lamentations, Haggai, Ezra, Esther, Ecclesiastes אני 45 t., אנכי never; in Chronicles אני 30 t., אנכי once [1Chr 17:1] (from [2Sam 7:2]); in Daniel אני 23 t., אנכי once [2Sam 10:11]. See more fully GiesZAW 1881, 251-8 Drl.c. 222-7.
The Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew and English Lexicon
License: Public domain document; formatting developed for use in https://marvel.bible by Eliran Wong.
Source: provided by Tim Morton, the developer of Bible Analyzer