Hebrew number for "ten" in Gen 45:23 - masculine or feminine?

[TYA]

I know that we are supposed to bless others, and not to curse them.  But when I eventually find the person who invented Hebrew numbers--namely, the gender of numbers 1-20--maximum restraint may be needed on my part.

 

At any rate, why is the number "ten" here tagged as feminine, when it not only has a heh on the end of it, but it modifies the word for "donkeys," which is tagged as masculine?

Edited January 5, 2020 by TYA

[Donald Cobb]

See Joüon-Muraoka, §100:

 

"Numerals 3-10: The nouns for 3-10 are collective substantives. Each numeral has a double form, masculine and feminine, which one may compare with the French collectives, un sixain, une dizaine. A most remarkable peculiarity of the numerals 3-10, which goes back to Common Semitic, is that the feminine collective is used with masculine nouns and the masculine collective with feminine nouns"

 

With this note:

 

"This peculiar usage has not yet been explained satisfactorily. The phenomenon seems to have something to do with linguistic psychology, and perhaps we should see here mainly an aesthetic tendency towards dissymmetry. This is in essence the reason suggested by Schultens long ago: “non injucunda connubia”! Another explanation of reflex kind is that the language may have wished thus to lay greater emphasis on the substantival character of these numerals (cf. Joüon 1913: 134ff.). The phenomenon is sometimes described in terms of polarity: see Ternes 2002 (contra Speiser 1938).

The rule in Hebrew is meticulously observed, so that from the masculine or feminine form of the numeral one can infer the feminine or masculine gender of the noun (cf. § 89 a)! Exceptions are rare (e.g. ‏שְׁלשֶׁת נָשִׁים‎ Gn 7.13; ‏שְׁלשֶׁת כִּכְּרוֹת לֶחֶם‎ 1Sm 10.3; ‏שְׁלשֶׁת אַחְיֹתֵיהֶם Jb 1.4) and may be scribal errors. The principal form is the feminine form: it is this that is used, e.g. in Arabic—the reverse in Modern Hebrew—to express the number in an absolute fashion, e.g. in “3 is half of 6” (cf. § o); consequently the masculine form can be deduced from it. On the choice of the form in cases of the neuter, cf. § 152 g.

 

"

[MattChristianOT]

I know that we are supposed to bless others, and not to curse them.  But when I eventually find the person who invented Hebrew numbers--namely, the gender of numbers 1-20--maximum restraint may be needed on my part.

 

At any rate, why is the number "ten" here tagged as feminine, when it not only has a heh on the end of it, but it modifies the word for "donkeys," which is tagged as masculine?

These numbers in most Semitic languages are crazy and act in erratic ways unfortunately. It could have to do with the early conception and use of numbers (many scholars believe that writing originated from numerical lists for commodity tracking etc) but no one is 100% sure why numbers behave this way in Semitic.

[TYA]

Thanks both.  You at least comfort me that I'm not a total idiot.  After all, who knew the explanation would be so simple: "linguistic psychology, ... an aesthetic tendency towards dissymmetry... polarity"

 

That's was the first thing that came to mind, but I just wanted to 100% sure   Actually, I was more concerned for you guys, making sure that you knew the right answer. 

 

All the best.

Edited January 5, 2020 by TYA

[Michel Gilbert]

This reminds me of Peter's post, "Hebrew cardinal numbers and the lack of chiastic concord in the tagged Biblical text," at

https://www.accordancebible.com/forums/topic/16853-hebrew-cardinal-numbers-and-the-lack-of-chiastic-concord-in-the-tagged-biblical-text/?hl=%2Bhebrew+%2Bcardinal+%2Bnumbers+%2Band+%2Bthe+%2Black+%2Bof+%2Bchiastic+%2Bconcord+%2Bin+%2Bthe+%2Btagged+%2Bbiblical+%2Btext.