Genesis 2:25
And both of themselves106 are being naked-ones107 of the Red-one, and his woman, and they are not causing themselves shame.108
Footnote:
| 106 | Hebrew שניהם (shnehem): This is the dual construct form of "two" (indicating a pair) combined with a possessive masculine plural suffix, meaning "theirs." The term is typically interpreted as "both." The word for "two" is cognate with the verb shanah (#8138), meaning "to repeat, do again, or fold over," which is also the root of shanah (#8141), meaning "a year." Gesenius speculates, "perhaps, however, the root is more numerical in origin than derived from the verb." The possessive suffix is rare on numbers and appears only on select numerals—two, three (e.g., Num. 12:4; Ezek. 40:10; 41:16), four (e.g., Ezek. 1:10, 1:46), and seven (e.g., 2 Sam. 21:9)—within the Hebrew Scriptures. Of these, "two" with the suffix is the most frequently used and carries a broader range of meanings. Notably, the numerals two and seven are the only ones found with a dual suffix, suggesting concepts of repetition, doubling, or pairing. This is reflected in phrases like the peculiar "a pair, a pair" in Genesis 7:9. The singular form of "two" is שני (sheni), meaning "second." Hebrew also has distinct terms for "double," such as mishneh (#4932), used in phrases like "the double chariot" (Gen. 41:43), and kaphal (#3717), found in descriptions like "you shall double over the sixth curtain opposite to the face of the tent" (Exod. 26:9, literal translation). The verse Proverbs 20:12 states: אזן שמעת ועין ראה יהוה עשה גם־ שניהם Here, the word שניהם (she'neihem) refers to "both of them" in a dual sense, emphasizing the ear and the eye as a complementary pair. |