:github_url: https://git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_uhg/src/branch/master/content/gender_both.rst

.. _gender_both:

Gender Both
===========

Summary
-------

A word is classified as "both gender" if it contains both a masculine
and a feminine form, or if a single form is masculine in
some contexts and feminine in other contexts.

Article
-------

Some words appear in both a
:ref:`masculine<gender_masculine>`
and a
:ref:`feminine<gender_feminine>`
form. Other words have only one form, but that single form can be either
grammatically-masculine or grammatically-feminine. These kinds of words
are classified as "gender both", and they are usually nouns or
adjectives. Sometimes the context can determine the gender of a
particular instance of a "gender both" noun (see examples below for
שֶׁמֶשׁ), but sometimes the context is inconclusive (see example below for
נֹגַהּ).

Examples
--------

A single word with both masculine and feminine forms
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

In the following example, the noun אוֹר (light) is masculine in form and
takes grammatically-masculine verbs (יְהִ֣י and וַֽיְהִי).

.. csv-table:: Example: GEN 1:3

  וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י **אֹ֑ור** וַֽיְהִי־\ **אֹֽור**\ ׃
  wayyomer 'elohim yehi **'owr** wayehi-\ **'owr**
  And-he-said God there-will-be **light** and-there-was\_\ **light**.
  "God said, ""Let there be **light**,"" and there was **light**."

In the following example, the noun אוֹרָה (light) is feminine in form and
takes a grammatically-feminine verb (הָֽיְתָ֥ה).

.. csv-table:: Example: EST 8:16

  לַיְּהוּדִ֕ים הָֽיְתָ֥ה אֹורָ֖ה
  layyehudim hayethah **'owrah**
  To-the-Jews there-was **light**
  The Jews had **light**

A single form that can be either masculine or feminine
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

In the following example, the noun שֶׁמֶשׁ (sun) is grammatically
feminine.

.. csv-table:: Example: GEN 15:17

  וַיְהִ֤י **הַשֶּׁ֙מֶשׁ֙** בָּ֔אָה
  wayhi **hashemesh** ba'ah
  And-it-happened **the-sun** it-went
  When **the sun** had gone down

In the following example, the noun שֶׁמֶשׁ (sun) is grammatically
masculine.

.. csv-table:: Example: GEN 19:23

  הַשֶּׁ֖מֶשׁ יָצָ֣א עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ
  **hashemesh** yatsa 'al-ha'arets
  **The-sun** it-went-out over\_the-earth
  **The sun** had risen upon the earth

In the following example, the noun נֹגַהּ (brightness) could be either masculine or
feminine.

.. csv-table:: Example: JOL 4:15

  וְכוֹכָבִ֖ים אָסְפ֥וּ נָגְהָֽם
  
  And-stars they-withdraw their-\ **brightness**
  the stars keep back their **brightness**