Lexical Definition

‎אָנֹכִי‎ ʼânôkîy (aw-no-kee') I ^H:PerP-CS
sometimes, aw-no'-kee; a primitive pronoun

I, me, [idiom] which.

• I

1) I (first pers. sing.)

Extended Information

spelling of: אֲנִי

• Another spelling of a.ni (‎א‎ֲ‎נ‎ִ‎י‎, ‎א‎ָֽ‎נ‎ֹ‎כ‎ִ֫‎י‎ "I" אֲנִי)

Brown-Driver-Briggs

‎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} W^{SG 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 Dr^{JPh 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 Gies^{ZAW 1881, 251-8} Dr^{l.c. 222-7}.

‎אָֽנֹכִי‎ pronoun 1 singular see above below ‎אֲנִי‎.

Brown-Driver-Briggs References