Article
The use of the definite article is one of the ways that a word can be made definite in Biblical Hebrew. The definite article is not an independent word but the prefix הַ (he with pathah), usually accompanied by a daghesh in the next consonant. The definite article normally takes the pathah vowel, but that vowel can shift (usually either lengthening to qamets or shortening to seghol) depending on the placement of the accent and/or gutteral consonants within the word. The definite article serves an additional function to match a noun, adjective or participle the word it describes.
The definite article is usually translated as "the" in English. However, the rules governing the definiteness of words vary in different languages, so this particle must always be translated according to the conventions of the target language.
Note
The definite article is only rarely found in Hebrew poetry. This may have been done for the sake of rhythmic meter, since the article almost always adds a syllable to a word. In Hebrew poetry, words can be in the determined state even without the definite article. Therefore, in Hebrew poetry, often the state (construct, absolute, or determined) of a particular word must be determined by the context.
