NU?

Published December 20, 2009

NUN-SHURUK (that’s the VAV with a dot in it) at the end of a word means some form of first person plural - we, us, our…
There are literally thousands of occur- rences in Tanach of a NU ending, all of which fit the above usage, except for - no, let’s hold the exception for a moment. Let’s look at examples of words that end in NU. ANACHNU, we; ANINU, our father; YADEINU, our hands; MATZANU, we found; CHALAMNU, we dreamed; CHALO- MOTEINU, our dreams; (examples from the area of the Torah we are reading these weeks);
The exception is when there is a DAGESH CHAZAK in the NUN. Then the NU means him, third person singular - last week’s sedra - L’CHU V’NIMK’RE- NU LA-YISH-M’EILIM, let’s sell HIM (Yosef) to the Yishmaelites. This week - Yaakov won’t send Binyamin (the first time), PEN YIKRA-ENU ASON, maybe something will happen to HIM. How’s your father? HA-ODENU CHAI? Is HE still alive? These last examples have DAGESHed NUNs. Singular, third person.
How about these examples:
T’hilim 37:33 - HASHEM LO YAAZVENU V’YADO… - G-d will not leave him (singular, see the DAGESH?) in his hand…
...AL YAAZVEINU V’AL YITSHENU: This quote is from Melachim Alef (8:57) - May HaShem our G-d be with us… let Him not leave US or forsake US. No DAGESH, plural.