The Construct State (Smikhut)
How Hebrew says “the house of the king” without “of” — the most frequent construction in the Bible.
The construct state (סְמִיכוּת, smikhut) is how Biblical Hebrew says "X of Y" without using the word "of." It is one of the most common constructions in the Bible, and mastering it unlocks phrases like "the son of the king," "the word of YHWH," and "the voice of your brother."
What is smikhut?
In a construct chain, two (or more) nouns are glued together. The first noun changes form (construct state), and the second noun carries the definite article if needed.
| Hebrew | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| בֵּן מֶלֶךְ | ben melekh | a son of a king |
| בֶּן־הַמֶּלֶךְ | ben-ha-mmelekh | the son of the king |
| דְּבַר אֱלֹהִים | dĕvar elohim | a word of God |
| דְּבַר־יְהוָה | dĕvar yehwah | the word of YHWH |
💡 Key idea: The first noun loses its article and often shortens its vowel. The second noun tells you whether the whole phrase is definite.
How the first noun changes
Simple nouns
| Absolute (alone) | Construct | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| בֵּן (ben) | בֶּן (ben) | son of |
| מֶלֶךְ (melekh) | מֶלֶךְ (melekh) | king of |
| דָּבָר (dāvār) | דְּבַר (dĕvar) | word of |
| סֵפֶר (sepher) | סֵפֶר (sepher) | book of |
| בַּיִת (bayith) | בֵּית (bêth) | house of |
| אִישׁ (ish) | אִישׁ (ish) | man of |
| אִשָּׁה (ishshāh) | אֵשֶׁת (ēsheth) | woman of |
Feminine nouns ending in ־ָה
A common feminine ending ־ָה changes to ־ַת in construct:
| Absolute | Construct | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| תּוֹרָה (tôrāh) | תּוֹרַת (tôrath) | Torah of |
| מַלְכָּה (malkāh) | מַלְכַּת (malkath) | queen of |
| אֶרֶץ (ʾerets) is irregular | אֶרֶץ (ʾerets) | land of |
Plural nouns
Masculine plural construct loses the final ם:
| Absolute | Construct | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| בָּנִים (bānîm) | בְּנֵי (bənê) | sons of |
| סוּסִים (susîm) | סוּסֵי (susê) | horses of |
| מְלָכִים (məlākhîm) | מַלְכֵי (malkhê) | kings of |
Feminine plural construct changes ־וֹת to ־וֹת or ־ֹת:
| Absolute | Construct | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| בָּנוֹת (bānôth) | בְּנוֹת (bənôth) | daughters of |
| תּוֹרוֹת (tôrôth) | תּוֹרוֹת (tôrôth) | torot of |
Definiteness in construct chains
If the second noun is definite (has הַ or is a proper name), the whole phrase is definite:
| Hebrew | Pronunciation | Definiteness | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| בֵּן מֶלֶךְ | ben melekh | indefinite | a son of a king |
| בֶּן־הַמֶּלֶךְ | ben-ha-mmelekh | definite | the son of the king |
| דְּבַר־מֶלֶךְ | dĕvar-melekh | indefinite | a word of a king |
| דְּבַר־הַמֶּלֶךְ | dĕvar-ha-mmelekh | definite | the word of the king |
⚠️ Important: You cannot put הַ on the first noun of a construct chain. Definiteness is carried by the second noun.
Adjectives in construct chains
Adjectives follow the whole chain and agree with the first noun in gender and number. They also carry definiteness if the chain is definite:
| Hebrew | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| בֵּן מֶלֶךְ טוֹב | ben melekh tov | a good son of a king |
| בֶּן־הַמֶּלֶךְ הַטּוֹב | ben-ha-mmelekh ha-tov | the good son of the king |
Common biblical phrases
| Hebrew | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל | bêth yisrāʾēl | house of Israel |
| דְּבַר־יְהוָה | dĕvar yehwah | the word of YHWH |
| קוֹל אָחִיךָ | qôl ʾākhîkhā | the voice of your brother |
| עַם הָאָרֶץ | ʿam hā-ʾārets | the people of the land |
| שָׂרֵי הַמֶּלֶךְ | sārê ha-mmelekh | the princes of the king |
✅ Key takeaways
- Smikhut = "X of Y" without the word "of."
- The first noun changes to construct state (often shortened).
- Definiteness is shown on the second noun, not the first.
- Masculine plurals lose the final ם in construct: בָּנִים → בְּנֵי.
- Feminine nouns in ־ָה often change to ־ַת in construct.
✏️ Practice
- What is the construct form of בַּיִת?
- Write "the king of Israel" in Hebrew.
- Why can't we say הַבֵּן מֶלֶךְ for "the son of a king"?
- Give the construct plural of מֶלֶךְ.
- Translate: בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ.
Answers
- בֵּית (bêth).
- מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל (melekh yisrāʾēl) — proper names are definite by themselves; or מֶלֶךְ הָאָרֶץ (melekh hā-ʾārets) for "the king of the land."
- Because definiteness in a construct chain must be on the second noun. הַבֵּן would make "the son" the absolute form, breaking the chain.
- מַלְכֵי (malkhê).
- "The house of the sanctuary / the Temple."