אָנֹכִי

(once Jb 33:9 אָֽנֹכִ֑י) pron. 1 s. comm. I; Gn 3:10; 7:4; 15:1, 2; 16:5 + often With הֲ, הֶאָנֹכִי †Nu 11:12 Jb 21:4. (Assyrian anâku, Ph. & Moab. אנך: not in Arabic Aramaic Ethiopic; but ku appears as the affix of the 1 s. in the Ethiopic verb (e.g. waladkū = Heb. יָלַדְתִּי). אָנֹכִי and אֲנִי appear to be two parallel formations (both containing the element ani [cf. the sf. -نِيَ, -נִי] or ana, & one strengthened by the addition of the demonst. basis ku [prob. akin to ܟܳܐ כָּא, כֹּה here]: cf. Sta§ 179 WSG 95 f. 98–101), of which, in most of the Sem. languages, one prevailed to the exclusion of the other, but which in Heb. maintained their place side by side.) In some cases אני and אנכי appear capable of being used indifferently; in others the choice seems to have been determined, partly by rhythmical considerations, partly by a growing preference for אֲנִי among later writers. Thus when appended to the verb for emph. (whether with or without גַּם) the lighter form אֲנִי is nearly always used (Lv 20:5; 26:24, 32; Dt 12:30; Ju 1:3; 8:23; 2 S 12:28; 17:15; 18:2, 22; Je 17:18; 21:5; Ez 17:22; Jb 13:2 +; cf. the cases Gn 27:34 1 S 25:24 2 S 19:1 1 K 1:26 Pr 23:15); on the contrary, in the emph. rhetorical style of Dt, אָנֹכִי is preferred (in the discourses, uniformly, except 12:30, in acc. with usage just noted, & 29:5 in a standing expression; on 32:49, 52 (P) cf. infr.) In partic. phrases, also, usage prefers sometimes. אני, sometimes אנכי; thus there occurs חַי־אָנִי Nu 14:21 & always, except Dt 32:40; (אָ֑נִי) אִתְּךָ אֲנִי Je 1:8, 19; 30:11; 46:18; Is 43:2, 5); אֲנִי יהוה Ex 6:2, 6–8 & elsewhere in P, & especially freq. in H (Lv 18:2, 4, 6 etc.) & Ez, also Gn 15:7; 28:13; Dt 29:5 Ju 6:10 +; (אנכי יהוה much less freq.; only JE & proph. writers, †Ex 20:2 = Dt 5:6, Ho 12:10; 13:4 ψ 81:11, Ex 20:5 = Dt 5:9, Is 43:11; 44:24; 51:15 (Ex 4:11 is diff.) cf. DrJPh. xi. 224 f.); אני אמרתי Is 38:10; (Hez.) 49:4; Je 5:4; 10:19 (3:19 אנכי) Ru 4:4 ψ 30:7; 31:23; 41:5; 82:6 +; ויאמר אָ֑נִי (in reponse to a qu.) Gn 27:24 Ju 13:11 2 S 20:17 1 K 13:14; 18:8 (וי׳ אנכי only 2 S 2:20; on the contrary, with a predicate, אָנֹכִי is regularly employed, Gn 24:34 1 S 30:13 2 S 1:8 עֲמָלֵקִי אָנֹ֑כִי 11:5; 20:17; Is 6:5; Je 1:6; Jon 1:9); (הִנְנִי) וַאֲנִי הִנֵּה Gn 6:17; 9:9; Ex 31:6; Nu 3:12 + (but הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי Gn 24:13, 43; 25:32; Ex 3:13; 19:9 +; הִנֵּה אֲנִי is very uncommon; v. ib. 226). So far as the usage of partic. books is concerned, in the Pent. (except Dt) אֲנִי is used in P (incl. H) always (about 130 times) except Gn 23:4 (cf. Ez below); in JE אנכי is preferred, though not exclusively (81: 48). In S there are 50 instances of each form. Je has some 54 instances of אני, 37 of אנכי. In later books the preponderance of אֲנִי is evident. Thus in Ez אני occurs 138 times, אנכי once 36:28 (perhaps a reminiscense of Je 11:4b; 24:7; 30:22); in La Hg Ezr Est Ec אני 45 times, אנכי never; in Ch אני 30 times, אנכי once 1 Ch 17:1 (from 2 S 7:2); in Dn אני 23 times, אנכי once 10:11. Vid. more fully GiesebrechtZAW 1881, 251–8 Drl.c. 222–7.