BIBLE HEBREW WORD STUDY
Huw (H1931) — Hebrew Pronoun 'He, She, It'
הוּא (hûʾ) is the Hebrew third-person singular pronoun 'he,' typically appearing for emphasis or when there is no verb attached.
Meaning of the word
The lexicon entry defines הוּא as 'he (she or it),' noting that it is generally expressed only when emphatic or when a clause has no verb. The same form also functions intensively as 'self,' or with the article as 'the same,' and occasionally as a demonstrative ('this,' 'that') or as a substitute for a copula ('as' / 'are').
In narrative the word typically points back to a previously named subject: the glosses in the example verses alternate freely between 'he,' 'she,' 'it,' and 'that,' showing that הוּא covers all three genders of the third person singular. The related form הִוא (hiwʾ, transliterated as hiwʾ in the data) is the spelling used in some passages, such as Genesis 2:12 and Genesis 3:12, with essentially the same pronominal function.
Usage in Scripture
Across the Genesis sample the pronoun appears in identification sentences ('that is it which compasseth…' in Genesis 2:11, 2:13, 2:14), in narrative clause-anchoring ('whatsoever the man called… that was the name thereof,' Genesis 2:19), and as a personal pronoun referring to a woman ('she gave me of the tree,' Genesis 3:12, gloss 'she') as well as to a man ('he shall bruise thy head,' Genesis 3:15, gloss 'he').
Genesis 12:14 shows the pronoun in a subordinate clause identifying the subject ('the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair,' gloss 'she'). The pattern repeats within the same contexts — a definite antecedent, a clause or noun phrase following, and הוּא supplying the pronoun that English requires for clarity.
The form הוּא is fixed for the supplied verse list, but lexicons note that מן המאמרים the verb may be omitted (e.g. 'that [is] the gold'); in such cases הוּא stands alone as the predicate, fulfilling the role of a copula that Hebrew does not have as a separate word.
The word in detail
- H1931 הוּא (hûʾ), Strong's H1931. Defined in the entry as 'he (she or it),' used chiefly when emphatic or when there is no accompanying verb; also 'self,' 'the same' (with the article), 'this/that,' and on occasion a copular 'as' / 'are.'
Example verses
- Genesis 3:15 In Genesis 3:15 הוּא ('he') refers back to the previously mentioned seed: 'he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.' The clause-opening demonstrative gloss shows that here הוּא functions strictly as a personal pronoun rather than as the copula example.
- Genesis 2:14 Genesis 2:14 uses הוּא in the description 'that is it which goeth in front of Assyria,' glossed 'it.' The identification pattern matches Genesis 2:11 and 2:13, where the same form marks a nominal predicate without a verb.
- Genesis 12:14 In Genesis 12:14 הִוא ('she') identifies the antecedent 'the woman' in the clause 'the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.' The gloss here is a personal pronoun, not a demonstrative.
- Genesis 2:19 Genesis 2:19's 'whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof' glosses the pronoun as 'that.' Used with a following noun, הוּא leans toward its demonstrative sense rather than the pure personal pronoun seen in Genesis 3:12.
Common questions
Does הוּא distinguish gender?
Yes. The lexicon entry covers all three singular genders ('he, she, it'). The example verses include masculine ('he,' Genesis 3:15), feminine ('she,' Genesis 3:12), and neuter ('it,' Genesis 2:11) references using related spellings such as הוּא and הִוא.
Why does הוּא sometimes appear alone in a clause?
The lexicon entry notes that Hebrew omits 'to be' when nothing else expresses it; in such clauses הוּא alone covers the copula function, as in Genesis 2:11, where 'that is it which compasseth…' has no separate verb.
Is הוּא the same word as הִוא?
Within the supplied data both spellings appear for the pronoun — הוּא in Genesis 2:11, 2:13, 2:14, 3:6, 3:15, 3:16 and הִוא (hiwʾ) in Genesis 2:12, 3:12, 3:20, 12:14 — with the same pronominal function. They are listed together under the Strong's H1931 entry.