The definite article in Hebrew consists of he pointed with a patach and followed by dagesh forte, thus הַ ּ-. The phenomenon may be compared to the Arabic definite article, ͗al- or ͗el- (often pronounced with a/e shift). If this article precedes certain letters in Arabic, the l merges with the first letter of the word which follows, e.g., ͗al-salaam > ͗assalaam. The article in Hebrew, then, is likely to have been originally הַל- (cf. Gen. 37:19, הַלָּזֶה for הַזֶּה), and the