Question on 'im' ending in Gen 6:16

[zoe_lithoi@yahoo.com]

The 'middle' and the 'third' stories are:
וּמִן־הַתִּֽיכֹנָה אֶל־הַשְּׁלִשִֽׁים

The 'third' storey has the plural ending as in Gen 6:16; however, the 'middle' is:
TIKNH

I'm sure you mean tichoná (that is, תִּיכֹנָה tîḵōnâ).

What does the h-suffix mean?

It is the standard ending for feminine singular adjectives. For example, גָּדוֹל gāḏôl means "big," and its feminine singular form is גְּדוֹלָה gĕḏôlâ. In this case, the adjective is תִּיכֹן tîḵōn, and its feminine singular form is תיכנה tîḵōnâ.

There is nothing odd here.

Well, I found one place that says it is the definitive, as in 'the one and only' middle floor or perhaps  'the very middlest of the middle floors'?

The word "definite" does not mean "the one and only." It just means that it is preceded by the word "the." By contrast, indefinite is preceded by the word "a" or "an" in English. It's a grammatical tag. It doesn't mean that I'm talking about the one and only thing of a class. It means that I'm talking about one that I've already mentioned.

"...the h-suffix after 'amwr (inhabitant(s) makes this substantive definite"
http://bhebrew.biblicalhumanities.org/viewtopic.php?t=925&start=10

Not in Hebrew. That's how it works in Aramaic. What you're linking to is a passage from Aramaic, not from Hebrew. I know because I was participating in that thread (as you can see here—that's me!).

In Hebrew, the definite article comes BEFORE the word, not after it.

So, יֶ֫לֶד yɛ́lɛḏ means "boy" or "a boy." The definite form is הַיֶּ֫לֶד hayyɛ́lɛḏ "the boy." Adding a heh suffix would get you "girl," not "the boy." The word for "girl" is יַלְדָּה yaldâ, and its definite form is הַיַּלְדָּה hayyaldâ.

ok.....  the singular form of 'third storey' is referring to the feminine gender. Thanks for the correction.

...... Toby