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Breishit 30:20 says:

"וַתֹּאמֶר לֵאָה זְבָדַנִי אֱלֹקים אֹתִי זֵבֶד טוֹב..."

What is the function of the word אֹתִי? Since the objective pronominal suffix ני- from זְבָדַנִי expresses the direct object it seems redundant. How should one render the clause with אֹתִי?

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    I don't see why this is that much more redundant than ושבחתי אני את השמחה . This is just the way biblical Hebrew works.
    – Double AA ♦
    Commented Nov 20, 2018 at 14:04
  • @DoubleAA That could be an answer, but I think the burden, making it an interesting answer, would be to show that a) it is and b) it works the same for subjects (never explicitly marked by a "preposition") and objects (usually explicitly marked by a "preposition").
    – WAF
    Commented Nov 21, 2018 at 9:58

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The Radak says on this passuk:

זבדני, ענינו לפי מקומו נתן לי אלהים מתן טוב; ומה שאמר אותי אחר שאמר זבדני, כפל הכנוי הוא לתוספת ביאור. או יהיה פירוש אותי כמו ממני, כמו הם יצאו את העיר (מ"ד ג') וזולתו, כלומר ממני עצמי נתן לי מתן טוב שלא היה זרע בעלי בי לבטלה ונתן לי בן הריון וילדתי בן, הנה כי המתן היה ממני ובי אלא שרצונו היה משותף בו.

זבדני- the issue is according to its place “G-d gave me a good giving”. And that which it says ״אותי״ after it already said ״זבדני״, this doubling is to add comprehensibility. Or the translation of ״אותי״ like ״ממני״ (“from me”, not the more common translation “to me”). Like “they went out from (את) the city”, and the like; that is to say “from me myself G-d gave me a good giving, that my husband’s seed will not be wasted in me, and he gave me pregnancy, and I birthed a son, because the giving was from and in me, but His will was a part of it.

(This is my translation, so feel free to correct any mistakes I may have made)

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