The article investigates the claim that the definite article in biblical Hebrew can be unrelated to determination. This claim is found in the standard grammars of Joüon/Muraoka and Gesenius/Kautzsch and in an article by James Barr. Barr argues that it is a diachronic feature, the biblical texts showing the use of the article in a process of change during the biblical period, so that only in later times it acquires a close connection with determination. The article argues that this interpretation of the use of the article is based on a misunderstanding, and the instances of article use that might seem to be unrelated to determination in fact are perfectly related to determination when analysed carefully.