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Recent Articles
- Exodus 5:18 – Imperative Commands and Passive Verb Usage
- The Hebrew Verb דָּרַס: To Trample, Tread Down, or Crush
- Exodus 5:17 – Repetition for Emphasis and Causal עַל־כֵּן (“Therefore”)
- The Hebrew Verb דָּרַךְ: To Tread, March, or Bend (a Bow)
- “Solomon Sent to Ḥiram”: Syntax of Royal Initiative and Diplomatic Speech in 1 Kings 5:16
- The Hebrew Verb דָּקַר: To Pierce, Stab, or Thrust Through
- Names and Lineage: Apposition and Construct Chains in 1 Chronicles 5:15
- The Hebrew Verb דָּפַק: To Knock, Beat, or Strike
- Grammar Under the Rod — Causatives, Double Accusatives, and the Syntax of Accusation
- The Hebrew Verb דָּמָה: To Resemble, Be Like, or Imagine
- Prophets to Wind, Words Without Breath: Futility and Punishment in Jeremiah 5:13
- The Hebrew Verb דָּלַק: To Pursue or Burn
Categories
Construct Chains and Geographical Apposition in Tribal Allotment Lists
Introduction to Joshua 17:11
This verse lists the cities and regions that fell to the tribe of Menashsheh within the territories of Yissakhar and Asher. It is a stylized territorial register that makes heavy use of construct chains, coordinated city-daughter formulas, and appositional listing. This lesson focuses on how construct structures and appositional geography operate in tribal allotment texts to define control, boundaries, and political-historical geography.
וַיְהִ֨י לִמְנַשֶּׁ֜ה Read more [...]
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Exodus 5:18 – Imperative Commands and Passive Verb Usage
וְעַתָּה֙ לְכ֣וּ עִבְד֔וּ וְתֶ֖בֶן לֹא־יִנָּתֵ֣ן לָכֶ֑ם וְתֹ֥כֶן לְבֵנִ֖ים תִּתֵּֽנּוּ׃
So now, go, work! And straw shall not be given to you, but the quota of bricks you must give.
Explanation of Feature
This verse from Exodus 5:18 contains:
1. Imperative verbs: לְכוּ (“Go!”) and עִבְדוּ (“Work!”), direct commands in the second person plural form.
2. A passive verb in the imperfect: יִנָּתֵן Read more [...]
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The Hebrew Verb דָּרַס: To Trample, Tread Down, or Crush
The Hebrew verb דָּרַס (root: ד־ר־ס) means “to trample,” “to tread down,” or “to crush underfoot.” It conveys the sense of forceful stepping, often violent in nature. In the Tanakh, it is used in both literal and figurative contexts, particularly in poetry and prophecy where trampling symbolizes conquest, judgment, or desecration.
This verb appears in the Qal stem (active), with strong connotations of domination and destruction.
Qal Binyan Conjugation of דָּרַס Read more [...]
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Exodus 5:17 – Repetition for Emphasis and Causal עַל־כֵּן (“Therefore”)
וַיֹּ֛אמֶר נִרְפִּ֥ים אַתֶּ֖ם נִרְפִּ֑ים עַל־כֵּן֙ אַתֶּ֣ם אֹֽמְרִ֔ים נֵלְכָ֖ה נִזְבְּחָ֥ה לַֽיהוָֽה׃
And he said, “You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to YHWH.’”
Explanation of Feature
This verse from Exodus 5:17 demonstrates two key grammatical and rhetorical features:
1. Repetition for emphasis – the phrase נִרְפִּים אַתֶּם נִרְפִּים ("you Read more [...]
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The Hebrew Verb דָּרַךְ: To Tread, March, or Bend (a Bow)
The Hebrew verb דָּרַךְ (root: ד־ר־ךְ) means “to tread,” “to march,” “to step,” or “to bend (a bow).” It is used in a range of contexts from walking or trampling upon something, to preparing a weapon for battle. In poetic and prophetic passages, it often carries connotations of judgment, readiness for war, or movement through a land.
This verb appears primarily in the Qal stem (active) and also in the Hiphil (causative) with the meaning “to cause to tread” or “to Read more [...]
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“Solomon Sent to Ḥiram”: Syntax of Royal Initiative and Diplomatic Speech in 1 Kings 5:16
Introduction: Covenant Kingship and Political Dialogue
1 Kings 5:16 p introduces a pivotal moment of international diplomacy: King Shelomoh initiates correspondence with King Ḥiram of Tsor (Tyre) to request assistance in building the temple. The verse is brief, yet the syntax establishes a formal and royal tone, using standard diplomatic conventions rooted in prophetic narrative style:
וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה אֶל־חִירָ֖ם לֵאמֹֽר׃
And Shelomoh sent to Ḥiram, Read more [...]
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The Hebrew Verb דָּקַר: To Pierce, Stab, or Thrust Through
The Hebrew verb דָּקַר (root: ד־ק־ר) means “to pierce,” “to stab,” or “to thrust through” with a sharp object. It is a vivid verb often used in military, prophetic, and poetic contexts, usually involving spears, swords, or sharp weapons. It conveys a violent or fatal action and is frequently found in descriptions of death, judgment, or warfare.
This verb appears primarily in the Qal binyan (simple active stem) and occasionally in the Niphal (passive) or Pual stems.
Qal Read more [...]
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Names and Lineage: Apposition and Construct Chains in 1 Chronicles 5:15
אֲחִי֙ בֶּן־עַבְדִּיאֵ֣ל בֶּן־גּוּנִ֔י רֹ֖אשׁ לְבֵ֥ית אֲבֹותָֽם׃
1 Chronicles 5:15 is a genealogical entry, but even the briefest list of names in the Hebrew Bible reveals grammatical precision. This verse highlights the syntax of genealogical construct chains and appositional phrases. The subject, אֲחִי (Aḥi), is identified through two successive genitive relationships—son of ʿAvdiʾel, son of Guni—followed by a status designation: Read more [...]
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The Hebrew Verb דָּפַק: To Knock, Beat, or Strike
The Hebrew verb דָּפַק (root: ד־פ־ק) means “to knock,” “to beat,” or “to strike.” It conveys the idea of hitting a surface, especially a door, or of applying pressure in rhythmic or forceful motion. In the Hebrew Bible, it is used both literally (e.g., knocking or pounding) and metaphorically (e.g., forceful entry or pursuit). In Modern Hebrew, it retains its core meaning and is very commonly used for “knock” or “slam.”
Qal Binyan Conjugation of דָּפַק Read more [...]
Grammar Under the Rod — Causatives, Double Accusatives, and the Syntax of Accusation
וַיֻּכּ֗וּ שֹֽׁטְרֵי֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אֲשֶׁר־שָׂ֣מוּ עֲלֵהֶ֔ם נֹגְשֵׂ֥י פַרְעֹ֖ה לֵאמֹ֑ר מַדּ֡וּעַ לֹא֩ כִלִּיתֶ֨ם חָקְכֶ֤ם לִלְבֹּן֙ כִּתְמֹ֣ול שִׁלְשֹׁ֔ם גַּם־תְּמֹ֖ול גַּם־הַיֹּֽום׃
The Blow That Speaks
Exodus 5:14 plunges us into the machinery of oppression. Hebrew overseers are beaten by Egyptian taskmasters for failing Read more [...]
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The Hebrew Verb דָּמָה: To Resemble, Be Like, or Imagine
The Hebrew verb דָּמָה (root: ד־מ־ה) has multiple meanings based on context and stem:
To resemble or be like — expressing similarity or comparison.
To think, imagine, or suppose — used in reflective or interpretive contexts.
To be silent or destroyed — in rare cases, from a homonymous root (not the same as “resemble”).
The main stem for the meaning “to resemble” or “to think” is the Qal. The Piel and Hiphil forms may nuance “to cause to resemble” or Read more [...]
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