Introduction to 2 Kings 4:1
This verse opens with the heartfelt cry of a widow, introducing a remarkable construction: אִשָּׁ֣ה אַחַ֣ת מִנְּשֵׁ֣י בְנֵֽי־הַנְּבִיאִים. The phrase is a finely layered construct chain embedded with specificity and grammatical hierarchy. This lesson focuses on how definiteness in construct chains, especially those involving multiple levels (e.g., “one woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets”), operates in Biblical Hebrew and contributes to both syntactic accuracy and rhetorical impact.
וְאִשָּׁ֣ה אַחַ֣ת מִנְּשֵׁ֣י בְנֵֽי־֠הַנְּבִיאִים צָעֲקָ֨ה אֶל־אֱלִישָׁ֜ע לֵאמֹ֗ר עַבְדְּךָ֤ אִישִׁי֙ מֵ֔ת וְאַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֔עְתָּ כִּ֣י עַבְדְּךָ֔ הָיָ֥ה יָרֵ֖א אֶת־יְהוָ֑ה וְהַ֨נֹּשֶׁ֔ה בָּ֗א לָקַ֜חַת אֶת־שְׁנֵ֧י יְלָדַ֛י לֹ֖ו לַעֲבָדִֽים׃
Analysis of Key Words and Structures
- אִשָּׁ֣ה אַחַ֣ת (ishah aḥat) – “One woman.” The noun אִשָּׁה is feminine singular, and the numeral אַחַת agrees in gender and number, used for narrative introduction. This is a common Biblical Hebrew method to introduce a new character.
- מִנְּשֵׁ֣י בְנֵֽי־הַנְּבִיאִים (minneshei bnei-hannevi’im) – A multi-tiered construct chain:
- מִן (min) – Preposition “from,” governing the following phrase.
- נְּשֵׁי (neshei) – Construct plural of אִשָּׁה (“wives of”), showing possession.
- בְנֵֽי־ (benei) – Construct plural of בֵּן (“sons of”), also in construct form.
- הַנְּבִיאִים (hannevi’im) – Definite noun with article, “the prophets.” This is the absolute of the entire construct chain.
The entire phrase literally reads “from the wives of the sons of the prophets,” with definiteness governed by the final noun.
Definiteness and Hierarchical Construct Chains
Biblical Hebrew uses construct chains (סמיכות) to indicate possession or close association. In this verse, we encounter a three-tier construct chain: נְּשֵׁי בְנֵֽי־הַנְּבִיאִים. Here’s how definiteness flows in such a structure:
1. The final noun in the chain, הַנְּבִיאִים, is definite due to the prefixed article הַ־.
2. This definiteness retroactively defines the entire construct chain.
3. As a result, both בְנֵי (“sons of”) and נְּשֵׁי (“wives of”) are understood as definite, even though they do not themselves take the article.
This principle is crucial for identifying and parsing longer possessive structures in Biblical Hebrew. It also determines whether a noun is indefinite, definite, or construct, all of which affect syntax, translation, and emphasis.
Moreover, the syntactic role of מִן (“from”) further clarifies the grammar: it governs the prepositional phrase that narrows the referent of אִשָּׁה אַחַת. The woman introduced here is not just any woman—she is “one [of the] wives of the sons of the prophets,” a specific subset.
Thus, the grammar constructs a clear appositional structure:
– Subject: וְאִשָּׁ֣ה אַחַ֣ת
– Further Specification: מִנְּשֵׁ֣י בְנֵֽי־הַנְּבִיאִים
– Verb: צָעֲקָ֨ה (“she cried out”)
Apposition and hierarchical chain-building are central tools in Biblical Hebrew for expressing complexity without conjunctions.
Precision and Poignancy in Construct Chains: Unfolding the Identity of the Widow
This powerful verse shows how grammatical features such as multi-level construct chains and embedded definiteness convey not only linguistic meaning but narrative precision. By introducing the widow with the phrase אִשָּׁה אַחַת מִנְּשֵׁי בְנֵי־הַנְּבִיאִים, the text provides layers of identity: she is a woman, a wife, connected to the prophetic guilds, and now in distress.
Grammatically, this chain illustrates the elegance of Biblical Hebrew in forming precise, nested relationships without cumbersome explanations. The chain is definite, specific, and syntactically tight—making it a perfect case study for construct grammar and its theological weight. In narrative terms, it reminds the reader that prophetic families, though esteemed, were not immune to suffering. The grief, the social standing, and the cry to Elisha are all wrapped tightly within the linguistic construct.
By appreciating the intricacy of Hebrew construct chains, we also appreciate the depth and dignity the language grants to even the smallest narrative details.
