When You Lie Down and When You Rise: Participial Forms with Pronominal Suffixes in Deuteronomy 6:7

וְשִׁנַּנְתָּ֣ם לְבָנֶ֔יךָ וְדִבַּרְתָּ֖ בָּ֑ם בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ֤ בְּבֵיתֶ֨ךָ֙ וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ֣ בַדֶּ֔רֶךְ וּֽבְשָׁכְבְּךָ֖ וּבְקוּמֶֽךָ׃

This is Deuteronomy 6:7, part of the Shema Yisrael liturgical passage:

> “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and you shall speak of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

This verse not only instructs Israel in the transmission of Torah but does so through a linguistic form that mirrors its content — embedding divine command within the rhythms of daily life.

Let’s explore one of the verse’s most subtle yet powerful features: the use of participles with pronominal suffixes, which grammatically enshrine the continuity of religious practice into the very breath of existence.

Opening: Context and Verse

The commandment in Deuteronomy 6:7 appears at the heart of the Shema, Israel’s creedal affirmation of monotheism. But beyond its theological weight, the verse also contains a fascinating example of coordinated temporal clauses—a structure that rhythmically frames daily life around the act of teaching and remembering Torah.

What makes this verse linguistically striking is not only its poetic symmetry but the way time itself is grammatically constructed through repeated infinitive constructs and participles, culminating in a kind of verbal parallelism that mirrors the cyclical nature of Jewish life.

But today, we focus on a more hidden thread: the use of the suffix conjugation of the verb שכב (“to lie down”) and קום (“to rise”) as participles with pronominal suffixes — forms that appear throughout the Tanakh and offer a unique blend of verbal and nominal function.

The Hidden Thread: Participial Forms with Pronominal Suffixes

In the final pair of phrases from our verse:

> וּֽבְשָׁכְבְּךָ֖ וּבְקוּמֶֽךָ׃
> “and when you lie down and when you rise”

We encounter two participial forms:

– שָׁכְבְּךָ — literally, “your lying down”
– ק֥וּמֶךָ — literally, “your rising”

These are Qal active participles of the verbs שָׁכַב (“to lie down”) and קוּם (“to rise”), each appended with a second-person masculine singular pronominal suffix (-ךָ), and prefixed with the preposition בְּ (“in” or “when”).

Let’s unpack why this construction is significant:

1. Participles as Temporal Markers: In Biblical Hebrew, participles often denote ongoing or habitual action. Here, they serve as temporal circumstantial clauses, describing the times of day when the commandments should be recalled.

2. Suffixation on Participles: The addition of pronominal suffixes to participles is relatively rare compared to finite verbs. It creates a possessive-nominal form, like “your lying down,” which functions adverbially here.

3. Rhythmic Parallelism: These participial phrases mirror earlier parts of the verse:
– בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ (“when you sit”)
– בְּלֶכְתְּךָ (“when you walk”)

Together, these four participial clauses create a quadruple temporal frame that structures the entire commandment — a literary device reflecting the all-encompassing nature of Torah observance.

4. Grammatical Hybridity: The participle with suffix is a hybrid form — both nominal (because of the suffix) and verbal (because of the aspectual value). This duality allows it to function flexibly in sentence structure.

Morphological Breakdown

1. וְשִׁנַּנְתָּ֣ם: Root (שנן), Form: Piʿel perfect 2ms, Literal Translation: “you shall sharpen (i.e., teach diligently)”, Notes: Intensive stem used for emphasis; suggests deep repetition.
2. לְבָנֶ֔יךָ: Root (בן), Form: Noun + 2ms suffix, Literal Translation: “to your sons”, Notes: Construct chain; indicates possession and relationship.
3. וְדִבַּרְתָּ֖ בָּ֑ם: Root (דבר), Form: Qal perfect 2ms + preposition + pronoun, Literal Translation: “and you shall speak about them”, Notes: Common verb with a wide semantic range; here denotes conversation or discussion.
4. בְּשִׁבְתְּךָ: Root (ישב), Form: Preposition + Qal active participle masc. sg. + 2ms suffix, Literal Translation: “when you sit”, Notes: Circumstantial clause setting the time of speech.
5. בְּבֵיתֶ֨ךָ: Root (בית), Form: Noun + 2ms suffix, Literal Translation: “in your house”, Notes: Locative complement.
6. וּבְלֶכְתְּךָ: Root (הלך), Form: Conjunction + preposition + Qal active participle masc. sg. + 2ms suffix, Literal Translation: “and when you walk”, Notes: Continues the series of time clauses.
7. בַדֶּ֔רֶךְ: Root (דרך), Form: Preposition + noun, Literal Translation: “on the way”, Notes: Path metaphor common in wisdom literature.
8. וּֽבְשָׁכְבְּךָ: Root (שכב), Form: Conjunction + preposition + Qal active participle masc. sg. + 2ms suffix, Literal Translation: “and when you lie down”, Notes: Rarely analyzed but structurally crucial.
9. וּבְקוּמֶֽךָ: Root (קום), Form: Conjunction + preposition + Qal active participle masc. sg. + 2ms suffix, Literal Translation: “and when you rise”, Notes: Final element in the temporal sequence; completes the daily cycle.

Beyond the Verse: Broader Usage in Tanakh

While participles with suffixes are relatively rare, they do appear elsewhere in the Tanakh, offering further insight into their function and nuance.

Here are three authentic examples of participles with pronominal suffixes:

These examples confirm that participles with suffixes are not mere anomalies, but rather grammatically rich constructions that allow for both specificity and continuity.

They hover between the verbal and the nominal, allowing the speaker to describe actions not just as events, but as habits, identities, and spiritual postures.

When You Lie Down and When You Rise: Timeless Grammar in Daily Life

There is something profoundly human — and profoundly Hebraic — in the way this verse binds divine instruction to the rhythms of daily life. The participial suffix constructions in Deuteronomy 6:7 do more than just describe actions; they embed those actions into the fabric of time itself.

By using participles with suffixes, the text captures the ongoing, cyclical nature of living with Torah. Not merely at appointed hours or ritual moments, but in every posture of life: sitting, walking, lying down, rising. The grammar becomes theology — the idea that God’s word is inseparable from the very breath of existence.

These forms remind us that language is never neutral. Every suffix carries intimacy. Every participle whispers continuity. And every repetition of this verse across generations reenacts its original command — not once, but always.

Appendix: Participial Suffixes Compared

To clarify the distinction between related non-finite forms in BH, here is a comparative table:

This comparison illustrates how each form contributes uniquely to the syntax of the sentence, and why participles with suffixes are particularly well-suited to express continuous, habitual, or rhythmic behavior.