Category Archives: Grammar & Syntax

וְדָ֣נִיֵּ֔אל עַ֖ל וּבְעָ֣ה מִן־מַלְכָּ֑א דִּ֚י זְמָ֣ן יִנְתֵּן־לֵ֔הּ וּפִשְׁרָ֖א לְהַֽחֲוָיָ֥ה לְמַלְכָּֽא׃
(Daniel 2:16) And Daniel went in and requested from the king that time may be given to him, and that he might declare the interpretation to the king. The form יִנְתֵּן in Daniel 2:16 provides a vivid example of how Biblical Aramaic uses verbal morphology and syntax to frame a… Read the rest

עָנֵ֣ה וְאָמַ֗ר לְאַרְיֹוךְ֙ שַׁלִּיטָ֣א דִֽי־מַלְכָּ֔א עַל־מָ֥ה דָתָ֛א מְהַחְצְפָ֖ה מִן־קֳדָ֣ם מַלְכָּ֑א אֱדַ֣יִן מִלְּתָ֔א הֹודַ֥ע אַרְיֹ֖וךְ לְדָנִיֵּֽאל׃
(Daniel 2:15) He answered and said to Arioch, the official of the king, “Why is the decree so urgent from before the king?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel. In this verse, the word שַׁלִּיטָ֣א (“the official” or “the ruler”) appears in the… Read the rest

בֵּאדַ֣יִן דָּנִיֵּ֗אל הֲתִיב֙ עֵטָ֣א וּטְעֵ֔ם לְאַרְיֹ֕וךְ רַב־טַבָּחַיָּ֖א דִּ֣י מַלְכָּ֑א דִּ֚י נְפַ֣ק לְקַטָּלָ֔ה לְחַכִּימֵ֖י בָּבֶֽל׃
(Daniel 2:14) Then Daniel replied with counsel and prudence to Arioch, chief of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon. In Biblical Aramaic, the particle דִּי functions primarily as a relative pronoun, equivalent to “who,” “which,” or “that” in… Read the rest

כָּל־קֳבֵ֣ל דְּנָ֔ה מַלְכָּ֕א בְּנַ֖ס וּקְצַ֣ף שַׂגִּ֑יא וַאֲמַר֙ לְהֹ֣ובָדָ֔ה לְכֹ֖ל חַכִּימֵ֥י בָבֶֽל׃
(Daniel 2:12) Because of this, the king became furious and very angry, and he ordered to destroy all the wise men of Babylon. From Protest to Punishment Daniel 2:12 marks a turning point in the narrative. After the Chaldeans admit they cannot fulfill the king’s demand (Daniel 2:10–11), Nebuchadnezzar… Read the rest

עֲנֹ֨ו כַשְׂדָּיָּא קֳדָם־מַלְכָּא֙ וְאָ֣מְרִ֔ין לָֽא־אִיתַ֤י אֲנָשׁ֙ עַל־יַבֶּשְׁתָּ֔א דִּ֚י מִלַּ֣ת מַלְכָּ֔א יוּכַ֖ל לְהַחֲוָיָ֑ה כָּל־קֳבֵ֗ל דִּ֚י כָּל־מֶ֨לֶךְ֙ רַ֣ב וְשַׁלִּ֔יט מִלָּ֤ה כִדְנָה֙ לָ֣א שְׁאֵ֔ל לְכָל־חַרְטֹּ֖ם וְאָשַׁ֥ף וְכַשְׂדָּֽי׃
(Daniel 2:10) The Chaldeans answered before the king and said, “There is no man on earth who is able to declare the matter of the king; for no great and powerful king has ever asked such… Read the rest

דִּ֣י הֵן־חֶלְמָא֩ לָ֨א תְהֹֽודְעֻנַּ֜נִי חֲדָה־הִ֣יא דָֽתְכֹ֗ון וּמִלָּ֨ה כִדְבָ֤ה וּשְׁחִיתָה֙ הַזְמַנְתּ֔וּן לְמֵאמַ֣ר קָֽדָמַ֔י עַ֛ד דִּ֥י עִדָּנָ֖א יִשְׁתַּנֵּ֑א לָהֵ֗ן חֶלְמָא֙ אֱמַ֣רוּ לִ֔י וְֽאִנְדַּ֕ע דִּ֥י פִשְׁרֵ֖הּ תְּהַחֲוֻנַּֽנִי׃
(Daniel 2:9) If you do not make the dream known to me, there is one sentence for you. You have agreed to speak a lying and corrupt word before me until the time changes. Therefore tell… Read the rest

עָנֵ֤ה מַלְכָּא֙ וְאָמַ֔ר מִן־יַצִּיב֙ יָדַ֣ע אֲנָ֔ה דִּ֥י עִדָּנָ֖א אַנְתּ֣וּן זָבְנִ֑ין כָּל־קֳבֵל֙ דִּ֣י חֲזֵיתֹ֔ון דִּ֥י אַזְדָּ֖א מִנִּ֥י מִלְּתָֽא׃
(Daniel 2:8) The king answered and said, “Surely I know that you are buying time, because you have seen that the matter has gone from me.” A King’s Suspicion and a Syntax of Accusation In Daniel 2:8, King Nebuchadnezzar levels an accusation with… Read the rest

עֲנֹ֥ו תִנְיָנ֖וּת וְאָמְרִ֑ין מַלְכָּ֕א חֶלְמָ֛א יֵאמַ֥ר לְעַבְדֹ֖והִי וּפִשְׁרָ֥ה נְהַחֲוֵֽה׃
(Daniel 2:7) They answered a second time and said, “Let the king tell the dream to his servants, and we will declare its interpretation.” A Verse of Repetition and Resistance Daniel 2:7 marks a critical moment in the Chaldeans’ dialogue with Nebuchadnezzar. Their second answer does not contain new information—it repeats… Read the rest