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 me the dream, and I will know that you can show me its interpretation.
⏰ A King’s Suspicion and a Verb of Time
Daniel 2:9 stands as one of the most rhetorically charged verses in the chapter. Here, King Nebuchadnezzar escalates the tension by accusing the Chaldeans of stalling “until the time changes.” This accusation hinges grammatically on a rare and morphologically rich verb: יִשְׁתַּנֵּא — an Aramaic Hitpaʿal imperfect meaning “it will change.”
This article unpacks this verb, highlighting its tense, binyan (stem), and function, while contrasting it with similar expressions in Biblical Hebrew and showcasing its rhetorical force in the court scene.
🔍 Morphological Analysis: יִשְׁתַּנֵּא (“it will change”)
The verb יִשְׁתַּנֵּא is parsed as follows:
- Root: שׁ־נ־א (“to change”)
- Stem (Binyan): Hitpaʿal (reflexive/middle/passive stem in Aramaic)
- Form: Imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
- Voice: Reflexive / passive nuance (“change itself” / “be changed”)
- Translation: “until the time changes”
This form is one of the few Hitpaʿal (התפעל) verbs preserved in Biblical Aramaic, and its presence here introduces an aspect of inevitability or divine timing — the “changing of the time” — that lies outside human control.
⛓️ Syntactic Function: עַד דִּי עִדָּנָ֖א יִשְׁתַּנֵּ֑א
This clause is structured as a time-based subordinate clause:
| Aramaic Phrase | Component | Function |
|---|---|---|
| עַד | Preposition | “until” (temporal marker) |
| דִּי | Relative particle | Introduces subordinate clause (“that”) |
| עִדָּנָ֖א | Subject noun (emphatic) | “the time” |
| יִשְׁתַּנֵּ֑א | Imperfect verb | “will change” |
The entire clause עַד דִּי עִדָּנָ֖א יִשְׁתַּנֵּ֑א functions as the temporal boundary the king accuses them of exploiting. He charges them with delaying their answer until the time changes — until something outside human agency forces a resolution.
📖 Hitpaʿal in Aramaic vs. Hebrew
While the Hitpaʿal stem is prominent in Biblical Hebrew (e.g., הִתְהַלֵּךְ, “to walk about”), in Biblical Aramaic it is rare but meaningful. Aramaic more commonly uses Paʿel or passive forms. The use of Hitpaʿal here emphasizes internal change — time is not simply acted upon; it undergoes transformation. This reflexive nuance adds to the dramatic tone: “You’re waiting for time itself to shift.”
🎭 Verbal Suspicion: A King’s Grammatical Strategy
In this tense proclamation, the king uses grammar to box in the Chaldeans rhetorically. Three verbs define his accusation:
- חֲדָה־הִיא דָֽתְכֹ֗ון – “There is one law for you” (a declaration of fixed consequence)
- הַזְמַנְתּ֔וּן – “you have conspired” or “you have agreed/prepared” – this is a Hafʿel perfect 2nd person plural form from the root ז־מ־ן, meaning “to appoint / arrange / agree.” The Hafʿel stem conveys causative nuance: “you caused yourselves to conspire / set it up.”
- יִשְׁתַּנֵּ֑א – “it will change” (a future reflexive verb of inevitability)
The grammatical intensity builds with each phrase: from legal finality, to accusatory causation, to temporal fatalism. The Chaldeans are portrayed as manipulators caught in the act.
🧩 The Rhetoric of Changing Time
By invoking the future-reflexive יִשְׁתַּנֵּא, Nebuchadnezzar turns time into a witness and co-judge. Grammar becomes more than a means of communication—it becomes evidence. The Hafʿel הַזְמַנְתּוּן reveals cunning, while the Hitpaʿal יִשְׁתַּנֵּא reveals the trap: “You’ve arranged to stall me until time itself shifts.”
In Biblical Aramaic, especially in court scenes, verbs in rare stems like Hafʿel and Hitpaʿal aren’t ornamental—they’re strategic. They infuse speech with legal, theological, and emotional power.
