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Recent Articles
- A Call to Listen: A Beginner’s Guide to Hebrew Grammar in Jeremiah 10:1
- “Even If I Wash with Snow”: Job’s Cry of Purity and Futility in Hebrew
- Your People and Your Inheritance: Strength and Arm Between Hebrew and Greek
- Who is Abimelek? Political Defiance in Hebrew Speech
- May God Enlarge Japheth: Syntax, Blessing, and Subordination in Genesis 9:27
- The Plea of the Prophet: Syntax, Intercession, and Covenant Echoes in Deuteronomy 9:26
- The Swift Flight of Life: Syntax and Poetic Motion in Job 9:25
- Fear and Syntax in Giveʿon: Nested Clauses and Theological Strategy in Joshua 9:24
- Wayyiqtol Verbs, Ruach Imagery, and Political Betrayal in Judges 9:23
- Imperatives, Prophetic Syntax, and Stark Imagery in Jeremiah 9:22
- From Ashes to Dust: The Golden Calf in Hebrew Fire and Greek Fragmentation
- Fear and Obedience: How Hebrew “הֵנִיס” Becomes Greek “συνήγαγεν”
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Author Archives: Biblical Hebrew
Jeremiah 29:3 – Construct State and Genitive Relationships
בְּיַד֙ אֶלְעָשָׂ֣ה בֶן־שָׁפָ֔ן וּגְמַרְיָ֖ה בֶּן־חִלְקִיָּ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר שָׁלַ֜ח צִדְקִיָּ֣ה מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָ֗ה אֶל־נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּ֛ר מֶ֥לֶךְ בָּבֶ֖ל בָּבֶ֥לָה לֵאמֹֽר
(Jeremiah 29:3)
By the hand of Elʿasah son of Shafan and Gemaryah son of Ḥilqiyyah, whom Tsidqiyyah king of Yehudah sent to Nevukhadnetstsar king of Bavel, to Bavel, saying:
This verse from Jeremiah 29:3 features several examples of the construct state (s’mikhut, סמיכות) — a grammatical relationship where two nouns are paired to express possession or close association. In Hebrew, the first noun is placed in a shortened or modified form (called construct state) and is immediately followed by the second noun, which is the possessor.… Learn Hebrew
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Genesis 29:3 – Waw-Consecutive and Wayyiqtol Verbs in Narrative
וְנֶאֶסְפוּ־שָׁ֣מָּה כָל־הָעֲדָרִ֗ים וְגָלֲל֤וּ אֶת־הָאֶ֨בֶן֙ מֵעַל֙ פִּ֣י הַבְּאֵ֔ר וְהִשְׁק֖וּ אֶת־הַצֹּ֑אן וְהֵשִׁ֧יבוּ אֶת־הָאֶ֛בֶן עַל־פִּ֥י הַבְּאֵ֖ר לִמְקֹמָֽהּ׃
(Genesis 29:3)
And all the flocks would gather there, and they would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and then return the stone upon the mouth of the well to its place.
In Genesis 29:3, we observe a chain of verbs in the wayyiqtol form, each preceded by the waw-consecutive (וְ). This construction is a key feature in Biblical Hebrew narrative and is used to express sequential past actions.… Learn Hebrew
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Second Person Pronoun Positioning and Parallelism in Blessing Formulas
בָּר֥וּךְ אַתָּ֖ה בָּעִ֑יר וּבָר֥וּךְ אַתָּ֖ה בַּשָּׂדֶֽה׃
(Deuteronomy 28:3)
Blessed are you in the city, and blessed are you in the field.
Deuteronomy 28:3 opens the list of blessings promised to Israel for obedience. The verse consists of two parallel clauses, both beginning with בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה. The repetition of the second person pronoun אַתָּה in the same syntactic position draws attention to the formulaic and emphatic structure of the blessing. This lesson focuses on the syntax of second person pronoun placement in Biblical Hebrew, particularly in blessing and curse formulas, and its relationship to Hebrew parallelism.… Learn Hebrew
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The Hebrew Verb אָסַף: To Gather or Collect
The verb אָסַף (root: א-ס-ף) means “to gather,” “to collect,” or “to assemble.” It is used frequently in the Hebrew Bible in both literal and figurative contexts: gathering people, collecting objects, or even being “gathered to one’s ancestors” (a euphemism for death).
It is most commonly found in the Qal and Niphal binyanim:
Qal: to gather, to collect, to bring in
Niphal: to be gathered (often used in passive or reflexive senses)
This verb plays a significant role in narratives (e.g.,… Learn Hebrew
Poetic Word Order and Fronting in Biblical Hebrew
קֵ֤ץ שָׂ֤ם לַחֹ֗שֶׁךְ וּֽלְכָל־֭תַּכְלִית ה֣וּא חֹוקֵ֑ר אֶ֖בֶן אֹ֣פֶל וְצַלְמָֽוֶת׃
(Job 28:3)
He sets an end to darkness, and to every extremity He searches out—stone of gloom and shadow of death.
Job 28:3 forms part of a poetic discourse reflecting on human attempts to search out hidden things. What makes this verse grammatically compelling is its poetic word order and the fronting of key words for emphasis. This lesson focuses on how word order variations, especially fronting in poetic texts, function syntactically and stylistically in Biblical Hebrew to highlight abstract and theological concepts.… Learn Hebrew
Cause and Comparison in Prophetic Narrative: The Syntax of 2 Chronicles 28:3
וְהוּא הִקְטִיר בְּגֵיא בֶן־הִנֹּם וַיַּבְעֵר אֶת־בָּנָיו בָּאֵשׁ כְּתוֹעֲבוֹת הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הוֹרִישׁ יְהוָה מִפְּנֵי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
(2 Chronicles 28:3)
And he burned incense in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom, and he burned his sons in fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom YHWH had dispossessed before the children of Israel.
Imitation of the Nations and Divine Displeasure
This verse documents a horrific act: the burning of children as sacrifices in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom by a king of Judah, mirroring the abominations of the surrounding nations.… Learn Hebrew
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The Hebrew Verb אָמַר: To Say, Speak, or Declare
The Hebrew verb אָמַר is one of the most common and essential verbs in the Hebrew Bible, occurring over 5,000 times. It means “to say,” “to speak,” or “to declare,” and is typically used in the Qal binyan. It is used both for divine speech (e.g., “And God said…”) and human speech, making it a core tool for conveying direct discourse and communication.
This verb appears in nearly every genre of biblical literature—narrative, poetry, prophecy, and law. Because of its high frequency, mastering its forms is vital for reading and understanding Hebrew texts fluently.… Learn Hebrew
Coordinated Prepositions and Syntactic Stacking in Jeremiah 27:3
וְשִׁלַּחְתָּם֩ אֶל־מֶ֨לֶךְ אֱדֹ֜ום וְאֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ מֹואָ֗ב וְאֶל־מֶ֨לֶךְ֙ בְּנֵ֣י עַמֹּ֔ון וְאֶל־מֶ֥לֶךְ צֹ֖ר וְאֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ צִידֹ֑ון בְּיַ֤ד מַלְאָכִים֙ הַבָּאִ֣ים יְרוּשָׁלִַ֔ם אֶל־צִדְקִיָּ֖הוּ מֶ֥לֶךְ יְהוּדָֽה׃
(Jeremiah 27:3)
And you shall send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moʾav, and to the king of the sons of ʿAmmon, and to the king of Tsor, and to the king of Tsidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Yerushalayim to Tsidqiyyahu, king of Yehuda.
A Diplomatic Web of Judgments
This verse from Jeremiah sets the stage for a prophetic message delivered not only to Judah but to neighboring kingdoms through a dramatic diplomatic gesture.… Learn Hebrew
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Sequential Action and Leadership: The Wayyiqtol Chain in Judges 3:27
וַיְהִ֣י בְּבֹואֹ֔ו וַיִּתְקַ֥ע בַּשֹּׁופָ֖ר בְּהַ֣ר אֶפְרָ֑יִם וַיֵּרְד֨וּ עִמֹּ֧ו בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל מִן־הָהָ֖ר וְה֥וּא לִפְנֵיהֶֽם׃
(Judges 3:27)
And it came to pass when he arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Efrayim, and the sons of Yisraʾel went down with him from the mountain, and he was before them.
Trumpets, Terrain, and Tactical Leadership
This verse describes the pivotal moment when Ehud, after escaping from Eglon, mobilizes the Israelites by sounding the shofar in the hill country of Ephraim. The structure of this verse is particularly notable for its use of wayyiqtol (וַיִּקטֹל) forms, a staple of Hebrew narrative grammar that links actions in succession.… Learn Hebrew
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Internal Monologue and Root-Derived Wordplay in Obadiah 1:3
זְדֹ֤ון לִבְּךָ֙ הִשִּׁיאֶ֔ךָ שֹׁכְנִ֥י בְחַגְוֵי־סֶּ֖לַע מְרֹ֣ום שִׁבְתֹּ֑ו אֹמֵ֣ר בְּלִבֹּ֔ו מִ֥י יֹורִדֵ֖נִי אָֽרֶץ׃
(Obadiah 1:3)
The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, in the height of his habitation, who says in his heart, Who will bring me down to the ground?
The Language of Arrogance and Illusion
Obadiah 1:3 confronts the arrogant mindset of Edom, using highly expressive Hebrew grammar to portray internal thought, deceptive self-assurance, and false elevation. The verse employs reflexive causative verbs and embeds internal monologue syntax into poetic prophecy.… Learn Hebrew
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