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Recent Articles
- Woven with Wonder: Syntax and Embodied Imagery in Job 10:11
- The Wink and the Wound: Syntax, Parallelism, and Irony in Proverbs 10:10
- The Grammar of Surprise: The Wayyiqtol Chain and Temporal Progression in Joshua 10:9
- The Birth of Power: The Grammar of Beginning and Becoming in Genesis 10:8
- Genealogical Syntax and the Grammar of Nations in Genesis 10:7
- Do Not Mourn as Others Do: Restraint and Reverence in the Aftermath of Fire
- The Blast and the Camp: Exploring Hebrew Commands and Movement in Numbers 10:5
- If You Refuse: The Threat of the Locusts in Translation
- Trumpet Blasts and Assembly Syntax in Numbers 10:3
- Right and Left: A Beginner’s Guide to Hebrew Word Order in Ecclesiastes 10:2
- 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
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Author Archives: Biblical Hebrew
The Hebrew Verb זָרַק – To Sprinkle, Scatter, or Throw
The verb זָרַק is a vivid and active root in Biblical Hebrew, typically meaning “to throw,” “to scatter,” or more precisely in ritual contexts, “to sprinkle” (especially with blood or water). It appears frequently in Levitical laws involving sacrifices, where the act of sprinkling blood is part of the priestly ritual to achieve atonement or sanctification.
This verb primarily appears in the Qal stem, though it can occur in others like Piel and Niphal. The imagery of throwing or scattering plays a role not only in sacrificial ceremonies but also metaphorically in prophetic passages, evoking ideas of judgment, purification, and separation.… Learn Hebrew
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Commanded to Teach: Exploring Binyanim in Deuteronomy 6:1
וְזֹ֣את הַמִּצְוָ֗ה הַֽחֻקִּים֙ וְהַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוָּ֛ה יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֖ם לְלַמֵּ֣ד אֶתְכֶ֑ם לַעֲשֹׂ֣ות בָּאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתֶּ֛ם עֹבְרִ֥ים שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃ (Deuteronomy 6:1)
Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the judgments—that YHWH your God commanded to teach you, to do in the land into which you are passing over, to possess it.
Overview: Structuring Covenant through Verbal Stems
Deuteronomy 6:1 introduces the core framework of covenantal obedience by summarizing divine directives—commandments, statutes, and judgments. Three significant verbs drive the theological and grammatical energy of this verse, each from a distinct binyan.… Learn Hebrew
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The Hinge Between Promise and Exile
Opening: Context and Verse
This is the opening line of Sefer Shemot — Exodus — a threshold verse that ushers us into a new era in Israel’s story. It begins with a deceptively familiar formula:
וְאֵ֗לֶּה שְׁמֹות֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הַבָּאִ֖ים מִצְרָ֑יְמָה אֵ֣ת יַעֲקֹ֔ב אִ֥ישׁ וּבֵיתֹ֖ו בָּֽאוּ׃
“And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt, with Jacob — each man and his household entered.” (Exodus 1:1)
The book opens not with drama or divine speech, but with a list — a catalog of names.… Learn Hebrew
The Hebrew Verb זָקַק – To Purify, Refine
The verb זָקַק (zakak) means “to purify” or “to refine,” especially in the context of purifying metals like silver. It is a vivid and poetic verb that appears in the Hebrew Bible, primarily in poetic or prophetic literature, where it symbolizes moral or spiritual refinement. It is typically used in the Qal stem and occasionally appears in related binyanim such as Pual or Niphal.
Occurrences in the Tanakh
One well-known occurrence of זָקַק is in Psalm 12:7:
אִמְרֹ֣ות יְהוָ֣ה אֲמָרֹ֣ות טְהֹרֹ֑ות כֶּ֖סֶף צָרוּף בַּעֲלִ֥יל לָאָ֗רֶץ מְזֻקָּ֥ק שִׁבְעָתָֽיִם׃
“The words of the LORD are pure words: silver refined in a furnace on the ground, refined seven times.”… Learn Hebrew
The Syntax of the Poor Man’s Sin: A Grammatical Window into Equity and Access
וְאִם־לֹא֩ תַשִּׂ֨יג יָדֹ֜ו לִשְׁתֵּ֣י תֹרִ֗ים אֹו֮ לִשְׁנֵ֣י בְנֵי־יֹונָה֒ וְהֵבִ֨יא אֶת־קָרְבָּנֹ֜ו אֲשֶׁ֣ר חָטָ֗א עֲשִׂירִ֧ת הָאֵפָ֛ה סֹ֖לֶת לְחַטָּ֑את לֹא־יָשִׂ֨ים עָלֶ֜יהָ שֶׁ֗מֶן וְלֹא־יִתֵּ֤ן עָלֶ֨יהָ֙ לְבֹנָ֔ה כִּ֥י חַטָּ֖את הִֽיא׃
In the priestly code of Leviticus, where ritual precision often dominates the narrative, we find in Vayiqra 5:11 a verse that breathes with ethical nuance. It speaks not only to the structure of atonement but to the very fabric of social equity within the sacrificial system. When an individual cannot afford the standard offering — two turtledoves or pigeons — they may bring fine flour instead.… Learn Hebrew
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The Hebrew Verb זָקַף: To Raise, Erect, Lift Up
The Hebrew Verb זָקַף – To Raise, Erect
The verb זָקַף (zakaf) means “to raise,” “to straighten,” or “to erect.” It belongs to Classical and Rabbinic Hebrew, where it often appears in discussions about posture (e.g., standing upright) or ceremonial actions (e.g., erecting an object). Although it is not attested in the Masoretic Text of the Tanakh, it holds linguistic significance and is used in Rabbinic literature. The following tables provide a full morphological presentation of the verb as it would conjugate in Biblical Hebrew, based on standard patterns.… Learn Hebrew
Forty Years of Syntax: The Structural Journey of Joshua 5:6
כִּ֣י אַרְבָּעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֗ה הָלְכ֣וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ בַּמִּדְבָּר֒ עַד־תֹּ֨ם כָּל־הַגֹּ֜וי אַנְשֵׁ֤י הַמִּלְחָמָה֙ הַיֹּצְאִ֣ים מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־שָׁמְע֖וּ בְּקֹ֣ול יְהוָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֤ע יְהוָה֙ לָהֶ֔ם לְבִלְתִּ֞י הַרְאֹותָ֣ם אֶת־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֩ נִשְׁבַּ֨ע יְהוָ֤ה לַֽאֲבֹותָם֙ לָ֣תֶת לָ֔נוּ אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָֽשׁ׃
(Joshua 5:6)
For forty years the children of Yisraʾel walked in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Mitsrayim, perished because they did not obey the voice of YHWH, to whom YHWH had sworn that He would not show them the land that YHWH had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.… Learn Hebrew
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Quiet Binyanim in a Genealogy: How Form Shapes Ancestral Flow
וַֽיְחִי־לֶ֗מֶךְ אַֽחֲרֵי֙ הֹולִידֹ֣ו אֶת־נֹ֔חַ חָמֵ֤שׁ וְתִשְׁעִים֙ שָׁנָ֔ה וַחֲמֵ֥שׁ מֵאֹ֖ת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיֹּ֥ולֶד בָּנִ֖ים וּבָנֹֽות׃
(Genesis 5:30)
And Lemekh lived after he had begotten Noaḥ five and ninety years and five hundred years and he begot sons and daughters
Rhythm of Life in Repetition
Genesis 5 is a genealogical chapter full of repetition—but repetition with meaning. The verb patterns throughout this list are not arbitrary. In this single verse, we encounter two binyanim—Qal and Hiphil—that structure the rhythm of life, time, and reproduction.… Learn Hebrew
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The Hebrew Verb זָקֵן: To Grow Old, Become Aged
The verb זָקֵן (root: ז־ק־ן) is a stative verb in Biblical Hebrew meaning “to grow old” or “to become aged.” It reflects a process of aging or maturing and is closely related to the noun זָקֵן (“old man” or “elder”). This verb typically appears in the Qal binyan and conveys a passive or intransitive process rather than active action.
Though less frequent than some other verbs, זָקֵן carries significant theological and narrative weight in Scripture. The concept of aging is often tied to wisdom, honor, and divine favor.… Learn Hebrew
Bitter Waters and Hidden Binyanim: The Verb Forms Behind the Trial of Jealousy
זֹ֥את תֹּורַ֖ת הַקְּנָאֹ֑ת אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּשְׂטֶ֥ה אִשָּׁ֛ה תַּ֥חַת אִישָׁ֖הּ וְנִטְמָֽאָה׃
(Numbers 5:29)
This is the law of jealousy when a woman goes astray under her husband and becomes defiled
Grammatical Framing of Moral Crisis
This verse sits at the end of the ritual of the sotah—the woman suspected of adultery. While the surrounding narrative is rich in physical detail and ceremonial imagery, this verse compresses the essence of the law into two powerful verbs. Both are non-Qal forms, and both project theological and judicial weight: trespass and defilement wrapped in morphology.… Learn Hebrew
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