Author Archives: Biblical Hebrew

About Biblical Hebrew

Learn Biblical Hebrew Online. Studying Biblical Hebrew online opens a direct window into the sacred texts of the Hebrew Bible, allowing readers to engage with Scripture in its original linguistic and cultural context. By learning the language in which much of the Tanakh was written, students can move beyond translations and discover the nuanced meanings, poetic structures, and theological depth embedded in the Hebrew text. Online learning provides flexible and accessible avenues to build these skills, whether through self-paced modules, guided instruction, or interactive resources. As one grows in proficiency, the richness of biblical narratives, laws, prayers, and prophetic visions comes to life with renewed clarity, making the study of Biblical Hebrew not only an intellectual pursuit but a deeply rewarding spiritual and cultural journey.

Syntax of Migration: The Grammatical Journey of Genesis 12:5

Posted on December 5, 2022 by Biblical Hebrew

וַיִּקַּ֣ח אַבְרָם֩ אֶת־שָׂרַ֨י אִשְׁתֹּ֜ו וְאֶת־לֹ֣וט בֶּן־אָחִ֗יו וְאֶת־כָּל־רְכוּשָׁם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר רָכָ֔שׁוּ וְאֶת־הַנֶּ֖פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־עָשׂ֣וּ בְחָרָ֑ן וַיֵּצְא֗וּ לָלֶ֨כֶת֙ אַ֣רְצָה כְּנַ֔עַן וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ אַ֥רְצָה כְּנָֽעַן׃ (Genesis 12:5) And Avram took Sarai, his wife, and Lot, his brother’s son, and all their possessions which they had acquired, and the persons they had made in Ḥaran. And they went forth to go to the land of Kenaʿan, and they came to the land of Kenaʿan. Syntax as Pilgrimage Genesis 12:5 is the narrative unfolding of Avram’s obedience to YHWH’s call.… Learn Hebrew

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“Remember Your Creator”: Urgency and Imperative Wisdom in Ecclesiastes 12:1

Posted on December 1, 2022 by Biblical Hebrew

וּזְכֹר֙ אֶת־בֹּ֣ורְאֶ֔יךָ בִּימֵ֖י בְּחוּרֹתֶ֑יךָ עַ֣ד אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹא־יָבֹ֨אוּ֙ יְמֵ֣י הָֽרָעָ֔ה וְהִגִּ֣יעוּ שָׁנִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֹּאמַ֔ר אֵֽין־לִ֥י בָהֶ֖ם חֵֽפֶץ׃ (Ecclesiastes 12:1) And remember your Creator in the days of your youth: before the days of evil come, and the years arrive of which you will say, “I have no pleasure in them.” Memory Before the Days of Trouble Ecclesiastes 12:1 begins the final poetic crescendo of Qohelet, opening with a direct imperative: וּזְכֹר אֶת־בֹּורְאֶיךָ—“Remember your Creator.” It is a call not merely to mental recollection but to covenantal consciousness.… Learn Hebrew

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The Final Plea: Imperative Rescue and National Solidarity in Psalm 25:22

Posted on November 25, 2022 by Biblical Hebrew

פְּדֵ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהִים אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל מִ֝כֹּ֗ל צָֽרֹותָיו׃ (Psalm 25:22) Redeem Israel, O God, from all his troubles. Redemptive Imperative: פְּדֵה אֱלֹהִים פְּדֵה — Qal imperative 2ms of פ־ד־ה, “to redeem, deliver, ransom.” A direct and urgent petition: “Redeem!” — addressed to אֱלֹהִים (Elohim). This imperative expresses intimate reliance on divine intervention. It is a shift from personal reflection (earlier in Psalm 25) to communal intercession. National Object: אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת — Direct object marker. יִשְׂרָאֵל — “Yisra’el,” the nation as a whole. The psalm, largely personal, closes with a national request, aligning individual righteousness with communal hope.… Learn Hebrew

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The King’s Companion — Parataxis and the Architecture of Favor

Posted on November 22, 2022 by Biblical Hebrew

אֹהֵ֥ב טהור־לֵ֑ב חֵ֥ן שְׂ֝פָתָ֗יו רֵעֵ֥הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ׃ (Proverbs 22:11) He who loves purity of heart: grace is upon his lips; the king is his friend. Opening the Alignment In the terse elegance of Proverbs 22:11, we find a man who loves purity of heart and speaks graciously — and a king, drawn to him in quiet friendship. The verse flows without conjunctions, without causal markers, without explanations. It offers no verbs of result or reasoning. And in that silence lies its power.… Learn Hebrew

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Carrying Guilt: The Hifil of נשׂא and Priestly Consecration in Leviticus 22:16

Posted on November 16, 2022 by Biblical Hebrew

וְהִשִּׂ֤יאוּ אֹותָם֙ עֲוֹ֣ן אַשְׁמָ֔ה בְּאָכְלָ֖ם אֶת־קָדְשֵׁיהֶ֑ם כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה מְקַדְּשָֽׁם׃ And they shall cause them to bear the guilt of trespass when they eat their holy things, for I am the LORD who sanctifies them. Leviticus 22:16 forms part of the priestly code, warning against improper participation in sacred offerings. At its center is the verb וְהִשִּׂיאוּ—a Hifil form of נ־שׂ־א, commonly rendered “to cause to bear” or “to make bear.” Here it functions causatively: they cause others (non-priests or the unclean) to bear guilt by allowing them to eat sanctified offerings illegitimately.… Learn Hebrew

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“Cast Your Bread”: Imperatives of Faith and Risk in Ecclesiastes 11:1

Posted on November 1, 2022 by Biblical Hebrew

שַׁלַּ֥ח לַחְמְךָ֖ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י הַמָּ֑יִם כִּֽי־בְרֹ֥ב הַיָּמִ֖ים תִּמְצָאֶֽנּוּ׃ (Ecclesiastes 11:1) Send out your bread upon the surface of the waters, for in many days you will find it. Wisdom in Motion Over the Waters Ecclesiastes 11:1 opens a new thematic section of Qohelet, blending wisdom with paradox, urging action amidst uncertainty. The imperative שַׁלַּ֥ח לַחְמְךָ֖ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י הַמָּ֑יִם—“Cast your bread upon the waters”—is a vivid, poetic command that has intrigued interpreters for centuries. What does it mean to cast bread on water? Is this generosity, investment, or a leap of faith?… Learn Hebrew

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“Dead Flies in the Perfume”: The Disruptive Power of Minimal Folly in Ecclesiastes 10:1

Posted on October 1, 2022 by Biblical Hebrew

זְב֣וּבֵי מָ֔וֶת יַבְאִ֥ישׁ יַבִּ֖יעַ שֶׁ֣מֶן רֹוקֵ֑חַ יָקָ֛ר מֵחָכְמָ֥ה מִכָּבֹ֖וד סִכְל֥וּת מְעָֽט׃ (Ecclesiastes 10:1) Dead flies cause the perfumer’s oil to stink and ferment; a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. Wisdom Spoiled by a Whisper of Folly This verse opens the tenth chapter of Ecclesiastes with a powerful metaphor: זְב֣וּבֵי מָ֔וֶת יַבְאִ֥ישׁ יַבִּ֖יעַ שֶׁ֣מֶן רֹוקֵ֑חַ—“Dead flies make the perfumer’s oil stink.” What follows is a moral insight: a little folly outweighs wisdom and honor. The contrast is stark and deliberate: tiny elements, when misplaced, can destroy that which is refined and valuable.… Learn Hebrew

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Terror as a Teacher: How Binyanim Drive the Plea in Psalm 9:20

Posted on September 20, 2022 by Biblical Hebrew

שִׁ֘יתָ֤ה יְהוָ֨ה מֹורָ֗ה לָ֫הֶ֥ם יֵדְע֥וּ גֹויִ֑ם אֱנֹ֖ושׁ הֵ֣מָּה סֶּֽלָה׃ (Psalm 9:20) Place YHWH terror upon them let the nations know they are mortals Selah When Syntax Pleads and Binyanim Roar Psalm 9:20 is not merely a poetic appeal for justice—it is a syntactic cry for divine instruction through fear. The verbs שִׁ֘יתָ֤ה and יֵדְע֥וּ stand as cornerstones in this verse, one anchoring a divine imperative, the other foretelling its human result. Each verb comes wrapped in a distinct binyan, and together they construct a powerful theological architecture: God places terror, and in response, the nations come to know who and what they truly are.… Learn Hebrew

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Volitional Imperfects and Poetic Subjunctive Expression

Posted on September 7, 2022 by Biblical Hebrew

אָמַ֨רְתִּי֙ אֶעֱלֶ֣ה בְתָמָ֔ר אֹֽחֲזָ֖ה בְּסַנְסִנָּ֑יו וְיִֽהְיוּ־נָ֤א שָׁדַ֨יִךְ֙ כְּאֶשְׁכְּלֹ֣ות הַגֶּ֔פֶן וְרֵ֥יחַ אַפֵּ֖ךְ כַּתַּפּוּחִֽים׃ (Song of Songs 7:9) I said, “I will climb the palm tree; I will grasp its branches. May your breasts be like clusters of the vine, and the scent of your nose like apples.” Introduction to Song of Songs 7:9 This highly poetic and sensuous verse expresses a male speaker’s desire using a sequence of imperfect verbs that reflect volition, desire, and poetic imagination. The verse features multiple uses of the imperfect with cohortative or subjunctive meaning, including the particle נָא, which emphasizes the speaker’s wish.… Learn Hebrew

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The Untamed Beast: Interrogatives, Imperfects, and Domestication Imagery in Job 39:9

Posted on September 3, 2022 by Biblical Hebrew

הֲיֹ֣אבֶה רֵּ֣ים עָבְדֶ֑ךָ אִם־יָלִין עַל־אֲבוּסֶֽךָ׃ (Job 39:9) Will the wild ox be willing to serve you, or will he lodge by your manger? Opening Interrogative: הֲיֹאבֶה רֵים עָבְדֶךָ הֲ is the interrogative particle introducing a yes/no question: “Will…?” יֹאבֶה (“will he be willing?”) is a Qal imperfect 3ms of א־ב־ה (“to be willing, consent”) — projecting a hypothetical or doubtful future action. רֵים — a wild ox or untamable beast, used symbolically here for strength and independence עָבְדֶךָ — “your servant,” from עֶבֶד with the 2ms possessive suffix Together: “Will the wild ox be willing to serve you?”… Learn Hebrew

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