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Recent Articles
- Fear, Dominion, and Syntax: A Grammar Lesson from Genesis 9:2
- “And Job Answered and Said”: A Hebrew Lesson on Job 9:1
- Syntax of Covenant Obedience: The Altar of Uncut Stones in Joshua 8:31
- Unlock the Secrets of the Tanakh: Why Hebrew Morphology is the Key
- The Poetics of Verbal Repetition in Proverbs 8:30
- Syntax of the Wave Offering: Moses and the Breast Portion in Leviticus 8:29
- Firm Skies and Deep Springs: Grammar in Proverbs 8:28
- Only the Spoil: A Hebrew Lesson on Joshua 8:27
- Binyanim Under Pressure: Exodus 8:26
- When Service Ends: A Hebrew Lesson on Numbers 8:25
- Consecration Through Syntax: The Priestly Ritual in Leviticus 8:24
- “A Three-Day Journey”: The Syntax of Volition and Deixis in Exodus According to Targum Onkelos
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The Nifal Participle נֶאֱסָפִים in Isaiah 13:4
קֹ֥ול הָמֹ֛ון בֶּֽהָרִ֖ים דְּמ֣וּת עַם־רָ֑ב קֹ֠ול שְׁאֹ֞ון מַמְלְכֹ֤ות גֹּויִם֙ נֶֽאֱסָפִ֔ים יְהוָ֣ה צְבָאֹ֔ות מְפַקֵּ֖ד צְבָ֥א מִלְחָמָֽה׃
(Isaiah 13:4)
A sound of tumult on the mountains, like the likeness of a great people. A sound of uproar from kingdoms, nations gathered together. Yahweh of hosts is mustering a host for battle.
Isaiah 13:4 describes a prophetic vision of a great army assembling for war, with nations gathering under divine command. The Nifal participle נֶאֱסָפִים (neʾesafim) plays a crucial role in conveying the passive nature of the assembly, highlighting that these nations are not gathering by their own initiative but rather under an external force.… Learn Hebrew
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The Nifal Participle נִבְחָר in Proverbs 22:1
נִבְחָ֣ר שֵׁ֭ם מֵעֹ֣שֶׁר רָ֑ב מִכֶּ֥סֶף וּ֝מִזָּהָ֗ב חֵ֣ן טֹֽוב׃
(Proverbs 22:1)
A name is chosen above great riches; favor is better than silver and gold.
Proverbs 22:1 emphasizes the value of a good name over material wealth. The verse opens with the Nifal participle נִבְחָר (nivḥar), meaning “chosen” or “preferred,” which plays a crucial role in shaping the meaning of the passage. This analysis will explore the morphology, syntactic function, and semantic significance of this participle within Biblical Hebrew grammar.
Analysis of Key Words/Phrases
The Nifal participle נִבְחָר (nivḥar) appears at the beginning of the verse:
נִבְחָ֣ר שֵׁ֭ם
This phrase consists of:
נִבְחָר (nivḥar) – “chosen” or “preferred” (Nifal participle)
שֵׁם (shem) – “a name” (noun, subject)
The Nifal participle נִבְחָר is the focus of our grammatical analysis.… Learn Hebrew
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The Nifal Verb יִנָּשְׂאוּ in Ezekiel 1:21
בְּלֶכְתָּ֣ם יֵלֵ֔כוּ וּבְעָמְדָ֖ם יַֽעֲמֹ֑דוּ וּֽבְהִנָּשְׂאָ֞ם מֵעַ֣ל הָאָ֗רֶץ יִנָּשְׂא֤וּ הָאֹֽופַנִּים֙ לְעֻמָּתָ֔ם כִּ֛י ר֥וּחַ הַחַיָּ֖ה בָּאֹופַנִּֽים׃
(Ezekiel 1:21)
When they went, they went, and when they stood, they stood; and when they were lifted up from upon the earth, the wheels were lifted up alongside them, for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.
Ezekiel 1:21 describes the synchronized movement of the wheels in the prophet’s vision, explaining that they move and rise in unison with the living creatures. A key grammatical feature in this verse is the verb יִנָּשְׂאוּ (yinnāśəʾū), which is in the Nifal stem, a binyan that often expresses passive or reflexive action.… Learn Hebrew
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Prepositions of Comparison: The Power of מִן and כְּ in Proverbs 18:19
אָ֗ח נִפְשָׁ֥ע מִקִּרְיַת־עֹ֑ז וּמְדֹונִים כִּבְרִ֥יחַ אַרְמֹֽון׃
Proverbs 18:19 presents a striking image of broken trust: “A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarrels are like the bars of a fortress.” This comparison is grammatically anchored in two small but powerful prepositions: מִן (“more than”) and כְּ (“like”). These prepositions shape the entire logic and rhetorical force of the proverb.
Hebrew uses prepositions not only to describe relationships in space or time—but also to build similes, comparisons, and even superlatives.… Learn Hebrew
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Sequential Wayyiqtol Verbs in Topographical Descriptions
וַיְהִ֨י לָהֶ֧ם הַגְּב֛וּל לִפְאַ֥ת צָפֹ֖ונָה מִן־הַיַּרְדֵּ֑ן וְעָלָ֣ה הַגְּבוּל֩ אֶל־כֶּ֨תֶף יְרִיחֹ֜ו מִצָּפֹ֗ון וְעָלָ֤ה בָהָר֙ יָ֔מָּה וְהָיָה תֹּֽצְאֹתָ֔יו מִדְבַּ֖רָה בֵּ֥ית אָֽוֶן׃
(Joshua 18:12)
And their border was on the northern side from the Yarden, and the border went up to the shoulder of Yeriḥo from the north and went up into the hill country westward, and its end was at the wilderness of Beit Aven.
Joshua 18:12 describes the northern border of the territory assigned to the tribe of Binyamin. The verse features a series of actions marked by wayyiqtol verbs describing how the border ascends, shifts, and proceeds through various landmarks.… Learn Hebrew
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The Imperative לֶךְ־לְךָ and the Command to Abram in Genesis 12:1
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמֹּֽולַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃
(Genesis 12:1)
And YHWH said to Avram, “Go forth from your land, from your birthplace, and from the house of your father, to the land that I will show you.
Genesis 12:1 marks a pivotal moment in biblical history, where יְהוָה (YHWH) commands אַבְרָם (Avram, “Abram”) to leave his homeland and journey to an unknown land. The grammatical structure of this verse is significant, particularly the imperative phrase לֶךְ־לְךָ (lekh-lekha, “Go for yourself” or “Go forth”).… Learn Hebrew
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The Use of Collective Singular and Plural Agreement in Genesis 11:1
וַֽיְהִ֥י כָל־הָאָ֖רֶץ שָׂפָ֣ה אֶחָ֑ת וּדְבָרִ֖ים אֲחָדִֽים׃
(Genesis 11:1)
And the whole earth had one language and the same words.
Genesis 11:1 introduces the Tower of Babel narrative by describing the state of human language before divine intervention. The verse contains an interesting grammatical interplay between singular and plural forms, particularly in שָׂפָ֣ה אֶחָ֑ת (safah eḥat, “one language”) and דְּבָרִ֖ים אֲחָדִֽים (devarim aḥadim, “unified words” or “same speech”). These constructions demonstrate how Biblical Hebrew expresses collective unity while maintaining distinctions between singular and plural agreement.… Learn Hebrew
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Collective Subjects and Mixed Word Order in Post-Exilic Prose
כָּל־אֵ֕לֶּה נָשְׂא֣וּ נָשִׁ֣ים נָכְרִיֹּ֑ות וְיֵ֣שׁ מֵהֶ֣ם נָשִׁ֔ים וַיָּשִׂ֖ימוּ בָּנִֽים׃
(Ezra 10:44)
All these had taken foreign women as wives, and some of them had women by whom they bore children.
This verse concludes the list of Israelites who had married foreign women, a central issue in Ezra’s reform movement. The syntax in this verse reflects post-exilic Hebrew style, featuring collective subjects, mixed singular/plural agreement, and a syntactically loose final clause. This lesson will focus on the interaction between collective nouns and verb agreement, and the use of mixed word order to convey summary judgments in administrative Hebrew.… Learn Hebrew
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The Structure of וַיִּוָּלְד֥וּ and the Concept of Genealogy in Genesis 10:1
וְאֵ֨לֶּה֙ תֹּולְדֹ֣ת בְּנֵי־נֹ֔חַ שֵׁ֖ם חָ֣ם וָיָ֑פֶת וַיִּוָּלְד֥וּ לָהֶ֛ם בָּנִ֖ים אַחַ֥ר הַמַּבּֽוּל׃
(Genesis 10:1)
And these are the generations of the sons of Noaḥ: Shem, Ḥam, and Yafet; and sons were born to them after the flood.
Genesis 10:1 serves as an introduction to the Table of Nations, listing the descendants of שֵׁם, חָם, וָיָפֶת (Shem, Ḥam, and Yafet), the sons of נֹחַ (Noaḥ), who repopulated the earth after the Flood. This verse features significant grammatical elements, including the Niphal verb וַיִּוָּלְד֥וּ, which expresses passive action in Biblical Hebrew.… Learn Hebrew
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The Use of Imperatives and Divine Blessing in Genesis 9:1
וַיְבָ֣רֶךְ אֱלֹהִ֔ים אֶת־נֹ֖חַ וְאֶת־בָּנָ֑יו וַיֹּ֧אמֶר לָהֶ֛ם פְּר֥וּ וּרְב֖וּ וּמִלְא֥וּ אֶת־הָאָֽרֶץ׃
(Genesis 9:1)
And God blessed Noaḥ and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.”
Genesis 9:1 marks a new beginning after the Flood, where אֱלֹהִים (Elohim, “God”) blesses נֹחַ (Noaḥ, “Noah”) and his sons, giving them a command similar to that given to Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:28. This verse prominently features imperative verbs (פְּרוּ, רְבוּ, מִלְאוּ – “be fruitful, multiply, and fill”), which express direct commands.… Learn Hebrew
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