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Recent Articles
- The Grammar of Divine Meteorology: Syntax and Pragmatic Force in Jeremiah 10:13
- When the Sun Stood Still: Syntax and Command in Joshua 10:12
- 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
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Author Archives: Biblical Hebrew
The Imperative Verb and Direct/Indirect Objects in Exodus 33:1
Introduction to Exodus 33:1
Exodus 33:1 occurs after the sin of the golden calf, when YHWH commands Moshe to lead the Israelites toward the Promised Land. The verse contains an imperative verb, several direct and indirect objects, and a relative clause modifying the divine promise to the patriarchs. The use of the imperative לֵךְ (“Go!”) and the command to ascend (עֲלֵה) conveys urgency and divine authority. Additionally, the repetition of אֲשֶׁר introduces relative clauses that define the people and the covenantal land.… Learn Hebrew
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Prophetic Judgment Unfolded: Future Imperfects and Consequence Chains in Amos 7:17
לָכֵ֞ן כֹּה־אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה אִשְׁתְּךָ֞ בָּעִ֤יר תִּזְנֶה֙ וּבָנֶ֤יךָ וּבְנֹתֶ֨יךָ֙ בַּחֶ֣רֶב יִפֹּ֔לוּ וְאַדְמָתְךָ֖ בַּחֶ֣בֶל תְּחֻלָּ֑ק וְאַתָּ֗ה עַל־אֲדָמָ֤ה טְמֵאָה֙ תָּמ֔וּת וְיִ֨שְׂרָאֵ֔ל גָּלֹ֥ה יִגְלֶ֖ה מֵעַ֥ל אַדְמָתֹֽו׃
(Amos 7:17)
Therefore thus said YHWH: “Your wife will prostitute herself in the city, and your sons and your daughters will fall by the sword, and your land will be divided by measuring line, and you on unclean ground will die, and Israel will surely go into exile from upon its land.”
Divine Introduction: לָכֵן כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה
לָכֵן (“therefore”) signals consequence or divine response.… Learn Hebrew
Proverbs 17:27 – Construct Chains and Elliptical Parallelism
חֹושֵׂ֣ךְ אֲ֭מָרָיו יֹודֵ֣עַ דָּ֑עַת וְקַר־֝ר֗וּחַ אִ֣ישׁ תְּבוּנָֽה׃
(Proverbs 17:27)
One who restrains his words knows knowledge, and one who is cool of spirit is a man of understanding.
Explanation of Feature
This verse from Proverbs 17:27 showcases two poetic and grammatical features:
1. Construct chains (סְמִיכוּת), such as אִישׁ תְּבוּנָה (“a man of understanding”), where one noun modifies another in a genitive-like relationship.
2. Elliptical parallelism, in which the second clause mirrors the first but omits repeated grammatical elements, allowing readers to supply them from context.… Learn Hebrew
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Military Metaphors and Temporal Expressions in Biblical Hebrew
הֲלֹא־צָבָ֣א לֶאֱנֹ֣ושׁ עַל־אָ֑רֶץ וְכִימֵ֖י שָׂכִ֣יר יָמָֽיו
(Job 7:1)
Is there not a struggle for man on earth, and like the days of a hired laborer are his days?
Introduction to Job 7:1
Job 7:1 employs military imagery and time-based expressions to describe human existence. The phrase “הֲלֹא־צָבָ֣א לֶאֱנֹ֣ושׁ עַל־אָ֑רֶץ” (“Is not man’s life a struggle on earth?”) draws on the metaphor of a soldier’s service, equating life with hardship and labor. Additionally, the phrase “וְכִימֵ֖י שָׂכִ֣יר יָמָֽיו” (“and like the days of a hired worker are his days”) compares human life to that of a hired laborer, emphasizing its transience and toil.… Learn Hebrew
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Temporal Clauses and Chronological Markers in Biblical Hebrew
Introduction to 1 Kings 6:1
1 Kings 6:1 provides a precise chronological marker, situating the construction of Solomon’s Temple in relation to the Exodus from Egypt. This verse is significant because it demonstrates how Biblical Hebrew expresses time through temporal clauses, specific numerical expressions, and verb structures. The phrase “וַיְהִ֣י בִשְׁמֹונִ֣ים שָׁנָ֣ה וְאַרְבַּ֣ע מֵאֹ֣ות שָׁנָ֡ה” (“And it was in the 480th year”) highlights the Hebrew method of expressing ordinal chronology.
וַיְהִ֣י בִשְׁמֹונִ֣ים שָׁנָ֣ה וְאַרְבַּ֣ע מֵאֹ֣ות שָׁנָ֡ה לְצֵ֣את בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל מֵאֶֽרֶץ־מִצְרַיִם֩ בַּשָּׁנָ֨ה הָרְבִיעִ֜ית בְּחֹ֣דֶשׁ זִ֗ו ה֚וּא הַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֔י לִמְלֹ֥ךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּ֥בֶן הַבַּ֖יִת לַיהוָֽה׃
Analysis of Key Words/Phrases
וַיְהִ֣י (vay’hi)
Root: הָיָה (“to be”)
Form: Conjugated verb, Qal wayyiqtol, 3rd masculine singular
Translation: “And it was”
Notes: A common temporal marker introducing a narrative or event.… Learn Hebrew
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The Grammar of Absence: The Particle אֵין in Nominal Clauses
וְעַתָּ֕ה הֵנִ֨יחַ יְהוָ֧ה אֱלֹהַ֛י לִ֖י מִסָּבִ֑יב אֵ֣ין שָׂטָ֔ן וְאֵ֖ין פֶּ֥גַע רָֽע׃
Biblical Hebrew often surprises us not just with what is said—but with what is not. The verse above, from 1 Kings 5:18 (Hebrew versification), contains a seemingly simple phrase: אֵין שָׂטָן וְאֵין פֶּגַע רָע. But hidden in these words is a rich grammatical phenomenon: the syntax of negation in verbless clauses using the existential particle אֵין.
This article explores how Biblical Hebrew expresses non-existence, the distinction between אֵין and לֹא, and the special structure of negative nominal clauses.… Learn Hebrew
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The Plural Construct Chain in Isaiah 65:7
Introduction to Isaiah 65:7
Isaiah 65:7 is part of a prophetic pronouncement in which YHWH declares judgment upon Israel for their past and ongoing iniquities. The verse highlights collective responsibility by linking the sins of the current generation with those of their ancestors. The phrase עֲוֹנֹתֵיכֶם וַעֲוֹנֹ֨ת אֲבֹותֵיכֶם (“your iniquities and the iniquities of your fathers”) forms a plural construct chain, a grammatical structure where multiple nouns are connected to express possession and relationships.
This study will analyze the form, function, and implications of the plural construct chain in this verse and explore how it contributes to the theological message of collective guilt in Isaiah 65.… Learn Hebrew
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The Syntax of Contrastive Conjunctions: כִּי אִם in Proverbs 23:17
אַל־יְקַנֵּ֣א לִ֭בְּךָ בַּֽחַטָּאִ֑ים כִּ֥י אִם־בְּיִרְאַת־֝יְהוָ֗ה כָּל־הַיֹּֽום׃
(Proverbs 23:17)
Let your heart not be jealous of sinners but rather in the fear of YHWH all the day
Introducing the Phenomenon
Among the various conjunctions in Biblical Hebrew, the sequence כִּי אִם plays a nuanced role in constructing contrastive statements. It often functions to negate one clause or expectation and replace it with an alternative—frequently associated with exclusion, contrast, or restriction. In Proverbs 23:17, this subtle but powerful construction guides the moral instruction by contrasting two directions of the heart: envy of the wicked versus reverent fear of יְהוָה.… Learn Hebrew
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Judges 17:4 – Sequential Wayyiqtol Verbs and Gendered Agreement
וַיָּ֥שֶׁב אֶת־הַכֶּ֖סֶף לְאִמֹּ֑ו וַתִּקַּ֣ח אִמֹּו֩ מָאתַ֨יִם כֶּ֜סֶף וַתִּתְּנֵ֣הוּ לַצֹּורֵ֗ף וַֽיַּעֲשֵׂ֨הוּ֙ פֶּ֣סֶל וּמַסֵּכָ֔ה וַיְהִ֖י בְּבֵ֥ית מִיכָֽיְהוּ׃
(Judges 17:4)
And he returned the silver to his mother, and his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave it to the silversmith, and he made it a carved image and a cast idol, and it was in the house of Mikhayehu.
This verse from Judges 17:4 features a series of wayyiqtol verbs (consecutive imperfects), a hallmark of Hebrew narrative style. It also illustrates subject-verb gender agreement, where the verb form changes to match the gender of the subject.… Learn Hebrew
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Waiting in Vain: Poetic Repetition and Futile Hope in Lamentations 4:17
עוֹדִינָה תִּכְלֶ֣ינָה עֵינֵ֔ינוּ אֶל־עֶזְרָתֵ֖נוּ הָ֑בֶל בְּצִפִּיָּתֵ֣נוּ צִפִּ֔ינוּ אֶל־גֹּ֖וי לֹ֥א יֹושִֽׁיעַ׃
(Lamentations 4:17)
Still our eyes are consumed in looking for our help—vainly; in our looking we looked to a nation that cannot save.
Lamentations 4:17 is a piercing lament about misplaced hope and the agony of waiting. The verse portrays the eyes of the people fading from looking for help that never arrives—עוֹדִינָה תִּכְלֶינָה עֵינֵינוּ אֶל־עֶזְרָתֵנוּ—as they long for salvation from a nation that cannot save. The poetic power is shaped through repetition, parallelism, and the emphatic use of verbs like צִפִּינוּ (“we waited”) and תִּכְלֶינָה (“they are consumed”).… Learn Hebrew
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