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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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Fear, Dominion, and Syntax: A Grammar Lesson from Genesis 9:2
וּמֹורַאֲכֶ֤ם וְחִתְּכֶם֙ יִֽהְיֶ֔ה עַ֚ל כָּל־חַיַּ֣ת הָאָ֔רֶץ וְעַ֖ל כָּל־עֹ֣וף הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם בְּכֹל֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר תִּרְמֹ֧שׂ הָֽאֲדָמָ֛ה וּֽבְכָל־דְּגֵ֥י הַיָּ֖ם בְּיֶדְכֶ֥ם נִתָּֽנוּ׃
(Genesis 9:2)
And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird of the heavens, in everything that creeps on the ground, and in all the fish of the sea—into your hand they have been given.
Genesis 9:2 marks a pivotal moment in the narrative of human history. After the flood, God addresses Noah and his sons, redefining humanity’s relationship with the rest of creation.… Learn Hebrew
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Syntax of Covenant Obedience: The Altar of Uncut Stones in Joshua 8:31
כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוָּה֩ מֹשֶׁ֨ה עֶֽבֶד־יְהוָ֜ה אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל כַּכָּתוּב֙ בְּסֵ֨פֶר֙ תֹּורַ֣ת מֹשֶׁ֔ה מִזְבַּח֙ אֲבָנִ֣ים שְׁלֵמֹ֔ות אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹֽא־הֵנִ֥יף עֲלֵיהֶ֖ן בַּרְזֶ֑ל וַיַּעֲל֨וּ עָלָ֤יו עֹלֹות֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה וַֽיִּזְבְּח֖וּ שְׁלָמִֽים׃
(Joshua 8:31)
As Moshe, the servant of YHWH, commanded the children of Yisraʾel, as it is written in the book of the Torah of Moshe: an altar of unhewn stones upon which no iron tool was wielded, and they offered burnt offerings on it to YHWH and sacrificed peace offerings.
Syntax in Service of Covenant Memory
Joshua 8:31 narrates the building of an altar on Mount Ebal as commanded in the Torah of Moses.… Learn Hebrew
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The Poetics of Verbal Repetition in Proverbs 8:30
וָֽאֶהְיֶ֥ה אֶצְלֹ֗ו אָ֫מֹ֥ון וָֽאֶהְיֶ֣ה שַׁ֭עֲשֻׁעִים יֹ֤ום יֹ֑ום מְשַׂחֶ֖קֶת לְפָנָ֣יו בְּכָל־עֵֽת׃ (Proverbs 8:30)
Then I was beside Him, like a master-worker, and I was His delight day by day, playing before Him at all times.
This verse is a masterpiece of Hebrew poetic artistry, where the speaker—personified Wisdom—uses verbal repetition and parallelism to create rhythm, emphasis, and intimacy with the divine Creator. Two repeated verbal structures stand out: וָאֶהְיֶה (“and I was”) and the iterative יֹום יֹום (“day by day”). These elements reveal how Hebrew grammar leverages repetition not as redundancy, but as a stylistic and rhetorical device.… Learn Hebrew
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Syntax of the Wave Offering: Moses and the Breast Portion in Leviticus 8:29
וַיִּקַּ֤ח מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶת־הֶ֣חָזֶ֔ה וַיְנִיפֵ֥הוּ תְנוּפָ֖ה לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה מֵאֵ֣יל הַמִּלֻּאִ֗ים לְמֹשֶׁ֤ה הָיָה֙ לְמָנָ֔ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהוָ֖ה אֶת־מֹשֶֽׁה׃
(Leviticus 8:29)
And Moses took the breast and waved it as a wave offering before YHWH; from the ram of ordination it was Moses’s portion, just as YHWH commanded Moses.
The Language of Ordination
Leviticus 8:29 belongs to the priestly narrative of the ordination of Aharon and his sons. The verse describes Moses taking the breast of the ram of ordination and presenting it as a wave offering before YHWH.… Learn Hebrew
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Firm Skies and Deep Springs: Grammar in Proverbs 8:28
בְּאַמְּצֹ֣ו שְׁחָקִ֣ים מִמָּ֑עַל בַּ֝עֲזֹ֗וז עִינֹ֥ות תְּהֹום׃
(Proverbs 8:28)
When He strengthened the skies above, in the strengthening of the fountains of the deep.
This verse compresses creation imagery into a poetic frame, showcasing two distinctive features of Biblical Hebrew: (1) the temporal use of בְּ prefixed to an infinitive-construct–type form, and (2) the elegant binding of nouns in a construct chain. Both phenomena highlight the compact and precise beauty of Hebrew expression.
The Moment of Strengthening
בְּאַמְּצֹו: בְּ + infinitive-construct/abstract from אָמַץ with 3ms suffix, yielding “when He strengthened.”… Learn Hebrew
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Binyanim Under Pressure: Exodus 8:26
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֗ה לֹ֤א נָכוֹן֙ לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת כֵּ֔ן כִּ֚י תּוֹעֲבַ֣ת מִצְרַ֔יִם נִזְבַּ֖ח לַיהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ הֵ֣ן נִזְבַּ֞ח אֶת־תּוֹעֲבַ֥ת מִצְרַ֛יִם לְעֵינֵיהֶ֖ם וְלֹ֥א יִסְקְלֻֽנוּ׃
(Exodus 8:26)
And Moshe said not right to do thus for abomination of Mitsrayim we sacrifice to YHWH our God behold we sacrifice abomination of Mitsrayim before their eyes and will they not stone us
What This Verse Lets Us See About Binyanim
In one breath, this line moves from calm speech to ritual identity to public danger. The בִּנְיָנִים sharpen each step: a plain narrative move (וַיֹּאמֶר), an evaluative predicate built from a verb root (נָכוֹן), a core act of worship (נִזְבַּח), and an anticipated crowd reaction (יִסְקְלֻנוּ).… Learn Hebrew
Consecration Through Syntax: The Priestly Ritual in Leviticus 8:24
וַיַּקְרֵ֞ב אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֗ן וַיִּתֵּ֨ן מֹשֶׁ֤ה מִן־הַדָּם֙ עַל־תְּנ֤וּךְ אָזְנָם֙ הַיְמָנִ֔ית וְעַל־בֹּ֤הֶן יָדָם֙ הַיְמָנִ֔ית וְעַל־בֹּ֥הֶן רַגְלָ֖ם הַיְמָנִ֑ית וַיִּזְרֹ֨ק מֹשֶׁ֧ה אֶת־הַדָּ֛ם עַל־הַֽמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ סָבִֽיב׃ (Leviticus 8:24)
And he brought near the sons of Aharon, and Moshe put some of the blood on the lobe of their right ear, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot; and Moshe sprinkled the blood on the altar all around.
Clause Structure
This verse unfolds in a sequence of ritual actions, marked by the repetitive use of wayyiqtol verbs to show step-by-step progression:
וַיַּקְרֵב אֶת־בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן – “And he brought near the sons of Aharon.”… Learn Hebrew
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The Power of Repetition: Exploring the Waw-Consecutive
וַיֵּצְא֣וּ הָעָם֮ וַיָּבִיאוּ֒ וַיַּעֲשׂוּ֩ לָהֶ֨ם סֻכֹּ֜ות אִ֤ישׁ עַל־גַּגֹּו֙ וּבְחַצְרֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם וּבְחַצְרֹ֖ות בֵּ֣ית הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וּבִרְחֹוב֙ שַׁ֣עַר הַמַּ֔יִם וּבִרְחֹ֖וב שַׁ֥עַר אֶפְרָֽיִם׃
(Nehemiah 8:16)
And the people went out and brought and made for themselves booths, each on his roof and in their courtyards and in the courtyards of the house of God and in the square of the Water Gate and in the square of the Gate of Ephrayim.
The verse from Nehemiah 8:16 offers us a vivid description of Israel’s observance of the Festival of Booths.… Learn Hebrew
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From the Garden to the Ear: Participles and Imperatives in Song of Songs 8:13
הַיֹּושֶׁ֣בֶת בַּגַּנִּ֗ים חֲבֵרִ֛ים מַקְשִׁיבִ֥ים לְקֹולֵ֖ךְ הַשְׁמִיעִֽינִי׃
(Song of Songs 8:13)
The one dwelling in the gardens, companions are listening to your voice, let me hear it.
Opening Scene
This verse, part of the closing dialogue of the Song of Songs, blends description and direct address. The speaker portrays the addressee as dwelling in gardens while others eagerly listen. The request that follows shifts from description to command, creating a warm yet urgent tone.
Grammatical Focus: Participles as Verbal Adjectives
The verse opens with הַיֹּושֶׁ֣בֶת (“the one dwelling”), a Qal participle fs from the root י־שׁ־ב.… Learn Hebrew
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Wisdom’s Self-Introduction: Where Insight Meets Strategy
אֲֽנִי־֭חָכְמָה שָׁכַ֣נְתִּי עָרְמָ֑ה וְדַ֖עַת מְזִמֹּ֣ות אֶמְצָֽא׃
(Proverbs 8:12)
I, wisdom, dwell with prudence; and knowledge of discretion I find.
The Voice of Wisdom in the First Person
This proverb is unique in that חָכְמָה (“Wisdom”) speaks in the first person, not as an abstract principle but as a living, self-aware entity. The line unfolds as a two-part self-description:
אֲנִי־חָכְמָה שָׁכַנְתִּי עָרְמָה – “I, Wisdom, dwell with prudence.”
וְדַעַת מְזִמֹּות אֶמְצָא – “And knowledge of discretion I find.”
Syntax and Structure
The subject אֲנִי־חָכְמָה is emphatic—Wisdom identifies herself directly.… Learn Hebrew
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