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Recent Articles
- 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
- Disaster That Flies Down: A Hebrew Lesson on Isaiah 8:22
- Purified and Presented: A Hebrew Lesson on Numbers 8:21
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Author Archives: Advanced Hebrew Grammar
“It Was Not You Who Sent Me Here, But God”: The Grammar of Divine Redirection in Genesis 45:8
וְעַתָּ֗ה לֹֽא־אַתֶּ֞ם שְׁלַחְתֶּ֤ם אֹתִי֙ הֵ֔נָּה כִּ֖י הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים וַיְשִׂימֵ֨נִֽי לְאָ֜ב לְפַרְעֹ֗ה וּלְאָדֹון֙ לְכָל־בֵּיתֹ֔ו וּמֹשֵׁ֖ל בְּכָל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרָֽיִם׃
(Genesis 45:8)
In one of the most emotionally charged moments of the Torah, Joseph reveals himself to his brothers and delivers a declaration that redefines their entire history:
וְעַתָּה לֹא־אַתֶּם שְׁלַחְתֶּם אֹתִי הֵנָּה כִּי הָאֱלֹהִים
“And now it was not you who sent me here, but God.”
This verse from Bereishit 45:8 is not only a theological turning point — it is a grammatical marvel. Through a single negated verb and a carefully constructed sequence of roles, Joseph reframes betrayal as divine orchestration.… Learn Hebrew
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The Chain of Consecutives: Narrative Sequence and Moral Accountability in Judges 14:20
וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ פְלִשְׁתִּים֮ מִ֣י עָ֣שָׂה זֹאת֒ וַיֹּאמְר֗וּ שִׁמְשֹׁון֙ חֲתַ֣ן הַתִּמְנִ֔י כִּ֚י לָקַ֣ח אֶת־אִשְׁתֹּ֔ו וַֽיִּתְּנָ֖הּ לְמֵרֵעֵ֑הוּ וַיַּעֲל֣וּ פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וַיִּשְׂרְפ֥וּ אֹותָ֛הּ וְאֶת־אָבִ֖יהָ בָּאֵֽשׁ׃
(Judges 14:20)
And the Philistines said, “Who did this?” And they said, “Samson, the son-in-law of the Timnite, because he took his wife and gave her to his companion.” So the Philistines went up and burned her and her father with fire.
In this passage from the Book of Judges, we witness the unraveling of a tragic marital dispute that spirals into vengeance, fire, and death.… Learn Hebrew
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Teach Them Early: Imperative Syntax, Construct Chains, and Temporal Clauses
חֲנֹ֣ךְ לַ֭נַּעַר עַל־פִּ֣י דַרְכֹּ֑ו גַּ֥ם כִּֽי־֝יַזְקִ֗ין לֹֽא־יָס֥וּר מִמֶּֽנָּה׃
(Proverbs 22:6)
Train the youth according to his way; even when he grows old, he will not turn away from it.
A Proverb with a Long View
This well-known verse offers practical wisdom about education and lifelong formation. Its grammar is simple yet elegant, conveying a profound principle through the use of imperative command, construct chain idiom, and a temporal conditional clause. The structure reveals how formative instruction connects to enduring behavior.
The Imperative: חֲנֹ֣ךְ לַנַּעַר
חֲנֹךְ – Imperative 2ms from the root ח־נ־ך, “to dedicate, train, initiate”
לַנַּעַר – “to the youth” (preposition לְ + definite article + noun)
The verb חֲנֹךְ has connotations of formal dedication or ritual beginning, especially in temple language.… Learn Hebrew
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Mapping the Sacred Boundaries: Syntax of Land Allocation in Numbers 35:5
וּמַדֹּתֶ֞ם מִח֣וּץ לָעִ֗יר אֶת־פְּאַת־קֵ֣דְמָה אַלְפַּ֪יִם בָּֽאַמָּ֟ה וְאֶת־פְּאַת־נֶגֶב֩ אַלְפַּ֨יִם בָּאַמָּ֜ה וְאֶת־פְּאַת־יָ֣ם אַלְפַּ֣יִם בָּֽאַמָּ֗ה וְאֵ֨ת פְּאַ֥ת צָפֹ֛ון אַלְפַּ֥יִם בָּאַמָּ֖ה וְהָעִ֣יר בַּתָּ֑וֶךְ זֶ֚ה יִהְיֶ֣ה לָהֶ֔ם מִגְרְשֵׁ֖י הֶעָרִֽים׃
(Numbers 35:5)
Introductory Verb: Imperative Structure and Plural Address
וּמַדֹּתֶ֞ם מִח֣וּץ לָעִ֗יר
“And you shall measure from outside the city…”
The root מ־ד־ד appears in the Piel conjugation here: וּמַדֹּתֶם (“you shall measure”). It is a 2nd person masculine plural perfect form used modally as a command. The syntax is simple but significant—this is a legislative directive to a collective audience, likely the Levitical community or Israelite leadership.… Learn Hebrew
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“If Your Soul Were in My Place”: The Grammar of Empathy and Irony in Job 16:4
גַּ֤ם אָנֹכִי֮ כָּכֶ֪ם אֲדַ֫בֵּ֥רָה ל֤וּ־יֵ֪שׁ נַפְשְׁכֶ֡ם תַּ֤חַת נַפְשִׁ֗י אַחְבִּ֣ירָה עֲלֵיכֶ֣ם בְּמִלִּ֑ים וְאָנִ֥יעָה עֲ֝לֵיכֶ֗ם בְּמֹ֣ו רֹאשִֽׁי׃
In one of the most poignant moments of the Book of Job, the suffering protagonist turns to his friends with a bitter irony. In Ayov 16:4, he declares that if their souls were in his place — if they were the ones crushed by divine affliction — then he too would speak as they do. But more than rhetorical flair is at work here: beneath this lament lies a grammatical structure rich with emotional nuance, where conditional syntax becomes the vehicle for both empathy and accusation.… Learn Hebrew
“For I Have Known Him”: The Grammar of Covenantal Command in Genesis 18:19
כִּ֣י יְדַעְתִּ֗יו לְמַעַן֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר יְצַוֶּ֜ה אֶת־בָּנָ֤יו וְאֶת־בֵּיתֹו֙ אַחֲרָ֔יו וְשָֽׁמְרוּ֙ דֶּ֣רֶךְ יְהוָ֔ה לַעֲשֹׂ֥ות צְדָקָ֖ה וּמִשְׁפָּ֑ט לְמַ֗עַן הָבִ֤יא יְהוָה֙ עַל־אַבְרָהָ֔ם אֵ֥ת אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֖ר עָלָֽיו׃
In one of the most intimate moments of divine reflection, God speaks not only about Abraham but to Himself — or perhaps to the heavenly court. In Bereishit 18:19, He declares:
כִּי יְדַעְתִּיו לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֶּה אֶת בָּנָיו וְאֶת־בֵּיתוֹ אַחֲרָיו
“For I have known him, because he will command his sons and his household after him.”
This verse does more than affirm Abraham’s righteousness — it defines the very purpose of divine election through a grammatical structure that is both precise and profound.… Learn Hebrew
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The Push and Pull of Hiphil in Job 36:18
כִּֽי־֭חֵמָה פֶּן־יְסִֽיתְךָ֣ בְסָ֑פֶק וְרָב־֝כֹּ֗פֶר אַל־יַטֶּֽךָּ׃
(Job 36:18)
For wrath lest it entice you into doubt, and abundance of ransom do not let it turn you aside
Why the Stems Matter Here
This verse sits within Elihu’s discourse, a caution to Job against being pulled off course—whether by the consuming power of anger or by the deceptive weight of wealth. Both dangers are portrayed with verbs in the Hiphil, the causative stem. The grammar makes wrath and ransom into active agents that pressure Job, rather than neutral realities he simply observes.… Learn Hebrew
The Verb That Breathes: Aspect and Theology in Isaiah 6:3
וְקָרָא זֶה אֶל־זֶה וְאָמַר קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ קָדוֹשׁ יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת מְלֹא כָל־הָאָרֶץ כְּבוֹדוֹ
In the sixth chapter of Isaiah, the prophet stands awestruck before a vision of the divine throne. The seraphim cry out in unison, their voices weaving a tapestry of sanctity that fills the heavens—and our ears. This verse is not only one of the most profound theological declarations in Scripture but also a masterclass in Biblical Hebrew grammar. Today, we will immerse ourselves in a subtle yet powerful grammatical feature embedded in this text: the aspectual nuance of the wayyiqtol form, particularly as it appears in the verb וְאָמַר (and he said).… Learn Hebrew
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“Even a Fool Is Counted Wise When He Holds His Peace”: The Syntax of Silence in Proverbs 17:28
גַּ֤ם אֱוִ֣יל מַ֭חֲרִישׁ חָכָ֣ם יֵחָשֵׁ֑ב אֹטֵ֖ם שְׂפָתָ֣יו נָבֹֽון׃
In the concise and penetrating style characteristic of Mishlei, Mishlei 17:28 delivers a proverb that is as surprising as it is subversive:
גַּם אֱוִיל מַחֲרִישׁ חָכָם יֵחָשֵׁב אֹטֵם שְׂפָתָיו נָבוֹן
“Even a fool, when he holds his peace, is accounted wise; he who closes his lips is deemed understanding.”
Beneath its compact form lies a rich grammatical structure — one that juxtaposes three syntactic pairs to explore the paradoxical value of silence. This verse does not simply praise restraint; it uses parallelism, nominal forms, and verbless clauses to redefine wisdom itself — not by what is said, but by what is withheld.… Learn Hebrew
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Bringing Them to My Holy Mountain: A Study in Purpose and Result in Isaiah 56:7
וַהֲבִיאֹותִ֞ים אֶל־הַ֣ר קָדְשִׁ֗י וְשִׂמַּחְתִּים֙ בְּבֵ֣ית תְּפִלָּתִ֔י עֹולֹתֵיהֶ֧ם וְזִבְחֵיהֶ֛ם לְרָצֹ֖ון עַֽל־מִזְבְּחִ֑י כִּ֣י בֵיתִ֔י בֵּית־תְּפִלָּ֥ה יִקָּרֵ֖א לְכָל־הָעַמִּֽים׃
In the final chapters of Isaiah, we encounter a vision of hope that stretches beyond Israel’s borders—a divine promise not only of restoration but of inclusion. In Isaiah 56:7, God declares His intention to bring foreigners and outsiders into the heart of worship:
וַהֲבִיאֹותִ֞ים אֶל־הַ֣ר קָדְשִׁ֗י וְשִׂמַּחְתִּים֙ בְּבֵ֣ית תְּפִלָּתִ֔י עֹולֹתֵיהֶ֧ם וְזִבְחֵיהֶ֛ם לְרָצֹ֖ון עַֽל־מִזְבְּחִ֑י כִּ֣י בֵיתִ֔י בֵּית־תְּפִלָּ֥ה יִקָּרֵ֖א לְכָל־הָעַמִּֽים׃
“I will bring them to My holy mountain and make them joyful in My house of prayer; their burnt offerings and sacrifices will be accepted on My altar, for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.”… Learn Hebrew
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