בַּיֹּ֣ום הַה֗וּא יִֽהְיֶה֙ יְהוָ֣ה צְבָאֹ֔ות לַעֲטֶ֣רֶת צְבִ֔י וְלִצְפִירַ֖ת תִּפְאָרָ֑ה לִשְׁאָ֖ר עַמֹּֽו׃ (Isaiah 28:5)
In that day YHWH of Hosts shall be for a crown of beauty and for a diadem of glory to the remnant of His people
Introduction: A Verse of Becoming, Not Doing
Isaiah 28:5 delivers a poetic promise: in the midst of judgment and chaos, YHWH will become something glorious for His people. Interestingly, though filled with majestic nouns, this verse contains only one verb—and it belongs to the simplest binyan, yet carries the greatest theological weight. Let’s explore how the understated Qal form becomes the vessel of divine transformation in this prophetic line.
Primary Verb: יִֽהְיֶה — Qal, Imperfect, 3ms
Root: הָיָה (to be)
Binyan: Qal
Voice: Active (stative)
Morphology:
– Prefix י : third person masculine singular
– Form: Qal imperfect
– No suffix
Translation: “He shall be”
Interpretive Power:
– The Qal binyan, though simple, is profound when used with הָיָה. It marks existential transformation.Beauty in the Future Tense: The Quiet Binyanim of Isaiah’s Vision
– The verse doesn’t describe what God does, but what God becomes.
– “YHWH shall be… a crown, a diadem.” That is: He shall embody majesty and beauty for His remnant.
Why Qal Works Here
– Qal is the “bare voice” of being. It’s not causative, not intensive, not reflexive. It just is.
– In this verse, action would distract. YHWH doesn’t act here—He is.
– This verb’s role is ontological, not operational. It’s about divine presence, not performance.
No Other Verbs? No Problem
Though the verse includes poetic nouns like:
– עֲטֶרֶת (crown),
– צְבִי (beauty),
– צְפִירָה (diadem),
– תִּפְאָרָה (glory),
These are not verbal nouns or participles. The entire structure hangs on one quiet verb: יִֽהְיֶה.
Binyan Contrast Table (Hypothetical)
| Form | Binyan | Voice | What It Would Mean | Why It Doesn’t Fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יִֽהְיֶה | Qal | Stative/Active | He shall be | Fits perfectly—expresses divine presence |
| יָהֵה (hypothetical) | Piel | Intensive | He shall actively become | Too aggressive—unfitting for poetic becoming |
| יָהִי (hypothetical) | Hiphil | Causative | He shall cause to be | Would require an object—this is about identity |
| הוּיָה (hypothetical) | Hophal | Passive-Causative | He shall be caused to be | Theologically inappropriate—God is not made to be |
The Binyan That Lets God Be
Sometimes, the deepest theology lives in the quietest grammar. Isaiah 28:5 uses no stormy verbs, no violent commands. Just a simple Qal imperfect form of הָיָה—and yet through it, YHWH becomes glory, beauty, royalty to His people.
In this case, the absence of action verbs is not grammatical lack—it is poetic fullness. The binyan here doesn’t push, pull, or cause—it simply lets God become what His people need.
Let the verb rest. Let YHWH be.
