שְׂמַ֧ח בָּח֣וּר בְּיַלְדוּתֶ֗יךָ וִֽיטִֽיבְךָ֤ לִבְּךָ֙ בִּימֵ֣י בְחוּרֹותֶ֔ךָ וְהַלֵּךְ֙ בְּדַרְכֵ֣י לִבְּךָ֔ וּבְמַרְאֵ֖י עֵינֶ֑יךָ וְדָ֕ע כִּ֧י עַל־כָּל־אֵ֛לֶּה יְבִֽיאֲךָ֥ הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים בַּמִּשְׁפָּֽט׃ (Ecclesiastes 11:9)
Rejoice young man in your youth and let your heart make you good in the days of your young manhood and walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes but know that for all these the God will bring you to judgment.
Introduction: Tension in the Verbal Tapestry
Ecclesiastes 11:9 calls to the young with a paradox: embrace joy, yet remain sober. This verse is saturated with verbs that oscillate between lightness and gravity, and the binyanim employed are the gears behind that motion. From the sparkle of joy to the certainty of judgment, each verbal stem plays its part in shaping both freedom and accountability.
Verbs and Their Binyanim
This verse contains six core verbs worth exploring:
1. שְׂמַח — “rejoice”
2. וִיטִיבְךָ — “let make you good”
3. וְהַלֵּךְ — “and walk”
4. וְדָע — “but know”
5. יְבִיאֲךָ — “He will bring you”
Let’s unpack their grammatical frames.
1. שְׂמַח — Qal, Imperative, 2ms
– Root: שָׂמַח (to rejoice)
– Form: Imperative masculine singular
– Binyan: Qal
– Voice: Active
– Impact: The verb opens with a command to feel—a poetic imperative. The use of the Qal binyan, the “basic stem,” highlights the naturalness of the action. It’s a simple, heartfelt, active rejoicing, unforced and unrestricted.
2. וִיטִיבְךָ — Hiphil, Jussive, 3ms + 2ms suffix
– Root: יָטַב (to be good, to go well)
– Form: Hiphil imperfect with vav-consecutive (jussive nuance)
– Binyan: Hiphil
– Voice: Causative
– Morphology:
– Prefix י with Hiphil vocalization (ִי + dagesh)
– Internal doubling and suffix ךָ (you)
– Function: “Let your heart do you good”—i.e., cause you well-being.
– Interpretive Note: The Hiphil suggests agency in emotion—your heart causes your well-being. This is not accidental joy, but a cultivated one.
3. וְהַלֵּךְ — Qal, Imperative, 2ms
– Root: הָלַךְ (to walk)
– Form: Imperative masculine singular
– Binyan: Qal
– Voice: Active
– Morphological Note: The doubling of the ל (lamed) in spelling comes from its weak verb class, but Qal is the actual stem.
– Implication: Walk—not wander. The Qal suggests a deliberate, personal movement through life’s path.
4. וְדָע — Qal, Imperative, 2ms
– Root: יָדַע (to know)
– Form: Imperative masculine singular
– Binyan: Qal
– Voice: Active
– Function: A final imperative, stark and sobering.
– Literary Function: After the joyful cascade of imperatives, וְדָע lands like a gavel—”but know…” The Qal keeps it stark and unadorned.
5. יְבִיאֲךָ — Hiphil, Imperfect, 3ms + 2ms suffix
– Root: בּוֹא (to come, bring)
– Form: Hiphil imperfect
– Binyan: Hiphil
– Voice: Causative
– Morphology:
– Prefix י + Hiphil vowels
– Suffix ךָ (you)
– Function: “will bring you” (to judgment)
– Interpretive Weight: The Hiphil gives divine agency: God will not just let judgment happen—you will be brought to it.
Color-Coded Comparison of Binyanim
| Verb | Root | Binyan | Voice | Function | Literary Effect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| שְׂמַח | שׂמח | Qal | Active | Command to rejoice | Light, emotive beginning |
| וִיטִיבְךָ | ייטב | Hiphil | Causative | Let heart cause good | Inner emotional agency |
| וְהַלֵּךְ | הלך | Qal | Active | Command to walk | Dynamic motion imagery |
| וְדָע | ידע | Qal | Active | Command to know | Grounds joy with warning |
| יְבִיאֲךָ | בוא | Hiphil | Causative | God will bring to judgment | Divine agency closes the loop |
Threading Joy Through the Stem
The verse’s core tension between delight and accountability is held up by its verbs—and their binyanim. Qal gives space for joy and journey: it’s immediate, personal, and expressive. But twice, the Hiphil reminds us that some things are caused—by the self (the heart does good) or by God (He brings judgment).
The poetic balance of Qal and Hiphil mirrors the structure of Ecclesiastes itself: be joyful, but wise; live fully, but aware. Grammar isn’t just the skeleton of meaning—it’s the pulse that animates every spiritual heartbeat in this verse.
