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- Differences Between Synonyms in Biblical Hebrew (e.g., יָדָע vs. בָּרַךְ for “Bless”)
- Morphology in Biblical Hebrew: Word Formation & Inflection
- Proverbs and Their Grammatical Structure
- Descending into Night: Time Expressions and Poetic Parallelism in Biblical Hebrew
- The Tiberian Vowel System
- When God Speaks: The Syntax of Divine Speech Frames in Biblical Hebrew
- The Role of Gutturals (א, ה, ח, ע) in Verb Conjugation
- “Into the Ark Together”: Order, Gender, and Cause in the LXX Rendering of Noah’s Entry
- Burning Beneath the Pot: Simile Syntax and Semantic Force in Ecclesiastes 7:6
- Gutturals in Biblical Hebrew
- Guarded by Grammar: Purpose Clauses and Verbal Suffixes in Proverbs 7:5
- And They Fled Before the Men of ʿAi”: A Hebrew Battle Surprise
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Category Archives: Aramaic
Syntax of Judgment: Divine Legal Language in Genesis 6:13 (Onkelos)
וַאֲמַר יְיָ לְנֹחַ קִצָּא דְכָל בִּשְׂרָא עַלַּת לִקֳדָמַי אֲרֵי אִתְמְלִיאַת אַרְעָא חֲטוֹפִין מִן קֳדָם עוֹבָדֵיהוֹן בִּישַׁיָּא וְהָא אֲנָא מְחַבֶּלְהוֹן עִם אַרְעָא:
And YHWH said to Noaḥ, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with plunder from before them because of their evil deeds, and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.”
Poetic Reflection: When Grammar Bears Witness
The world is not judged with thunder, but with syntax. In Targum Onkelos, YHWH’s speech to Noaḥ is a juridical declaration — not merely emotional or punitive, but constructed with linguistic precision.… Learn Hebrew
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Erasure by Divine Speech: Volition, Object Marking, and Decreation in Genesis 6:7
וַאֲמַר יְיָ אֶמְחֵי יָת אֲנָשָׁא דִּי בְרֵאתִי מֵעַל אַפֵּי אַרְעָא מֵאֱנָשָׁא עַד בְּעִירָא עַד רִיחֲשָׁא וְעַד עוֹפָא דִּשְׁמַיָּא אֲרֵי תָבִית בְּמֵימְרִי אֲרֵי עֲבַדְתִּנוּן:
(Genesis 6:7)
And YHWH said, “I will wipe out mankind whom I created from the face of the earth, from man to beast, to creeping thing and to the bird of the heavens—for I have repented by My word that I made them.”
Scroll Marginalia: A Commentary of Undoing
In a single decree, existence recoils. The language of Targum Onkelos captures this moment not only with legal exactness but with a grammar of divine reversal.… Learn Hebrew
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On the Heart and from the Mouth: Command Syntax in Targum Onkelos on Deuteronomy 6:6
וִיהוֹן פִּתְגָּמַיָּא הָאִלֵּין דִּי אֲנָא מְפַקְּדָךְ יוֹמָא דֵין עַל לִבָּךְ
And these words which I am commanding you today shall be upon your heart.
Why This Verse?
This pivotal line from Targum Onkelos on Deuteronomy 6:6, part of the daily Shema, showcases:
Emphatic demonstrative construction: פִּתְגָּמַיָּא הָאִלֵּין
Paʿel verb with object suffix: מְפַקְּדָךְ
Temporal immediacy: יוֹמָא דֵין
Internalization: עַל לִבָּךְ
Targum Onkelos is generally more literal than Targum Jonathan, and this verse is a prime example of its restrained yet precise interpretive style.… Learn Hebrew
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Historical Phonetic Shifts: Changes that Affect Textual Variants
Phonological shifts in Biblical Hebrew weren’t just whispers lost to time—they redirected the way Scripture was written, read, and interpreted. As sounds merged, gutturals eroded, and vowel patterns transformed, scribes across traditions made subtle substitutions, some guided by dialectal accent, others by auditory memory. Variants between the Masoretic Text, Dead Sea Scrolls, and Septuagint often reveal this sonic undercurrent: whether it’s a missing consonant, expanded mater lectionis, or altered verb form, phonetic history shaped the sacred text’s orthographic evolution. Sound, quite literally, left its fingerprint on Scripture’s form and transmission.… Learn Hebrew
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Sevens and Sacrifice: Numerals, Imperatives, and Construct Syntax in Targum Onkelos on Numbers 23:1
וַאֲמַר בִּלְעָם לְבָלָק בְּנֵה לִי הָכָא שַׁבְעָא מַדְבְּחִין וְאַתְקֵן לִי הָכָא שַׁבְעָא תוֹרִין וְשַׁבְעָא דִכְרִין
And Bilʿam said to Balaq, “Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.”
Why This Verse?
This verse illustrates multiple grammatical domains in action:
Use of Peal vs. Aphel imperatives (בְּנֵה vs. אַתְקֵן)
Definite numeral constructions with plural nouns (שַׁבְעָא מַדְבְּחִין)
Construct phrase syntax (שַׁבְעָא דִכְרִין)
It also reveals the ritual-literary tone of Targum Onkelos, maintaining closeness to the Hebrew while embedding subtle Aramaic flavor.… Learn Hebrew
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The Grammar of Perfection: Divine Integrity in Deuteronomy 32:4 (Onkelos)
תַּקִּיפָא דְּשָׁלְמִין עוֹבָדוֹהִי אֲרֵי כָּל ארְחָתֵיהּ דִּינָא אֱלָהָא מְהֵימְנָא דְּמִן קֳדָמוֹהִי עַוְלָה לָא נָפֵק דְּמִן קֳדָם זַכַּי וְקַשִּׁיט הוּא:
Mighty is He, whose works are complete—for all His ways are justice; a faithful God, from before whom no injustice proceeds, from before whom [comes only] innocence and uprightness.
Inner Monologue of the Text Itself
“I am the stone,” the verse declares silently. Not merely metaphor—תקיפא, unbreakable, immovable. I speak of One whose justice needs no correction, whose every action fits the blueprint of perfect righteousness.… Learn Hebrew
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The Grammar of Diplomacy: Indirect Speech and Deferential Syntax in Genesis 50:4 (Onkelos)
וַעֲבָרוּ יוֹמֵי בְכִיתֵיהּ וּמַלֵּיל יוֹסֵף עִם בֵּית פַּרְעֹה לְמֵימָר אִם כְּעַן אַשְׁכָּחִית רַחֲמִין בְּעֵינֵיכוֹן מַלִּילוּ כְעַן קֳדָם פַּרְעֹה לְמֵימָר:
And the days of his weeping passed, and Yosef spoke with the house of Parʿo to say, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, speak now before Parʿo to say…”
Syntax Walk-through: From Grief to Petition
In this transitional moment, the Targum captures a shift from mourning to political negotiation. Yosef does not go directly to Parʿo but instead uses layered indirect speech and deferential formulas, reflecting both etiquette and hierarchy.… Learn Hebrew
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“Let Him Be Killed Now!”: Direct Object Chains and Deictic Emphasis in Targum Jonathan on Jeremiah 38:4
וַאֲמַרוּ רַבְרְבַיָא לְמַלְכָּא יִתְקְטֵיל כְּעַן גַבְרָא הָדֵין אֲרֵי עַל כֵּן הוּא מְרַשֵׁל יַת יְדֵי גַבְרֵי עָבְדֵי קְרָבָא דְאִשְׁתָּאֲרוּ בְּקַרְתָּא הָדָא וְיַת יְדֵי כָל עַמָא לְמֵלָלָא עִמְהוֹן כְּפִתְגָמַיָא הָאִלֵין אֲרֵי גַבְרָא הָדֵין לֵיתוֹהִי תָּבַע לִשְׁלָמָא לְעַמָא הָדֵין אֱלָהֵן לְבִישׁוּ:
And the nobles said to the king, “Let this man now be killed, for because of this he is weakening the hands of the men, the warriors who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, by speaking with them according to these words.… Learn Hebrew
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“Before Me”: Pronominal Prepositions and Divine Proximity in Targum Onkelos
בְּעִדָּנָא הַהִיא אֲמַר יְיָ לִי פְּסַל לָךְ תְּרֵין לוּחֵי אַבְנַיָּא כְּקַדְמָאֵי וְסַק לָקֳדָמַי לְטוּרָא וְתַעְבֵּד לָךְ אֲרוֹנָא דְאָעָא
(Deuteronomy 10:1)
At that time the LORD said to me, “Carve for yourself two tablets of stone like the first ones and go up before Me to the mountain, and make for yourself an ark of wood.”
Why This Verse?
This verse from Targum Onkelos contains a rich variety of morphological and syntactic constructions, but our focus will be on the phrase לָקֳדָמַי — a superb illustration of compound prepositions with attached pronominal suffixes in literary Jewish Aramaic.… Learn Hebrew
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When Heaven Answers with Song: Sound, Response, and Divine Dialogue in Exodus 19:19 (Targum Jonathan)
וְהַוָּה קַל שׁוֹפָרָא אָזִיל וְתַקִּיף לַחֲדָא משֶׁה הֲוָה מְמַלֵּיל וּמִן קֳדָם יְיָ הֲוָה מִתְעַנֵי בְקַל נָעִים וּמְשַׁבַּח וּנְעִימָתָא מַלְיָא
And the sound of the shofar kept going and becoming very strong; Moshe was speaking, and from before YHWH, there came a pleasant voice responding and praising—full of melody.
Poetic Reflection: The Mountain that Listened
The giving of the Torah was not only law—it was music. Targum Jonathan’s rendering of Exodus 19:19 transforms Sinai from a site of thunder into a place of harmony.… Learn Hebrew
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