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- Anchored in Syntax: The Resting of the Ark in Genesis 8:4
- Under the Cover of Darkness: The Hebrew Syntax of Ambush in Joshua 8:3
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- The Nation That Would Not Listen: Relative Clauses, Coordinated Verbs, and Elliptical Judgment
- Wisdom in Layers: Demonstrative Syntax and Infinitive Purpose in Qohelet
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Category Archives: Aramaic
From Thrones to Dust: Object Suffix Chains and Grief Syntax in Targum Jonathan on Ezekiel 26:16
וְיֶחֱתוּן מֵעַל כּוּרְסְוָתֵיהוֹן כָּל רַבְרְבֵי יַמָא וְיַעְדוּן יַת מְעִילֵיהוֹן וְיַת לְבוּשֵׁי צִיוּרֵיהוֹן יַשְׁלְחוּן זְיַע יִלְבְּשׁוּן עַל אַרְעָא יַתְבוּן וִיזוּעוּן מִן קֳדָם תְּבִירֵיהוֹן וְיִצְדוּן עֲלָךְ
And all the lords of the sea shall descend from their thrones, and they shall remove their cloaks and the garments of their adornments; trembling they shall put on; they shall sit upon the ground and shall quake before their breaking, and shall lament over you.
Why This Verse?
This verse from Targum Jonathan on Ezekiel 26:16 is a poetic and powerful expression of lament over Tyre.… Learn Hebrew
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Making Peace by Grammar: Legal Speech and Ratification in Joshua 9:15 (Targum Jonathan)
וַעֲבַד לְהוֹן יְהוֹשֻׁעַ שְׁלָם וּגְזַר לְהוֹן קְיָם לְקַיָמוּתְהוֹן וְקַיְימוּ לְהוֹ רַבְרְבֵי כְּנִשְׁתָּא:
And Yehoshua made peace with them and established a covenant with them to let them live, and the leaders of the congregation ratified it with him.
Narrative Exposition: The Grammar Behind the Treaty
The Gibeonite deception led to more than a clever ruse—it led to a legal covenant, articulated in the judicial and covenantal syntax of Targum Jonathan. This verse captures how Yehoshua and the Israelite elders respond not merely with action but with verbal formulae, encoded in Peʿal verbs, abstract nouns, and construct chains.… Learn Hebrew
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Between the Suns and the Completion of Labor: Aspect and Construct Syntax in Targum Jonathan on Genesis 2:2
וּשְׁלִים יְיָ בְּיוֹמָא שְׁבִיעָאָה עֲבִידְתֵּיהּ דְעָבַד וְעִישַרְתֵּי עִיסְקִין דִבְרָא בֵּינֵי שִׁמְשְׁתָא וְנַח בְּיוֹמָא שְׁבִיעָאָה מִכָּל עֲבִידְתֵּיהּ דְעָבָד
And the LORD completed on the seventh day His work which He had done, and He enriched the operations of creation between the suns, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done.
Verse Selection and Focus
This richly interpretive rendering of Genesis 2:2 by Targum Jonathan offers fertile ground for grammatical analysis. We will focus on two key features:
1.… Learn Hebrew
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“Yat” and the Marking of Definiteness: The Syntax of Direct Objects in Targum Onkelos
בְּקַדְמִין בְּרָא יְיָ יָת שְׁמַיָּא וְיָת אַרְעָא
In the beginning, the LORD created the heavens and the earth
Opening Focus: Why Study יָת?
In Biblical Aramaic, and especially in Targum Onkelos, the particle יָת (yat) plays a critical grammatical role. It marks definite direct objects, a feature not found in the same way in Biblical Hebrew. The verse בְּקַדְמִין בְּרָא יְיָ יָת שְׁמַיָּא וְיָת אַרְעָא (Genesis 1:1 in Targum Onkelos) beautifully demonstrates this phenomenon, containing two uses of יָת that frame the syntax of the act of creation.… Learn Hebrew
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When the Spirit Spills: Verbal Prophecy and Vision Grammar in Joel 3:1 (Targum Jonathan)
וִיהֵי בָּתַר כֵּן אֶשְׁפּוֹךְ יַת רוּחַ קוּדְשִׁי עַל כָּל בִּסְרָא וְיִתְנַבּוּן בְּנֵיכוֹן וּבְנָתֵיכוֹן סָבֵיכוֹן חֶלְמִין יַחְלְמוּן עוּלֵמֵיכוֹן חֶזְוָנִין יֶחֱזוּן:
And it shall be afterward, I will pour out My Holy Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your elders shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.
Dramatic Monologue: The Spirit Speaks
In this prophetic promise, Targum Jonathan renders the descent of the Spirit in grammatically rich forms: Peʿal and Hitpaʿal futures, direct object markers, and possessive chains express divine intention, human transformation, and generational reach.… Learn Hebrew