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Recent Articles
- “Dust to Boils”: A Hebrew Lesson on Exodus 9:9
- At Ḥoreb: A Hebrew Lesson on Deuteronomy 9:8
- Imperatives, Atonement, and Obedience Formula in Leviticus 9:7
- Poetic Justice and Syntax in Genesis 9:6
- How the Verb Murders: Violence and Verbal Stems in Judges 9:5
- Negation, Emphasis, and Syntax in Genesis 9:4
- Nominal Clauses and Enumerations in Exodus 9:3
- Fear, Dominion, and Syntax: A Grammar Lesson from Genesis 9:2
- “And Job Answered and Said”: A Hebrew Lesson on Job 9:1
- 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
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Category Archives: Beginners
“Who Shut in the Sea?” — A Dramatic Moment from Job 38:8
וַיָּ֣סֶךְ בִּדְלָתַ֣יִם יָ֑ם בְּ֝גִיחֹ֗ו מֵרֶ֥חֶם יֵצֵֽא׃
(Job 38:8)
And He shut in the sea with doors, when it burst forth, it came out from the womb.
Word-by-Word Explanation
וַיָּסֶךְ – “And He shut in”Verb, Qal stem, imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular, with vav-consecutive
– From the root סָכַךְ, meaning “to shut in,” “cover,” or “enclose”
– וַ = “And” (vav-consecutive) makes this a past narrative action
This begins the poetic picture of YHWH’s creation power—shutting in the sea like closing a door.… Learn Hebrew
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“The Sons of Yitshar: Shelomith the Chief” – A Brief Genealogical Verse in Hebrew
בְּנֵ֥י יִצְהָ֖ר שְׁלֹמִ֥ית הָרֹֽאשׁ׃
(1 Chronicles 23:18)
The sons of Yitshar: Shelomith the chief.
Word-by-Word Explanation
בְּנֵי – “sons of”Noun in construct form.
– Singular: בֵּן (“son”)
– Plural: בָּנִים
– Construct form: בְּנֵי (“sons of”)
This introduces a genealogical list or descent line.
יִצְהָר – “Yitshar”Proper noun. Yitshar is a son of Qehat, a grandson of Levi. This is a Levitical genealogical name (see Exodus 6:18).
שְׁלֹמִית – “Shelomith”Proper name. The name of a male descendant of Yitshar (despite similar names sometimes being used for women elsewhere).… Learn Hebrew
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The Fool Who Folds His Hands: A Hebrew Lesson on Ecclesiastes 4:5
הַכְּסִיל֙ חֹבֵ֣ק אֶת־יָדָ֔יו וְאֹכֵ֖ל אֶת־בְּשָׂרֹֽו׃
(Ecclesiastes 4:5)
The fool folds his hands and eats his own flesh.
Word-by-Word Explanation
הַכְּסִיל — “the fool.” Definite article הַ + noun כְּסִיל (“fool, dullard, senseless one”).
חֹבֵק — “folds / embraces.” Qal participle masculine singular from חבק (“to embrace, fold”). Here describing an ongoing or habitual action.
אֶת־יָדָיו — “his hands.” Direct object marker אֶת + noun יָד (“hand”) in plural + suffix -ָיו (“his”).
וְאֹכֵל — “and eats.” Qal participle masculine singular from אָכַל (“to eat, consume”).… Learn Hebrew
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“May the LORD Show You Kindness”: A Joyful Walk Through Ruth 1:8
וַתֹּ֤אמֶר נָעֳמִי֙ לִשְׁתֵּ֣י כַלֹּתֶ֔יהָ לֵ֣כְנָה שֹּׁ֔בְנָה אִשָּׁ֖ה לְבֵ֣ית אִמָּ֑הּ יַעַשׂ יְהוָ֤ה עִמָּכֶם֙ חֶ֔סֶד כַּאֲשֶׁ֧ר עֲשִׂיתֶ֛ם עִם־הַמֵּתִ֖ים וְעִמָּדִֽי׃
(Ruth 1:8)
And Naʿomi said to her two daughters-in-law, “Go, return each woman to her mother’s house. May YHWH do kindness with you, as you have done with the dead and with me.”
Word-by-Word Explanation
וַתֹּ֤אמֶר – “And she said”Verb, past tense (called “perfect” in Hebrew). The prefix וַ tells us this is part of a story (called vav-consecutive). The root is אָמַר, meaning “to say.”… Learn Hebrew
Silence Speaks: Learning Hebrew from a Proverb
גַּ֤ם אֱוִ֣יל מַ֭חֲרִישׁ חָכָ֣ם יֵחָשֵׁ֑ב אֹטֵ֖ם שְׂפָתָ֣יו נָבֹֽון׃
(Proverbs 17:28)
Today’s Hebrew lesson takes us into a poetic proverb. With only a few words, this verse reveals deep wisdom—and teaches us a lot about how Hebrew words and sentences work.
English Translation
Even a fool, when he is silent, is considered wise; one who shuts his lips is thought discerning.
This proverb uses poetic parallelism: it says the same idea two different ways. Let’s dive into the Hebrew step by step.… Learn Hebrew
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Inheritance and Intercession: Learning Hebrew from Joshua 17:4
וַתִּקְרַ֡בְנָה לִפְנֵי֩ אֶלְעָזָ֨ר הַכֹּהֵ֜ן וְלִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹושֻׁ֣עַ בִּן־נ֗וּן וְלִפְנֵ֤י הַנְּשִׂיאִים֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר יְהוָה֙ צִוָּ֣ה אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֔ה לָֽתֶת־לָ֥נוּ נַחֲלָ֖ה בְּתֹ֣וךְ אַחֵ֑ינוּ וַיִּתֵּ֨ן לָהֶ֜ם אֶל־פִּ֤י יְהוָה֙ נַֽחֲלָ֔ה בְּתֹ֖וךְ אֲחֵ֥י אֲבִיהֶֽן׃
(Joshua 17:4)
And they came near before Eleʿazar the priest, and before Yehoshua son of Nun, and before the leaders, saying: “YHWH commanded Moshe to give us an inheritance among our brothers.” So he gave them an inheritance, by the mouth of YHWH, among the brothers of their father.
This verse tells the story of women who boldly stood before Israel’s leaders to claim their rightful inheritance.… Learn Hebrew
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Who May Eat the Offering? Exploring a Sacred Rule in Leviticus 6:22
כָּל־זָכָ֥ר בַּכֹּהֲנִ֖ים יֹאכַ֣ל אֹתָ֑הּ קֹ֥דֶשׁ קָֽדָשִׁ֖ים הִֽוא׃
(Leviticus 6:22)
Every male among the priests may eat it; it is most holy.
Word-by-Word Explanation
כָּל־ – “every”Adjective meaning “all” or “every.” A versatile Hebrew word used to describe the totality of a group. The little dash (־) is a maqqef, which links it closely to the next word.
זָכָ֥ר – “male”Noun. This tells us the rule is specifically about males. Combined with כָּל־, we get: “every male.”
בַּכֹּהֲנִ֖ים – “among the priests”This is the preposition בְּ (“in” or “among”) combined with הַ (“the”) and כֹּהֲנִים (“priests”).… Learn Hebrew
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When Not to Enter: Learning Commands, Prohibitions, and Sacred Space in Leviticus 16:2
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֗ה דַּבֵּר֮ אֶל־אַהֲרֹ֣ן אָחִיךָ֒ וְאַל־יָבֹ֤א בְכָל־עֵת֙ אֶל־הַקֹּ֔דֶשׁ מִבֵּ֖ית לַפָּרֹ֑כֶת אֶל־פְּנֵ֨י הַכַּפֹּ֜רֶת אֲשֶׁ֤ר עַל־הָאָרֹן֙ וְלֹ֣א יָמ֔וּת כִּ֚י בֶּֽעָנָ֔ן אֵרָאֶ֖ה עַל־הַכַּפֹּֽרֶת׃
(Leviticus 16:2)
This verse offers a powerful combination of divine command, warning, and sacred instruction. It’s full of useful Hebrew grammar, including verbs in imperative and imperfect forms, negative commands, prepositional phrases, and subordinate clauses. Let’s carefully explore how it all fits together.
English Translation (Plain and Faithful)
And the LORD said to Moshe, “Speak to Aharon your brother, that he not come at all times into the sanctuary behind the curtain, before the atonement-cover that is on the ark, so that he not die—for in a cloud I will appear upon the atonement-cover.”… Learn Hebrew
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“My People, What Have I Done to You?” – A Tender Question in Biblical Hebrew
עַמִּ֛י מֶה־עָשִׂ֥יתִי לְךָ֖ וּמָ֣ה הֶלְאֵתִ֑יךָ עֲנֵ֥ה בִֽי׃
(Micah 6:3)
Literal English Translation
My people, what have I done to you? And how have I wearied you? Answer me.
Word-by-Word Explanation
עַמִּי – “My people”Noun + possessive suffix.
– עַם = “people”
– י = “my”
This is God addressing Israel in an intimate and personal way—“my people.”
מֶה – “What?”Interrogative pronoun. Asks for explanation or cause.
עָשִׂיתִי – “have I done”Verb, perfect (completed action), 1st person singular from עָשָׂה (“to do”).… Learn Hebrew
From the Ground Up: Discovering Hebrew Word Order and Meaning in Genesis 2:9
וַיַּצְמַ֞ח יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהִים֙ מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה כָּל־עֵ֛ץ נֶחְמָ֥ד לְמַרְאֶ֖ה וְטֹ֣וב לְמַאֲכָ֑ל וְעֵ֤ץ הַֽחַיִּים֙ בְּתֹ֣וךְ הַגָּ֔ן וְעֵ֕ץ הַדַּ֖עַת טֹ֥וב וָרָֽע׃
(Genesis 2:9)
This verse brings us into the heart of the Garden of Eden. It’s rich with imagery and grammar—perfect for beginners learning how Hebrew builds meaning through verbs, adjectives, word pairs, and construct chains. Let’s take a close look at how this verse is put together.
English Translation (Simple and Clear)
And YHWH God caused to sprout from the ground every tree that is desirable in appearance and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.… Learn Hebrew
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