Category Archives: Grammar

Biblical Hebrew Grammar

The Ravaged Vineyard: Visionary Perfects and Destruction Syntax in Jeremiah 4:26

Posted on April 26, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

רָאִ֕יתִי וְהִנֵּ֥ה הַכַּרְמֶ֖ל הַמִּדְבָּ֑ר וְכָל־עָרָ֗יו נִתְּצוּ֙ מִפְּנֵ֣י יְהוָ֔ה מִפְּנֵ֖י חֲרֹ֥ון אַפֹּֽו׃ (Jeremiah 4:26) I saw, and behold, the Karmel was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down before YHWH, before the burning of His anger. Vision Report: רָאִיתִי וְהִנֵּה רָאִיתִי (“I saw”) is a Qal perfect 1cs of ר־א־ה (“to see”), indicating a complete visionary act. וְהִנֵּה (“and behold”) introduces the object of the vision, creating dramatic immediacy typical of prophetic revelations. Desolate Landscape: הַכַּרְמֶל הַמִּדְבָּר הַכַּרְמֶל (“the fertile land” or “vineyard”) is used here ironically.… Learn Hebrew

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Blood and Altar: Precision and Ritual Syntax in Leviticus 4:25

Posted on April 25, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

וְלָקַ֨ח הַכֹּהֵ֜ן מִדַּ֤ם הַֽחַטָּאת֙ בְּאֶצְבָּעֹ֔ו וְנָתַ֕ן עַל־קַרְנֹ֖ת מִזְבַּ֣ח הָעֹלָ֑ה וְאֶת־דָּמֹ֣ו יִשְׁפֹּ֔ךְ אֶל־יְסֹ֖וד מִזְבַּ֥ח הָעֹלָֽה׃ (Leviticus 4:25) And the priest shall take from the blood of the sin offering with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of the burnt offering, and the rest of its blood he shall pour out at the base of the altar of the burnt offering. Sequential Ritual Actions: וְלָקַ֨ח… וְנָתַ֕ן… יִשְׁפֹּ֔ךְ The verse progresses through a sequence of wayyiqtol verbs: וְלָקַ֨ח — “and he shall take” (Qal wayyiqtol 3ms from ל־ק־ח) וְנָתַ֕ן — “and he shall put” (Qal wayyiqtol 3ms from נ־ת־ן) יִשְׁפֹּ֔ךְ — “he shall pour out” (Qal imperfect 3ms from ש־פ־ך) This sequence defines the priest’s precise duties in handling the blood of the sin offering, emphasizing ritual order and sacred space.… Learn Hebrew

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Hands, Heads, and Holy Places: Ritual Syntax in Leviticus 4:24

Posted on April 24, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

וְסָמַ֤ךְ יָדֹו֙ עַל־רֹ֣אשׁ הַשָּׂעִ֔יר וְשָׁחַ֣ט אֹתֹ֔ו בִּמְקֹ֛ום אֲשֶׁר־יִשְׁחַ֥ט אֶת־הָעֹלָ֖ה לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה חַטָּ֖את הֽוּא׃ (Leviticus 4:24) And he shall lay his hand upon the head of the goat and slaughter it in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered before YHWH; it is a sin offering. Sequential Actions: וְסָמַ֤ךְ… וְשָׁחַ֣ט The verse opens with two wayyiqtol verbs: וְסָמַ֤ךְ (“and he shall lay”) and וְשָׁחַ֣ט (“and he shall slaughter”), from the roots ס־מ־ך and ש־ח־ט respectively. These forms are Qal wayyiqtol 3ms and represent sequential narrative events — typical in priestly and ritual texts to indicate ordered procedure.… Learn Hebrew

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Craftsmen and Kingship: Participles and Prepositional Structure in 1 Chronicles 4:23

Posted on April 23, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

הֵ֚מָּה הַיֹּ֣וצְרִ֔ים וְיֹשְׁבֵ֥י נְטָעִ֖ים וּגְדֵרָ֑ה עִם־הַמֶּ֥לֶךְ בִּמְלַאכְתֹּ֖ו יָ֥שְׁבוּ שָֽׁם׃ (1 Chronicles 4:23) These were the potters and inhabitants of Netaim and Gedera; they dwelt there with the king in his work. Subject Pronoun and Identity: הֵ֚מָּה הֵמָּה (“they”) is a third-person plural independent pronoun, often used to emphasize the subject. Here, it introduces a descriptive summary of a specific group of people, identifying them with vocational and geographical associations. Participles in Apposition: הַיֹּ֣וצְרִ֔ים וְיֹשְׁבֵ֥י הַיֹּ֣וצְרִים is a Qal participle masculine plural from the root י־צ־ר (“to form, shape”), meaning “the potters.”… Learn Hebrew

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Guarding by Night, Working by Day: Temporal Clauses and Role Syntax in Nehemiah 4:22

Posted on April 22, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

גַּ֣ם בָּעֵ֤ת הַהִיא֙ אָמַ֣רְתִּי לָעָ֔ם אִ֣ישׁ וְנַעֲרֹ֔ו יָלִ֖ינוּ בְּתֹ֣וךְ יְרוּשָׁלִָ֑ם וְהָֽיוּ־לָ֧נוּ הַלַּ֛יְלָה מִשְׁמָ֖ר וְהַיֹּ֥ום מְלָאכָֽה׃ (Nehemiah 4:22) Also at that time I said to the people, Let every man and his servant lodge inside Jerusalem, so that by night they may be a guard for us, and by day a labor force. Temporal Phrase: בָּעֵ֤ת הַהִיא The phrase בָּעֵ֤ת הַהִיא means “at that time.” It combines the preposition בְּ (“in, at”) with the noun עֵת (“time, occasion”) and the demonstrative adjective הַהִיא (“that”).… Learn Hebrew

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The Collapse Without Wisdom: Verb Themes and Syntax in Job 4:21

Posted on April 21, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

הֲלֹא־נִסַּ֣ע יִתְרָ֣ם בָּ֑ם יָ֝מ֗וּתוּ וְלֹ֣א בְחָכְמָֽה׃ (Job 4:21) Is not their tent cord pulled up within them? They die, and not with wisdom. Focus on the Passive Niphal: נִסַּ֣ע The verb נִסַּ֣ע is in the Niphal stem, which often expresses passive or reflexive action. Derived from the root נ־ס־ע (“to journey,” “to depart,” or “to pull up tent pegs”), the Niphal form here implies “was pulled away” or “was removed.” This metaphor evokes the image of a tent being uprooted — a powerful symbol of impermanence in Biblical Hebrew, especially in wisdom literature like Job.… Learn Hebrew

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Grammatical Deception: Mood, Syntax, and Speech in Judges 4:20

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלֶ֔יהָ עֲמֹ֖ד פֶּ֣תַח הָאֹ֑הֶל וְהָיָה֩ אִם־אִ֨ישׁ יָבֹ֜וא וּשְׁאֵלֵ֗ךְ וְאָמַ֛ר הֲיֵֽשׁ־פֹּ֥ה אִ֖ישׁ וְאָמַ֥רְתְּ אָֽיִן׃ (Judges 4:20) And he said to her, “Stand at the entrance of the tent, and it shall be, if any man comes and asks you and says, ‘Is there a man here?’ then you shall say, ‘There is none.’” Focus on Imperatives: עֲמֹ֖ד The word עֲמֹד is the imperative masculine singular form of the root ע־מ־ד, meaning “to stand.” Here, it is a direct command: “Stand!” or more idiomatically, “Stand at the entrance!”… Learn Hebrew

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Stumbling in Darkness: Imagery, Negation, and Parallelism in Proverbs 4:19

Posted on April 19, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

דֶּ֣רֶךְ רְ֭שָׁעִים כָּֽאֲפֵלָ֑ה לֹ֥א יָ֝דְע֗וּ בַּמֶּ֥ה יִכָּשֵֽׁלוּ: (Proverbs 4:19) The path of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know what makes them stumble. Proverbs 4:19 forms part of a wisdom contrast between the path of the righteous and that of the wicked. While the previous verse (v.18) compares the way of the righteous to the shining light of dawn, this verse paints the way of the wicked as enveloped in darkness. The stark imagery is matched by a concise and rhythmic syntactic structure.… Learn Hebrew

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Negative Imperative with Jussive Verbs and Genitive Apposition

Posted on April 18, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

אַל־תַּכְרִ֕יתוּ אֶת־שֵׁ֖בֶט מִשְׁפְּחֹ֣ת הַקְּהָתִ֑י מִתֹּ֖וךְ הַלְוִיִּֽם׃ (Numbers 4:18) Do not cut off the tribe of the Kohathite families from among the Levites. This verse is part of a divine command to preserve the lives of the Qehatite clan among the Levites, who were tasked with transporting the most sacred objects. The verse uses a negative imperative with a jussive verb, which is a common grammatical structure in Biblical Hebrew for expressing prohibitions. It also features an example of genitive apposition, where one noun defines another.… Learn Hebrew

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Sequential Devastation: Narrative Syntax and Theological Catastrophe in 1 Samuel 4:17

Posted on April 17, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

וַיַּ֨עַן הַֽמְבַשֵּׂ֜ר וַיֹּ֗אמֶר נָ֤ס יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לִפְנֵ֣י פְלִשְׁתִּ֔ים וְגַ֛ם מַגֵּפָ֥ה גְדֹולָ֖ה הָיְתָ֣ה בָעָ֑ם וְגַם־שְׁנֵ֨י בָנֶ֜יךָ מֵ֗תוּ חָפְנִי֙ וּפִ֣ינְחָ֔ס וַאֲרֹ֥ון הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים נִלְקָֽחָה׃ (1 Samuel 4:17) And the bearer of tidings answered and said, “Israel has fled before the Philistines, and also there has been a great slaughter among the people; and also your two sons, Ḥofni and Pinḥas, are dead, and the Ark of God has been captured.” News of Defeat and the Grammar of National Collapse 1 Samuel 4:17 records the devastating news brought to Eli after the defeat of Israel by the Philistines.… Learn Hebrew

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