Category Archives: Grammar

Biblical Hebrew Grammar

“He Shall Be Your Mouth”: Syntax of Mediation and Divine Authority in Exodus 4:16

Posted on April 16, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

וְדִבֶּר־ה֥וּא לְךָ֖ אֶל־הָעָ֑ם וְהָ֤יָה הוּא֙ יִֽהְיֶה־לְּךָ֣ לְפֶ֔ה וְאַתָּ֖ה תִּֽהְיֶה־לֹּ֥ו לֵֽאלֹהִֽים׃ (Exodus 4:16) And he shall speak for you to the people; and it shall be that he will be as a mouth for you, and you shall be as God to him. Delegated Speech and Theological Role Inversion Exodus 4:16 is part of YHWH’s response to Moshe’s protest that he is “not a man of words” (Exod. 4:10). In reply, YHWH designates Aharon, Moshe’s brother, as his spokesperson. This verse defines the functional relationship between Moshe and Aharon in symbolic and hierarchical terms.… Learn Hebrew

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The Mark of Mercy: Legal Syntax and Divine Protection in Genesis 4:15

Posted on April 15, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

וַיֹּ֧אמֶר לֹ֣ו יְהוָ֗ה לָכֵן֙ כָּל־הֹרֵ֣ג קַ֔יִן שִׁבְעָתַ֖יִם יֻקָּ֑ם וַיָּ֨שֶׂם יְהוָ֤ה לְקַ֨יִן֙ אֹ֔ות לְבִלְתִּ֥י הַכֹּות־אֹתֹ֖ו כָּל־מֹצְאֹֽו׃ (Genesis 4:15) And YHWH said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Qayin, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” And YHWH placed a sign for Qayin, so that no one who found him would strike him. Justice, Restraint, and the Grammar of Protection Genesis 4:15 follows Qayin’s lament over his punishment after murdering his brother Hevel. In response, YHWH declares a protective measure, both judicial and symbolic.… Learn Hebrew

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Teaching the Law: Syntax of Instruction and Inheritance in Deuteronomy 4:14

Posted on April 14, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

וְאֹתִ֞י צִוָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔וא לְלַמֵּ֣ד אֶתְכֶ֔ם חֻקִּ֖ים וּמִשְׁפָּטִ֑ים לַעֲשֹׂתְכֶ֣ם אֹתָ֔ם בָּאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתֶּ֛ם עֹבְרִ֥ים שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃ (Deuteronomy 4:14) And YHWH commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you may do them in the land which you are crossing over to possess. Mediated Revelation and Covenant Continuity Deuteronomy 4:14 presents Moshe’s retrospective account of receiving and transmitting YHWH’s law to Israel in preparation for entering the promised land. The verse sits at the intersection of memory and mandate, summarizing Israel’s calling to obedience through the lens of Moshe’s divine commission.… Learn Hebrew

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Dream Syntax and Divine Communication: Structural Layers in Job 4:13

Posted on April 13, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

בִּ֭שְׂעִפִּים מֵחֶזְיֹנֹ֣ות לָ֑יְלָה בִּנְפֹ֥ל תַּ֝רְדֵּמָ֗ה עַל־אֲנָשִֽׁים׃ (Job 4:13) In troubling thoughts from night visions, when deep sleep falls on men, Visionary Fragments and Nocturnal Revelation in Joban Dialogue Job 4:13 occurs within the first speech of Elifaz, in which he recounts a mysterious, fearsome nocturnal revelation that offers theological perspective on divine justice. This verse introduces the setting and medium of that revelation, emphasizing its obscurity and psychological power: This verse is a prelude to a divine message delivered in verse 14ff.… Learn Hebrew

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Concealing the Sacred: Sequential Syntax and Ritual Handling in Numbers 4:12

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

וְלָקְחוּ֩ אֶת־כָּל־כְּלֵ֨י הַשָּׁרֵ֜ת אֲשֶׁ֧ר יְשָֽׁרְתוּ־בָ֣ם בַּקֹּ֗דֶשׁ וְנָֽתְנוּ֙ אֶל־בֶּ֣גֶד תְּכֵ֔לֶת וְכִסּ֣וּ אֹותָ֔ם בְּמִכְסֵ֖ה עֹ֣ור תָּ֑חַשׁ וְנָתְנ֖וּ עַל־הַמֹּֽוט׃ (Numbers 4:12) And they shall take all the service vessels with which they minister in the sanctuary, and place them in a blue cloth, and cover them with a covering of tachash leather, and place them on the carrying frame. Order, Reverence, and Sanctity in the Wilderness Tabernacle Numbers 4:12 forms part of the priestly instructions for transporting the most sacred items of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) during the wilderness journeys.… Learn Hebrew

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Appositional Syntax and Dynastic Integration in 1 Kings 4:11

Posted on April 11, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

בֶּן־אֲבִֽינָדָ֖ב כָּל־נָ֣פַת דֹּ֑אר טָפַת֙ בַּת־שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה הָ֥יְתָה לֹּ֖ו לְאִשָּֽׁה׃ (1 Kings 4:11) Ben-Avinadav: all the region of Dor. Tafat, the daughter of Shelomoh, was his wife. Administrative Structure and Royal Marriage in the Solomonic Era 1 Kings 4 (Hebrew 5) provides a detailed account of King Shelomoh’s (Solomon’s) administrative organization. Among the named officials is a regional governor who receives special attention because of his marital connection to the royal family. This verse, while brief, packs multiple syntactic and socio-political elements into a compact narrative unit.… Learn Hebrew

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Conditional Syntax and Communal Anthropology in Ecclesiastes 4:11

Posted on April 11, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

גַּ֛ם אִם־יִשְׁכְּב֥וּ שְׁנַ֖יִם וְחַ֣ם לָהֶ֑ם וּלְאֶחָ֖ד אֵ֥יךְ יֵחָֽם׃ (Ecclesiastes 4:11) Also, if two lie down together, they will be warm; but how can one be warm alone? Companionship, Survival, and the Poetics of Two Ecclesiastes 4:11 sits within a poetic unit (vv. 9–12) extolling the benefits of companionship over isolation. The passage uses practical imagery to promote shared life and mutual aid. This verse, in particular, draws from everyday physical experience to make a larger existential point. In this concise and elegant verse, Hebrew grammar underscores the poet’s argument for partnership through conditional syntax, pragmatic emphasis using rhetorical question, and juxtaposition of verbs in complementary clauses.… Learn Hebrew

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Measuring Judgment: Distributive Syntax and Temporal Framing in Ezekiel 4:10

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

וּמַאֲכָֽלְךָ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר תֹּאכֲלֶ֔נּוּ בְּמִשְׁקֹ֕ול עֶשְׂרִ֥ים שֶׁ֖קֶל לַיֹּ֑ום מֵעֵ֥ת עַד־עֵ֖ת תֹּאכֲלֶֽנּוּ׃ (Ezekiel 4:10) And your food that you shall eat shall be by weight—twenty shekels a day; from time to time you shall eat it. Symbolic Acts and the Grammar of Famine In Ezekiel 4, the prophet performs symbolic actions that embody the coming siege and judgment upon Yerushalayim. Verse 10 forms part of YHWH’s instructions for Ezekiel’s food rationing during his enacted siege, emphasizing scarcity and controlled survival. This verse uses a combination of relative clauses, distributive syntax, accusative object fronting, and temporal markers to convey restriction, rhythm, and ritualized deprivation.… Learn Hebrew

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Standing in the Midst: Participles, Command Chains, and Theological Transition in Joshua 4:10

Posted on April 10, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

וְהַכֹּהֲנִ֞ים נֹשְׂאֵ֣י הָאָרֹ֗ון עֹמְדִים֮ בְּתֹ֣וךְ הַיַּרְדֵּן֒ עַ֣ד תֹּ֣ם כָּֽל־֠הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֨ה יְהוָ֤ה אֶת־יְהֹושֻׁ֨עַ֙ לְדַבֵּ֣ר אֶל־הָעָ֔ם כְּכֹ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־צִוָּ֥ה מֹשֶׁ֖ה אֶת־יְהֹושֻׁ֑עַ וַיְמַהֲר֥וּ הָעָ֖ם וַֽיַּעֲבֹֽרוּ׃ (Joshua 4:10) And the priests bearing the Ark stood in the midst of the Jordan until everything was finished that YHWH commanded Yehoshua to speak to the people, according to all that Moshe had commanded Yehoshua; and the people hurried and crossed over. Narrative Suspension and Liturgical Obedience at the Jordan Joshua 4:10 presents a narrative interlude during the miraculous crossing of the Jordan River, emphasizing the role of the priests and the obedience to divine command mediated through Moshe and Yehoshua.… Learn Hebrew

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Perception, Predicate Structure, and the Recognition of Holiness in 2 Kings 4:9

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

וַתֹּ֨אמֶר֙ אֶל־אִישָׁ֔הּ הִנֵּה־נָ֣א יָדַ֔עְתִּי כִּ֛י אִ֥ישׁ אֱלֹהִ֖ים קָדֹ֣ושׁ ה֑וּא עֹבֵ֥ר עָלֵ֖ינוּ תָּמִֽיד׃ (2 Kings 4:9) And she said to her husband, “Behold now, I know that this is a holy man of God who continually passes by us.” Hospitality, Discernment, and the Prophetic Figure 2 Kings 4:9 records the words of the Shunammite woman as she speaks to her husband regarding the prophet Elisha. Her declaration serves as the turning point for their household’s hospitality and the theological development of the chapter.… Learn Hebrew

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