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- May God Enlarge Japheth: Syntax, Blessing, and Subordination in Genesis 9:27
- The Plea of the Prophet: Syntax, Intercession, and Covenant Echoes in Deuteronomy 9:26
- The Swift Flight of Life: Syntax and Poetic Motion in Job 9:25
- Fear and Syntax in Giveʿon: Nested Clauses and Theological Strategy in Joshua 9:24
- Wayyiqtol Verbs, Ruach Imagery, and Political Betrayal in Judges 9:23
- Imperatives, Prophetic Syntax, and Stark Imagery in Jeremiah 9:22
- From Ashes to Dust: The Golden Calf in Hebrew Fire and Greek Fragmentation
- Fear and Obedience: How Hebrew “הֵנִיס” Becomes Greek “συνήγαγεν”
- From Dispersion to Destiny: Hebrew “נָפְצָה” and Greek “διεσπάρησαν” in Dialogue
- Wisdom Above Weapons: The Fragility of Goodness in Hebrew and Greek
- Between Offering and Altar: The Grain Sacrifice in Hebrew and Greek
- Grammar Wielded for Glory: The Syntax of Divine Purpose in Exodus 9:16
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Category Archives: Grammar
Genesis 4:5 – Emotion Verbs and the Use of וַיִּפְּלוּ פָּנָיו
וְאֶל־קַ֥יִן וְאֶל־מִנְחָתֹ֖ו לֹ֣א שָׁעָ֑ה וַיִּ֤חַר לְקַ֨יִן֙ מְאֹ֔ד וַֽיִּפְּל֖וּ פָּנָֽיו׃
(Genesis 4:5)
But to Qayin and to his offering He did not look with favor, and Qayin was very angry, and his face fell.
Explanation of Feature
This verse from Genesis 4:5 contains two noteworthy grammatical features:
1. Emotion verbs with לְ (lamed) – as seen in וַיִּחַר לְקַיִן, “Qayin became angry.” In Hebrew, anger is often described with the verb חָרָה (“to burn”) used impersonally with a lamed preposition marking the subject: “it burned to Qayin.”… Learn Hebrew
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Definiteness and Participial Titles in Cultic Legal Hebrew
וְלָקַ֛ח הַכֹּהֵ֥ן הַמָּשִׁ֖יחַ מִדַּ֣ם הַפָּ֑ר וְהֵבִ֥יא אֹתֹ֖ו אֶל־אֹ֥הֶל מֹועֵֽד׃
(Leviticus 4:5)
And the anointed priest shall take some of the blood of the bull and bring it to the Tent of Meeting.
This verse describes part of the sin offering ritual: the anointed priest takes the bull’s blood into the Tent of Meeting. What stands out grammatically is the noun phrase הַכֹּהֵן הַמָּשִׁיחַ (“the anointed priest”), which combines a definite noun with a definite participle. This construction highlights a specific cultic role and reflects the way Biblical Hebrew uses definite participial titles in legal and priestly texts.… Learn Hebrew
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Jussive Negation with אַל and the Function of Double Prohibition
אַ֥ךְ אִ֛ישׁ אַל־יָרֵ֖ב וְאַל־יֹוכַ֣ח אִ֑ישׁ וְעַמְּךָ֖ כִּמְרִיבֵ֥י כֹהֵֽן׃
(Hosea 4:4)
Yet let no man contend, and let no man rebuke, for your people are like those who contend with a priest.
Hosea 4:4 stands at the beginning of a prophetic indictment. It opens with a forceful double prohibition, warning against judgmental contention, followed by a striking comparison between the people and the priest. The grammatical structure uses the particle אַל to negate jussive verbs twice in parallel, creating a rhetorical double command.… Learn Hebrew
Volitive Forms and Rhetorical Irony in Zephaniah 3:7: A Grammatical Theology of Rejected Correction
אָמַ֜רְתִּי אַךְ־תִּירְאִ֤י אֹותִי֙ תִּקְחִ֣י מוּסָ֔ר וְלֹֽא־יִכָּרֵ֣ת מְעֹונָ֔הּ כֹּ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־פָּקַ֖דְתִּי עָלֶ֑יהָ אָכֵן֙ הִשְׁכִּ֣ימוּ הִשְׁחִ֔יתוּ כֹּ֖ל עֲלִילֹותָֽם׃
I said, “Surely you will fear Me, you will accept correction.” Then her dwelling would not be cut off—[not] all that I had appointed against her. But they rose early—they corrupted all their deeds.
Divine Expectation and Human Defiance in Prophetic Discourse
Zephaniah 3:7 is a striking verse in the prophet’s closing oracle of judgment, where YHWH reflects on His prior disciplinary intent and Israel’s refusal to respond.… Learn Hebrew
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The Syntax of Legal Hypotheticals and Priestly Responsibility in Leviticus 4:3
אִ֣ם הַכֹּהֵ֧ן הַמָּשִׁ֛יחַ יֶחֱטָ֖א לְאַשְׁמַ֣ת הָעָ֑ם וְהִקְרִ֡יב עַ֣ל חַטָּאתֹו֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר חָטָ֜א פַּ֣ר בֶּן־בָּקָ֥ר תָּמִ֛ים לַיהוָ֖ה לְחַטָּֽאת׃
(Leviticus 4:3)
If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt upon the people, then he shall bring for his sin that he has committed a bull of the herd without blemish to the LORD as a sin offering.
Legal Instruction and Theological Stakes in Leviticus 4:3
Leviticus 4:3 introduces the procedures for sin offerings (חַטָּאת) in the case of unintentional sin by the anointed priest. This passage inaugurates one of the most structurally detailed sacrificial regulations in the Torah.… Learn Hebrew
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The Semantics and Theology of the Nifʿal Imperfect in Isaiah 4:3
וְהָיָ֣ה הַנִּשְׁאָ֣ר בְּצִיֹּ֗ון וְהַנֹּותָר֙ בִּיר֣וּשָׁלִַ֔ם קָדֹ֖ושׁ יֵאָ֣מֶר לֹ֑ו כָּל־הַכָּת֥וּב לַחַיִּ֖ים בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃
(Isaiah 4:3)
And the one who is left in Tsiyyon and the one who remains in Yerushalayim will be called holy, everyone who is written down for life in Yerushalayim.
Contextual and Theological Framing of Isaiah 4:3
Isaiah 4:3 appears at a pivotal juncture in the prophetic literature of Isaiah, marking a thematic shift from divine judgment to purification and restoration. The verse reads:
Situated within the oracle of Isaiah 2–4, this verse belongs to a broader literary unit that envisions Zion’s eschatological cleansing.… Learn Hebrew
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Comparative Particles and Temporal Subordination in Qohelet’s Reasoning
וְשַׁבֵּ֧חַ אֲנִ֛י אֶת־הַמֵּתִ֖ים שֶׁכְּבָ֣ר מֵ֑תוּ מִן־הַ֣חַיִּ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֛ר הֵ֥מָּה חַיִּ֖ים עֲדֶֽנָה׃
(Ecclesiastes 4:2)
And I praised the dead who had already died more than the living who are still alive.
Ecclesiastes 4:2 presents a comparison between the dead and the living, asserting that the dead are better off. The verse is marked by layered comparative and temporal clauses, joined by particles such as מִן (“than”) and עֲדֶנָה (“still”). The grammatical structure illustrates how Qohelet constructs philosophical comparisons through concise and ambiguous Hebrew syntax.… Learn Hebrew
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Exodus 4:2 – Interrogative Pronoun and Demonstrative Use of מַה־זֶּה
וַיֹּ֧אמֶר אֵלָ֛יו יְהוָ֖ה מַה־זֶּה בְיָדֶ֑ךָ וַיֹּ֖אמֶר מַטֶּֽה׃
(Exodus 4:2)
And YHWH said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.”
This verse from Exodus 4:2 presents a clear example of a Hebrew interrogative clause introduced by the compound expression מַה־זֶּה (“What is this…?”). The interrogative מַה (“what”) is joined with the demonstrative זֶּה (“this”), forming a common question phrase that appears throughout narrative Hebrew.
This construction is followed by a prepositional phrase בְיָדֶךָ (“in your hand”), which completes the interrogative clause.… Learn Hebrew
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Deuteronomy 4:1 – Imperative, Infinitive Purpose, and Participial Construction
וְעַתָּ֣ה יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל שְׁמַ֤ע אֶל־הַֽחֻקִּים֙ וְאֶל־הַמִּשְׁפָּטִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֧ר אָֽנֹכִ֛י מְלַמֵּ֥ד אֶתְכֶ֖ם לַעֲשֹׂ֑ות לְמַ֣עַן תִּֽחְי֗וּ וּבָאתֶם֙ וִֽירִשְׁתֶּ֣ם אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֧ר יְהוָ֛ה אֱלֹהֵ֥י אֲבֹתֵיכֶ֖ם נֹתֵ֥ן לָכֶֽם׃
(Deuteronomy 4:1)
And now, Yisra’el, listen to the statutes and to the judgments that I am teaching you to do, so that you may live and go in and possess the land that YHWH, the God of your fathers, is giving to you.
This verse from Deuteronomy 4:1 features a blend of grammatical forms typical of covenant exhortation:
1. Imperative verb with direct object for authoritative instruction,
2.… Learn Hebrew
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Double Wayyiqtol Narrative Framing in Dialogic Introductions
וַ֭יַּעַן אֱלִיפַ֥ז הַֽתֵּימָנִ֗י וַיֹּאמַֽר׃
(Job 4:1)
Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
Job 4:1 marks the beginning of the first response to Job’s lament. The verse introduces the speech of Elifaz the Temani using a formula common in biblical narrative and dialogue: two sequential wayyiqtol verbs, וַיַּעַן (“and he answered”) and וַיֹּאמַר (“and he said”). This construction creates a formal transition into direct speech and is characteristic of Hebrew dialogue conventions. This lesson explores the grammatical and rhetorical function of double wayyiqtol verbs in introducing biblical speeches.… Learn Hebrew