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Recent Articles
- 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
- Syntax of the Wave Offering: Moses and the Breast Portion in Leviticus 8:29
- Firm Skies and Deep Springs: Grammar in Proverbs 8:28
- Only the Spoil: A Hebrew Lesson on Joshua 8:27
- Binyanim Under Pressure: Exodus 8:26
- When Service Ends: A Hebrew Lesson on Numbers 8:25
- Consecration Through Syntax: The Priestly Ritual in Leviticus 8:24
- “A Three-Day Journey”: The Syntax of Volition and Deixis in Exodus According to Targum Onkelos
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Category Archives: Grammar
Genesis 29:3 – Waw-Consecutive and Wayyiqtol Verbs in Narrative
וְנֶאֶסְפוּ־שָׁ֣מָּה כָל־הָעֲדָרִ֗ים וְגָלֲל֤וּ אֶת־הָאֶ֨בֶן֙ מֵעַל֙ פִּ֣י הַבְּאֵ֔ר וְהִשְׁק֖וּ אֶת־הַצֹּ֑אן וְהֵשִׁ֧יבוּ אֶת־הָאֶ֛בֶן עַל־פִּ֥י הַבְּאֵ֖ר לִמְקֹמָֽהּ׃
(Genesis 29:3)
And all the flocks would gather there, and they would roll the stone from the mouth of the well and water the sheep, and then return the stone upon the mouth of the well to its place.
In Genesis 29:3, we observe a chain of verbs in the wayyiqtol form, each preceded by the waw-consecutive (וְ). This construction is a key feature in Biblical Hebrew narrative and is used to express sequential past actions.… Learn Hebrew
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Second Person Pronoun Positioning and Parallelism in Blessing Formulas
בָּר֥וּךְ אַתָּ֖ה בָּעִ֑יר וּבָר֥וּךְ אַתָּ֖ה בַּשָּׂדֶֽה׃
(Deuteronomy 28:3)
Blessed are you in the city, and blessed are you in the field.
Deuteronomy 28:3 opens the list of blessings promised to Israel for obedience. The verse consists of two parallel clauses, both beginning with בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה. The repetition of the second person pronoun אַתָּה in the same syntactic position draws attention to the formulaic and emphatic structure of the blessing. This lesson focuses on the syntax of second person pronoun placement in Biblical Hebrew, particularly in blessing and curse formulas, and its relationship to Hebrew parallelism.… Learn Hebrew
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Poetic Word Order and Fronting in Biblical Hebrew
קֵ֤ץ שָׂ֤ם לַחֹ֗שֶׁךְ וּֽלְכָל־֭תַּכְלִית ה֣וּא חֹוקֵ֑ר אֶ֖בֶן אֹ֣פֶל וְצַלְמָֽוֶת׃
(Job 28:3)
He sets an end to darkness, and to every extremity He searches out—stone of gloom and shadow of death.
Job 28:3 forms part of a poetic discourse reflecting on human attempts to search out hidden things. What makes this verse grammatically compelling is its poetic word order and the fronting of key words for emphasis. This lesson focuses on how word order variations, especially fronting in poetic texts, function syntactically and stylistically in Biblical Hebrew to highlight abstract and theological concepts.… Learn Hebrew
Cause and Comparison in Prophetic Narrative: The Syntax of 2 Chronicles 28:3
וְהוּא הִקְטִיר בְּגֵיא בֶן־הִנֹּם וַיַּבְעֵר אֶת־בָּנָיו בָּאֵשׁ כְּתוֹעֲבוֹת הַגּוֹיִם אֲשֶׁר הוֹרִישׁ יְהוָה מִפְּנֵי בְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃
(2 Chronicles 28:3)
And he burned incense in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom, and he burned his sons in fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom YHWH had dispossessed before the children of Israel.
Imitation of the Nations and Divine Displeasure
This verse documents a horrific act: the burning of children as sacrifices in the Valley of Ben-Hinnom by a king of Judah, mirroring the abominations of the surrounding nations.… Learn Hebrew
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Coordinated Prepositions and Syntactic Stacking in Jeremiah 27:3
וְשִׁלַּחְתָּם֩ אֶל־מֶ֨לֶךְ אֱדֹ֜ום וְאֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ מֹואָ֗ב וְאֶל־מֶ֨לֶךְ֙ בְּנֵ֣י עַמֹּ֔ון וְאֶל־מֶ֥לֶךְ צֹ֖ר וְאֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ צִידֹ֑ון בְּיַ֤ד מַלְאָכִים֙ הַבָּאִ֣ים יְרוּשָׁלִַ֔ם אֶל־צִדְקִיָּ֖הוּ מֶ֥לֶךְ יְהוּדָֽה׃
(Jeremiah 27:3)
And you shall send them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moʾav, and to the king of the sons of ʿAmmon, and to the king of Tsor, and to the king of Tsidon, by the hand of the messengers who come to Yerushalayim to Tsidqiyyahu, king of Yehuda.
A Diplomatic Web of Judgments
This verse from Jeremiah sets the stage for a prophetic message delivered not only to Judah but to neighboring kingdoms through a dramatic diplomatic gesture.… Learn Hebrew
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Sequential Action and Leadership: The Wayyiqtol Chain in Judges 3:27
וַיְהִ֣י בְּבֹואֹ֔ו וַיִּתְקַ֥ע בַּשֹּׁופָ֖ר בְּהַ֣ר אֶפְרָ֑יִם וַיֵּרְד֨וּ עִמֹּ֧ו בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל מִן־הָהָ֖ר וְה֥וּא לִפְנֵיהֶֽם׃
(Judges 3:27)
And it came to pass when he arrived, that he blew the trumpet in the hill country of Efrayim, and the sons of Yisraʾel went down with him from the mountain, and he was before them.
Trumpets, Terrain, and Tactical Leadership
This verse describes the pivotal moment when Ehud, after escaping from Eglon, mobilizes the Israelites by sounding the shofar in the hill country of Ephraim. The structure of this verse is particularly notable for its use of wayyiqtol (וַיִּקטֹל) forms, a staple of Hebrew narrative grammar that links actions in succession.… Learn Hebrew
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Internal Monologue and Root-Derived Wordplay in Obadiah 1:3
זְדֹ֤ון לִבְּךָ֙ הִשִּׁיאֶ֔ךָ שֹׁכְנִ֥י בְחַגְוֵי־סֶּ֖לַע מְרֹ֣ום שִׁבְתֹּ֑ו אֹמֵ֣ר בְּלִבֹּ֔ו מִ֥י יֹורִדֵ֖נִי אָֽרֶץ׃
(Obadiah 1:3)
The pride of your heart has deceived you, you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, in the height of his habitation, who says in his heart, Who will bring me down to the ground?
The Language of Arrogance and Illusion
Obadiah 1:3 confronts the arrogant mindset of Edom, using highly expressive Hebrew grammar to portray internal thought, deceptive self-assurance, and false elevation. The verse employs reflexive causative verbs and embeds internal monologue syntax into poetic prophecy.… Learn Hebrew
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Temporal Clauses and Narrative Framing in Numbers 26:1
וַיְהִ֖י אַחֲרֵ֣י הַמַּגֵּפָ֑ה פ וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֔ה וְאֶ֧ל אֶלְעָזָ֛ר בֶּן־אַהֲרֹ֥ן הַכֹּהֵ֖ן לֵאמֹֽר׃
(Numbers 26:1)
And it came to pass after the plague, that YHWH said to Moshe and to Eleʿazar, son of Aharon the priest, saying,
Marking Time After Crisis
This verse opens the chapter detailing the second wilderness census. It sets the context with a temporal clause and then presents a divine speech formula addressed to both Moshe and Eleʿazar. The syntax reveals the transition from plague to restoration and organization.… Learn Hebrew
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Negative Imperatives and Prohibitions in Leviticus 26:1
לֹֽא־תַעֲשׂ֨וּ לָכֶ֜ם אֱלִילִ֗ם וּפֶ֤סֶל וּמַצֵּבָה֙ לֹֽא־תָקִ֣ימוּ לָכֶ֔ם וְאֶ֣בֶן מַשְׂכִּ֗ית לֹ֤א תִתְּנוּ֙ בְּאַרְצְכֶ֔ם לְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֹ֖ת עָלֶ֑יהָ כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
(Leviticus 26:1)
You shall not make idols for yourselves, nor shall you set up a graven image or a pillar for yourselves, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am YHWH your God.
Syntax of Covenant Prohibitions
Leviticus 26:1 opens the chapter of blessings and curses with a firm reminder of Israel’s exclusive devotion to YHWH.… Learn Hebrew
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Sequential Perfects and Future Conditionals in Deuteronomy 26:1
וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־תָבֹ֣וא אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַחֲלָ֑ה וִֽירִשְׁתָּ֖הּ וְיָשַׁ֥בְתָּ בָּֽהּ׃
(Deuteronomy 26:1)
And it shall be when you come into the land which YHWH your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell in it.
Legal Conditional Syntax and Sequential Events
This verse marks the beginning of a legal ritual that is to be performed upon entering the land of YHWH. The grammar is especially rich with perfect verbs used to describe future actions—a unique feature of Hebrew law codes.… Learn Hebrew
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