-
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
Categories
Archives
Category Archives: Grammar
Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Phonology
Biblical Hebrew, the language of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), presents a rich and complex phonological system that evolved significantly over time. Its phonology—concerned with the sound system of the language—offers essential insights into historical linguistics, comparative Semitics, and the reconstruction of ancient pronunciations. This article explores the consonantal and vocalic inventory of Biblical Hebrew, historical shifts, and key phonological phenomena within a scholarly framework.
Consonantal Inventory and Phonemic Distinctions
Classical Biblical Hebrew (ca. 1000–400 BC) possessed a well-defined set of 22 consonantal phonemes, corresponding to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar
Comments Off on Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Phonology
“Forty Stripes He May Give Him, He Shall Not Add”: Legal Limits and Syntactic Boundaries in Deuteronomy 25:3
אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יַכֶּ֖נּוּ לֹ֣א יֹסִ֑יף פֶּן־יֹסִ֨יף לְהַכֹּתֹ֤ו עַל־אֵ֨לֶּה֙ מַכָּ֣ה רַבָּ֔ה וְנִקְלָ֥ה אָחִ֖יךָ לְעֵינֶֽיךָ׃
(Deuteronomy 25:3)
He shall strike him forty times; he shall not add more, lest he continue to strike him with many blows beyond these, and your brother be degraded in your eyes.
Justice, Mercy, and the Limits of Punishment
Deuteronomy 25:3 addresses the punishment of a guilty person by flogging, setting a maximum number of lashes to prevent public degradation. This law encapsulates the Torah’s unique combination of justice and compassion, and the Hebrew syntax reflects this balance.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar
Tagged Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 25:3
Comments Off on “Forty Stripes He May Give Him, He Shall Not Add”: Legal Limits and Syntactic Boundaries in Deuteronomy 25:3
“Rising Early to Speak”: Temporal Expressions and Iterative Syntax in Jeremiah 25:3
This article focused on Jeremiah 25:3, with a grammatical emphasis on the temporal expressions and iterative aspect of the Hebrew verb “הַשְׁכֵּם”. This verse richly combines temporal markers, perfect and imperfect verb sequences, and the repeated divine initiative in speech.
מִן־שְׁלֹ֣שׁ עֶשְׂרֵ֣ה שָׁנָ֡ה לְיֹאשִׁיָּ֣הוּ בֶן־אָמֹון֩ מֶ֨לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֜ה וְעַ֣ד הַיֹּ֣ום הַזֶּ֗ה זֶ֚ה שָׁלֹ֤שׁ וְעֶשְׂרִים֙ שָׁנָ֔ה הָיָ֥ה דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֵלָ֑י וָאֲדַבֵּ֧ר אֲלֵיכֶ֛ם אַשְׁכֵּ֥ים וְדַבֵּ֖ר וְלֹ֥א שְׁמַעְתֶּֽם׃
(Jeremiah 25:3)
From the thirteenth year of Yoshiyyahu son of ʾAmon, king of Yehuda, and until this day, these twenty-three years, the word of YHWH has been to me, and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar
Tagged Jeremiah, Jeremiah 25:3
Comments Off on “Rising Early to Speak”: Temporal Expressions and Iterative Syntax in Jeremiah 25:3
“Good of Understanding and Beautiful in Appearance”: Construct Chains and Characterization in 1 Samuel 25:3
This article analyzes 1 Samuel 25:3, focusing on the construct chain and adjective-noun coordination in the character descriptions of Nabal and Avigayil. It explores how the syntactic structure and word order reflect theological and narrative characterization.
וְשֵׁ֤ם הָאִישׁ֙ נָבָ֔ל וְשֵׁ֥ם אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ אֲבִגָ֑יִל וְהָאִשָּׁ֤ה טֽוֹבַת־שֶׂ֨כֶל֙ וִ֣יפַת תֹּ֔אַר וְהָאִ֥ישׁ קָשֶׁ֛ה וְרַ֥ע מַעֲלָלִ֖ים וְה֥וּא כָלִבִּֽי׃
(1 Samuel 25:3)
Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife was Abigail. And the woman was intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his deeds.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar, Syntax
Tagged 1 Samuel, 1 Samuel 25:3
Comments Off on “Good of Understanding and Beautiful in Appearance”: Construct Chains and Characterization in 1 Samuel 25:3
“He May Not Take Her Again”: Modal Syntax and Moral Defilement in Deuteronomy 24:4
לֹא־יוּכַ֣ל בַּעְלָ֣הּ הָרִאשֹׁ֣ון אֲשֶֽׁר־֠שִׁלְּחָהּ לָשׁ֨וּב לְקַחְתָּ֜הּ לִהְיֹ֧ות לֹ֣ו לְאִשָּׁ֗ה אַחֲרֵי֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר הֻטַּמָּ֔אָה כִּֽי־תֹועֵבָ֥ה הִ֖וא לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה וְלֹ֤א תַחֲטִיא֙ אֶת־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַחֲלָֽה׃
(Deuteronomy 24:4)
Her first husband, who sent her away, may not take her again to be his wife after she has been defiled, for that is an abomination before YHWH. And you shall not bring sin upon the land that YHWH your God is giving you as an inheritance.
Legal Ethics and the Sanctity of the Land
Deuteronomy 24:4 presents one of the Torah’s more intricate marital laws, prohibiting a man from remarrying his former wife after she has married another man and become defiled.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar
Tagged Deuteronomy, Deuteronomy 24:4
Comments Off on “He May Not Take Her Again”: Modal Syntax and Moral Defilement in Deuteronomy 24:4
“Sweeping Away All Things”: The Use of Infinitive Absolute for Emphasis in Zephaniah 1:3
אָסֵ֨ף אָדָ֜ם וּבְהֵמָ֗ה אָסֵ֤ף עֹוף־הַשָּׁמַ֨יִם֙ וּדְגֵ֣י הַיָּ֔ם וְהַמַּכְשֵׁלֹ֖ות אֶת־הָרְשָׁעִ֑ים וְהִכְרַתִּ֣י אֶת־הָאָדָ֗ם מֵעַ֛ל פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָ֖ה נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃
(Zephaniah 1:3)
I will sweep away man and beast, I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the earth, declares YHWH.
Cosmic Judgment through Grammatical Emphasis
Zephaniah 1:3 belongs to the opening judgment oracle of the book, where YHWH declares a sweeping destruction across all creation—humans, beasts, birds, and fish.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar, Syntax, Theology
Tagged Zephaniah, Zephaniah 1:3
Comments Off on “Sweeping Away All Things”: The Use of Infinitive Absolute for Emphasis in Zephaniah 1:3
“He Makes My Feet Like the Deer’s”: Simile and Ascent in Habakkuk 3:19
יְהוִ֤ה אֲדֹנָי֙ חֵילִ֔י וַיָּ֤שֶׂם רַגְלַי֙ כָּֽאַיָּלֹ֔ות וְעַ֥ל בָּמֹותַ֖י יַדְרִכֵ֑נִי לַמְנַצֵּ֖חַ בִּנְגִינֹותָֽי׃
(Habakkuk 3:19)
YHWH my Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer’s, and He causes me to tread upon my high places. To the choirmaster, with my stringed instruments.
Divine Enablement in Poetic Triumph
Habakkuk 3:19 concludes the prophet’s prayer with an expression of exaltation and movement. The imagery of sure-footedness and elevation captures the essence of divine empowerment amid suffering. This article explores the grammatical structure and theological implications of the simile כָּאַיָּלֹות, the verb יַדְרִכֵנִי, and the construct phrase עַל בָּמֹתַי.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar, Theology
Tagged Habakkuk, Habakkuk 3:19
Comments Off on “He Makes My Feet Like the Deer’s”: Simile and Ascent in Habakkuk 3:19
“Do Not Arouse Love Until It Desires”: Volition, Oath, and the Conditional אִם in Song of Songs 2:7
הִשְׁבַּ֨עְתִּי אֶתְכֶ֜ם בְּנֹ֤ות יְרוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ בִּצְבָאֹ֔ות אֹ֖ו בְּאַיְלֹ֣ות הַשָּׂדֶ֑ה אִם־תָּעִ֧ירוּ וְאִם־תְּעֹֽורְר֛וּ אֶת־הָאַהֲבָ֖ה עַ֥ד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּֽץ׃
(Song of Songs 2:7)
I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the hosts or by the gazelles of the field: do not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.
A Poetic Oath of Restraint
This iconic verse from the Song of Songs is the first of three poetic refrains that appear throughout the book (cf. 3:5, 8:4). Here, the female speaker addresses the “daughters of Yerushalayim” and adjures them by the wild creatures of the field not to awaken love before its proper time.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar, Syntax, Theology
Tagged Song of Songs, Song of Songs 2:7
Comments Off on “Do Not Arouse Love Until It Desires”: Volition, Oath, and the Conditional אִם in Song of Songs 2:7
“I Will Not Withhold a Word”: The Cohortative and Prophetic Intention in Jeremiah 42:4
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם יִרְמְיָהוּ הַנָּבִיא שָׁמַעְתִּי הִנְנִי מִתְפַּלֵּל אֶל־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם כְּדִבְרֵיכֶם וְהָיָה כָּל־הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר־יַעֲנֶה יְהוָה אֶתְכֶם אַגִּיד לָכֶם לֹא־אֶמְנַע מִכֶּם דָּבָר׃
(Jeremiah 42:4)
And Yirmeyahu the prophet said to them, “I have heard. Behold, I am praying to YHWH your God according to your words, and it shall be that every word which YHWH answers you, I will declare to you. I will not withhold from you a word.”
The Prophet’s Assurance
In Jeremiah 42:4, the prophet responds to a plea for divine counsel.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar
Tagged Jeremiah, Jeremiah 42:4
Comments Off on “I Will Not Withhold a Word”: The Cohortative and Prophetic Intention in Jeremiah 42:4
“But Only Cities to Live In”: The Restrictive Construction כִּי אִם in Joshua 14:4
כִּֽי־הָי֧וּ בְנֵֽי־יֹוסֵ֛ף שְׁנֵ֥י מַטֹּ֖ות מְנַשֶּׁ֣ה וְאֶפְרָ֑יִם וְלֹֽא־נָתְנוּ֩ חֵ֨לֶק לַלְוִיִּ֜ם בָּאָ֗רֶץ כִּ֤י אִם־עָרִים֙ לָשֶׁ֔בֶת וּמִ֨גְרְשֵׁיהֶ֔ם לְמִקְנֵיהֶ֖ם וּלְקִנְיָנָֽם׃
(Joshua 14:4)
For the sons of Yosef were two tribes, Menashshe and Efrayim, and they did not give a portion to the Levi’im in the land, except cities to dwell in, and their pasturelands for their livestock and for their possessions.
Tribal Allocation and Levitical Exception
Joshua 14:4 outlines the distribution of the land among the tribes of Yisra’el, highlighting the unique position of the descendants of Yosef and the tribe of Levi.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar, Syntax, Theology
Tagged Joshua, Joshua 14:4
Comments Off on “But Only Cities to Live In”: The Restrictive Construction כִּי אִם in Joshua 14:4