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Recent Articles
- The Interrogative with הֲלֹא: Rebuke and Rhetoric in Nehemiah 5:9
- The Hebrew Verb דָּבַק: To Cling, Stick, or Cleave
- The Edges of Desire — Imperatives and Spatial Metaphor in Biblical Warning
- The Hebrew Verb דָּאַג: To Worry, Be Anxious, or Concerned
- Poetry of Parallelism: The Enigmatic Syntax of Job 5:7
- The Hebrew Verb גָּשַׁם: To Rain or Cause Rain
- The Guilty Soul: Predicate-Subject Inversion and Verbal Emphasis in Numbers 5:6
- The Hebrew Verb גֵּרֵשׁ: To Drive Out, Expel, or Divorce
- The Demonstrative זֹאת as Subject: Deixis and Emphasis in Ezekiel 5:5
- The Hebrew Verb גָּרַם: To Cause, Bring About, or Result In
- Verbs of Begetting: The Syntax of Sequential Wayyiqtol in Genealogies
- The Hebrew Verb גָּעְגַּע: To Long For, Yearn, or Miss
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Category Archives: Grammar
“A Luxuriant Vine is Yisra’el”: Construct Chains and Idolatrous Fruitfulness in Hosea 10:1
Introduction to Hosea 10:1: Fertility Imagery as Prophetic Irony Hosea 10:1 opens with an agricultural metaphor—Yisra’el is likened to a luxuriant vine—but the fruit of that vine is not righteousness; it is idolatry. This verse masterfully uses construct chains, comparative … Continue reading
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“Do Not Rejoice, Yisra’el”: Imperative Prohibition and Metaphor of Cultic Betrayal in Hosea 9:1
Introduction to Hosea 9:1: Rejoicing Denied Through Divine Indictment Hosea 9:1 is a striking verse where YHWH, through the prophet, forbids the people from engaging in public joy. The grammatical structure is a negative jussive formed by אַל + imperfect … Continue reading
“Put the Shofar to Your Mouth”: Prophetic Alarm and Covenant Violation in Hosea 8:1
Introduction to Hosea 8:1: Trumpeting Judgment Against Betrayal Hosea 8:1 opens with a command that signals immediate divine judgment: “Put the shofar to your mouth!” The imagery of the shofar—a ram’s horn used in war, coronation, or sacred assembly—serves here … Continue reading
The Future Restoration: Verb Forms and Prophetic Speech in Jeremiah 48:47
Jeremiah 48:47 וְשַׁבְתִּ֧י שְׁבוּת־מֹואָ֛ב בְּאַחֲרִ֥ית הַיָּמִ֖ים נְאֻם־יְהוָ֑ה עַד־הֵ֖נָּה מִשְׁפַּ֥ט מֹואָֽב׃ Promise of Restoration: וְשַׁבְתִּי שְׁבוּת־מֹואָב וְשַׁבְתִּי (“and I will restore”) is a Qal perfect 1cs with vav-consecutive from שׁ־ו־ב (“to return, restore”). Though a perfect form, the vav-consecutive construction here … Continue reading
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“As I Would Heal Yisra’el, the Iniquity of Ephrayim Is Uncovered”: Waw-Consecutive Tension and Reversal in Hosea 7:1
Introduction to Hosea 7:1: Healing Interrupted by Revelation of Guilt Hosea 7:1 opens with what appears to be a hopeful note: YHWH is preparing to heal Yisra’el. However, the moment of healing is immediately inverted—Ephrayim’s guilt is “uncovered,” and the … Continue reading
The Imperatives of Restraint: Jussive and Imperative in Proverbs 23:6
אַל־תִּלְחַ֗ם אֶת־֭לֶחֶם רַ֣ע עָ֑יִן וְאַל־תתאו לְמַטְעַמֹּתָֽיו׃ In Proverbs 23:6, wisdom literature urges discernment not only through imagery, but through grammar. The verse commands the reader not to eat the bread of one with an “evil eye,” nor to desire his … Continue reading
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Mourning and Restraint: Imperatives, Prohibition, and Community Grief in Leviticus 10:6
Leviticus 10:6 וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֣ה אֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֡ן וּלְאֶלְעָזָר֩ וּלְאִֽיתָמָ֨ר בָּנָ֜יו רָֽאשֵׁיכֶ֥ם אַל־תִּפְרָ֣עוּ וּבִגְדֵיכֶ֤ם לֹֽא־תִפְרֹ֨מוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א תָמֻ֔תוּ וְעַ֥ל כָּל־הָעֵדָ֖ה יִקְצֹ֑ף וַאֲחֵיכֶם֙ כָּל־בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל יִבְכּוּ֙ אֶת־הַשְּׂרֵפָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֖ר שָׂרַ֥ף Read more […]
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“Come, Let Us Return to YHWH”: Cohortatives, Paradox, and Theological Healing in Hosea 6:1
Introduction to Hosea 6:1: A Call to Return and Be Healed Hosea 6:1 begins a poetic and theological call for national repentance. Spoken by the prophet or the penitent community, the verse features a sequence of volitional and predictive verbs, … Continue reading
Divine Gifts: Tripartite Blessings and Comparative Syntax in 1 Kings 5:9
1 Kings 5:9 וַיִּתֵּן֩ אֱלֹהִ֨ים חָכְמָ֧ה לִשְׁלֹמֹ֛ה וּתְבוּנָ֖ה הַרְבֵּ֣ה מְאֹ֑ד וְרֹ֣חַב לֵ֔ב כַּחֹ֕ול אֲשֶׁ֖ר עַל־שְׂפַ֥ת הַיָּֽם׃ Divine Action: וַיִּתֵּן אֱלֹהִים חָכְמָה לִשְׁלֹמֹה וַיִּתֵּן (“and He gave”) is a Qal wayyiqtol 3ms from נ־ת־ן (“to give”), a typical narrative verb form … Continue reading
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A Royal Menu: Quantifiers and Species in 1 Kings 5:3
1 Kings 5:3 עֲשָׂרָ֨ה בָקָ֜ר בְּרִאִ֗ים וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים בָּקָ֛ר רְעִ֖י וּמֵ֣אָה צֹ֑אן לְ֠בַד מֵֽאַיָּ֤ל וּצְבִי֙ וְיַחְמ֔וּר וּבַרְבֻּרִ֖ים אֲבוּסִֽים׃ Numerals and Nouns: עֲשָׂרָ֨ה בָקָ֜ר The phrase עֲשָׂרָ֨ה בָקָ֜ר (“ten fattened oxen”) demonstrates the masculine plural numeral עֲשָׂרָה agreeing in gender with בָקָר … Continue reading
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