Category Archives: Grammar

Biblical Hebrew Grammar

Sweetness on the Lips: Simile and Sequential Syntax in Song of Songs 7:10

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Biblical Hebrew

וְחִכֵּ֕ךְ כְּיֵ֥ין הַטֹּ֛וב הֹולֵ֥ךְ לְדֹודִ֖י לְמֵישָׁרִ֑ים דֹּובֵ֖ב שִׂפְתֵ֥י יְשֵׁנִֽים׃ (Song of Songs 7:10) And your palate is like the good wine, going down smoothly for my beloved, flowing over the lips of those who sleep. Simile Construction: וְחִכֵּךְ כְּיֵין הַטֹּוב וְחִכֵּךְ (“and your palate”) is the noun חֵךְ (“palate, roof of the mouth, taste”) with the 2fs pronominal suffix ־ךְ (“your”). The simile כְּיֵין הַטֹּוב (“like good wine”) uses the preposition כְּ (“like, as”) to draw a poetic comparison between the beloved’s taste/speech and the finest wine.… Learn Hebrew

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Interrogative Syntax and Hypothetical Conditional Structures in Wisdom Poetry

Posted on July 3, 2020 by Biblical Hebrew

הַֽיְסֻפַּר־֭לֹו כִּ֣י אֲדַבֵּ֑ר אִֽם־אָ֥מַר אִ֝֗ישׁ כִּ֣י יְבֻלָּֽע׃ (Job 37:20) Shall it be told to him that I would speak? If a man speaks, surely he will be swallowed up. Introduction to Job 37:20 This verse is part of Elihu’s speech, highlighting humanity’s unworthiness to speak before or about God. It consists of rhetorical and conditional clauses, structured to express fear and silence. The verse uses interrogative particles and hypothetical conditional syntax with particles such as אִם (“if”) and כִּי (“when, that, for”), illustrating the layered, poetic style of Job.… Learn Hebrew

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“She Has Played the Harlot”: Analyzing זָנְתָה in Hosea 2:7

Posted on July 2, 2020 by Biblical Hebrew

כִּ֤י זָֽנְתָה֙ אִמָּ֔ם הֹבִ֖ישָׁה הֹֽורָתָ֑ם כִּ֣י אָמְרָ֗ה אֵלְכָ֞ה אַחֲרֵ֤י מְאַהֲבַי֙ נֹתְנֵ֤י לַחְמִי֙ וּמֵימַ֔י צַמְרִ֣י וּפִשְׁתִּ֔י שַׁמְנִ֖י וְשִׁקּוּיָֽי׃ (Hosea 2:7) For their mother has prostituted herself; she who bore them has been disgraced. For she said, “I will go after my lovers, those who give my bread and my water, my wool and my flax, my oil and my drink.” Introduction to Hosea 2:7: The Language of Infidelity and Rebellion In Hosea 2:7, the prophet presents a startling accusation against Israel in the form of familial metaphor: “for their mother has played the harlot”.… Learn Hebrew

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Teach Them Early: Imperative Syntax, Construct Chains, and Temporal Clauses

Posted on June 22, 2020 by Advanced Hebrew Grammar

חֲנֹ֣ךְ לַ֭נַּעַר עַל־פִּ֣י דַרְכֹּ֑ו גַּ֥ם כִּֽי־֝יַזְקִ֗ין לֹֽא־יָס֥וּר מִמֶּֽנָּה׃ (Proverbs 22:6) Train the youth according to his way; even when he grows old, he will not turn away from it. A Proverb with a Long View This well-known verse offers practical wisdom about education and lifelong formation. Its grammar is simple yet elegant, conveying a profound principle through the use of imperative command, construct chain idiom, and a temporal conditional clause. The structure reveals how formative instruction connects to enduring behavior. The Imperative: חֲנֹ֣ךְ לַנַּעַר חֲנֹךְ – Imperative 2ms from the root ח־נ־ך, “to dedicate, train, initiate” לַנַּעַר – “to the youth” (preposition לְ + definite article + noun) The verb חֲנֹךְ has connotations of formal dedication or ritual beginning, especially in temple language.… Learn Hebrew

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Joshua 20:6 – Temporal Clauses with עַד and Legal Conditional Structure

Posted on June 20, 2020 by Biblical Hebrew

וְיָשַׁ֣ב בָּעִ֣יר הַהִ֗יא עַד־עָמְדֹ֞ו לִפְנֵ֤י הָעֵדָה֙ לַמִּשְׁפָּ֔ט עַד־מֹות֙ הַכֹּהֵ֣ן הַגָּדֹ֔ול אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִהְיֶ֖ה בַּיָּמִ֣ים הָהֵ֑ם אָ֣ז יָשׁ֣וּב הָרֹצֵ֗חַ וּבָ֤א אֶל־עִירֹו֙ וְאֶל־בֵּיתֹ֔ו אֶל־הָעִ֖יר אֲשֶׁר־נָ֥ס מִשָּֽׁם׃ (Joshua 20:6) And he shall dwell in that city until he stands before the congregation for judgment, until the death of the High Priest who will be in those days; then the manslayer may return and enter his city and his house, to the city from which he fled. Explanation of Feature This verse from Joshua 20:6 exhibits two key grammatical features often found in legal Hebrew: 1.… Learn Hebrew

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Wealth Kept to Harm: Irony, Relative Clauses, and Poetic Diagnosis in Ecclesiastes 5:12

Posted on May 12, 2020 by Biblical Hebrew

יֵ֚שׁ רָעָ֣ה חֹולָ֔ה רָאִ֖יתִי תַּ֣חַת הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ עֹ֛שֶׁר שָׁמ֥וּר לִבְעָלָ֖יו לְרָעָתֹֽו׃ Contextual Introduction Ecclesiastes 5:12 delivers a paradoxical observation: wealth, often seen as a blessing, can bring harm to its possessor. The verse uses compact Hebrew syntax with thematic irony. The grammar enhances the verse’s pathos by employing apposition, participial constructions, and purpose clauses to emphasize that hoarded wealth is not neutral—it may destroy the one who clings to it. Grammatical Focus: Existential ישׁ-Clause, Noun Apposition, and Construct Chains 1. יֵ֚שׁ רָעָ֣ה חֹולָ֔ה – Existential with Appositive Qualifier – יֵ֚שׁ (“there is”) introduces an existential clause—an observation of something present.… Learn Hebrew

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Where I Will Dwell: The Syntax of Relative Clauses and the Nuance of Imperfect Aspect

Posted on May 7, 2020 by Biblical Hebrew

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֗י בֶּן־אָדָם֙ אֶת־מְקֹ֣ום כִּסְאִ֗י וְאֶת־מְקֹום֙ כַּפֹּ֣ות רַגְלַ֔י אֲשֶׁ֧ר אֶשְׁכָּן־שָׁ֛ם בְּתֹ֥וךְ בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְעֹולָ֑ם וְלֹ֣א יְטַמְּא֣וּ עֹ֣וד בֵּֽית־֠יִשְׂרָאֵל שֵׁ֣ם קָדְשִׁ֞י הֵ֤מָּה וּמַלְכֵיהֶם֙ בִּזְנוּתָ֔ם וּבְפִגְרֵ֥י מַלְכֵיהֶ֖ם בָּמֹותָֽם׃ (Ezekiel 43:7) And He said to me, “Son of man, the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell among the children of Yisraʾel forever—never again shall the house of Yisraʾel defile My holy name, they and their kings, by their harlotry and by the corpses of their kings in their death.”… Learn Hebrew

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Temporal Weaving — The Syntax of Biblical Time

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Biblical Hebrew

וַֽיְחִי־שֵׁ֕ת חָמֵ֥שׁ שָׁנִ֖ים וּמְאַ֣ת שָׁנָ֑ה וַיֹּ֖ולֶד אֶת־אֱנֹֽושׁ׃ Opening the Text What does it mean for time to be counted, not just measured? This verse from Genesis 5:6 — the simple notice of שֵׁת’s lifespan and fatherhood — opens more than a genealogical record. It offers a portal into the architecture of biblical temporality. Time here is not a sequence of numbers; it is lived, layered, and linguistically arranged. Our journey begins with two verbs — וַֽיְחִי and וַיֹּולֶד — and a puzzling time construct that invites us to explore a phenomenon known as the split temporal clause in Biblical Hebrew: the division of numerical age into dual units, ordered for thematic, not just chronological, purpose.… Learn Hebrew

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Negative Imperatives with Particles of Emotion and Possession

Posted on May 4, 2020 by Biblical Hebrew

Introduction to Genesis 45:20 In this verse, Yosef instructs his brothers not to grieve over their belongings as they are invited to dwell in Egypt with full provision. The verse includes a negative jussive with emotional nuance, using אַל + imperfect verb, along with the rare verb חוס (“to pity, spare, regret”), which often carries emotional or psychological implications. This lesson examines the syntax of emotional negation and the construction of possessive prepositional phrases in Hebrew imperative contexts. וְעֵ֣ינְכֶ֔ם אַל־תָּחֹ֖ס עַל־כְּלֵיכֶ֑ם כִּי־ט֛וּב כָּל־אֶ֥רֶץ מִצְרַ֖יִם לָכֶ֥ם הֽוּא׃ Analysis of Key Words and Structures וְעֵ֣ינְכֶ֔ם (veʿeinekhem) – “And your eyes.”… Learn Hebrew

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“Turn Away, Unclean!”: Analyzing ס֤וּרוּ… ס֨וּרוּ in Lamentations 4:15

Posted on May 1, 2020 by Biblical Hebrew

Introduction to Lamentations 4:15: Public Shame and Ritual Defilement This verse from Lamentations 4:15 depicts the depth of Jerusalem’s humiliation after the Babylonian destruction. The once-honored people of YHWH are now driven away with the cry ס֣וּרוּ טָמֵ֞א—“Turn aside! Unclean!” The command ס֤וּרוּ is then repeated for emphasis: ס֤וּרוּ ס֨וּרוּ. This article focuses on the grammatical structure, literary repetition, and ritual-theological implications of the verb ס֤וּרוּ in this context of impurity, exile, and national rejection. ס֣וּרוּ טָמֵ֞א קָ֣רְאוּ לָ֗מֹו ס֤וּרוּ ס֨וּרוּ֙ אַל־תִּגָּ֔עוּ כִּ֥י נָצ֖וּ גַּם־נָ֑עוּ אָֽמְרוּ֙ בַּגֹּויִ֔ם לֹ֥א יֹוסִ֖יפוּ לָגֽוּר׃ Grammatical Analysis of ס֤וּרוּ The repeated verb ס֤וּרוּ is from the root סוּר (s-w-r), meaning “to turn aside, to depart, to avoid.”… Learn Hebrew

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