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Recent Articles
- The Grammar of Approaching Judgment: Sound, Motion, and Purpose in Jeremiah 10:22
- Marked Lineage and Grammatical Emphasis: The Syntax of Election in Genesis 10:21
- “Even in Your Thoughts”: The Subtle Hebrew Wisdom of Ecclesiastes 10:20
- The Silence of Wisdom: Verbal Restraint and Hebrew Syntax in Proverbs 10:19
- Intercession in Action: The Hebrew Flow of Exodus 10:18
- Endless Trials: Exploring the Hebrew of Job 10:17
- “I Have Sinned”: The Grammar of Urgency and Confession in Exodus 10:16
- Order in Motion: Nethanʾel son of Tsuʿar and the March of Issachar
- The Grammar of Vision: Enumerative Syntax and Symbolic Order in Ezekiel 10:14
- The Grammar of Divine Meteorology: Syntax and Pragmatic Force in Jeremiah 10:13
- When the Sun Stood Still: Syntax and Command in Joshua 10:12
- Woven with Wonder: Syntax and Embodied Imagery in Job 10:11
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Category Archives: Grammar
Wealth Kept to Harm: Irony, Relative Clauses, and Poetic Diagnosis in Ecclesiastes 5:12
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
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
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
Negative Imperatives with Particles of Emotion and Possession
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
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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Striking the Depths: Object Concord and Parallel Syntax in Proverbs 20:30
חַבֻּרֹ֣ות פֶּ֭צַע תמריק בְּרָ֑ע וּ֝מַכֹּ֗ות חַדְרֵי־בָֽטֶן׃
Proverbs 20:30 is not merely a proverb about discipline—it is a poetic microcosm of how Biblical Hebrew uses parallelism and object syntax to create emphasis. The verse reads literally:
“Bruises of a wound cleanse in evil; and blows [cleanse] the inner chambers of the belly.”
This puzzling phrasing contains a grammatical and poetic tension: a verb that seems to float without a second subject, and parallel objects that mirror each other. At the heart of this proverb lies a Hebrew verb with a peculiar object pattern: תמריק (you will cleanse / it will cleanse), and how Hebrew poetry frequently omits verbs in parallelism while preserving syntactic expectation.… Learn Hebrew
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“The Glory of Young Men Is Their Strength”: The Grammar of Age and Honor in Proverbs 20:29
תִּפְאֶ֣רֶת בַּחוּרִ֣ים כֹּחָ֑ם וַהֲדַ֖ר זְקֵנִ֣ים שֵׂיבָֽה׃
In the poetic brevity of Mishlei 20:29, we find a verse that captures one of life’s most universal truths — the changing nature of human value with age. It opens with a declaration about young men, then pivots to the aged:
תִּפְאֶרֶת בַּחוּרִים כֹּחָם
וַהֲדַר זְקֵנִים שֵׂיבָה
“The glory of young men is their strength; the beauty of the aged is their gray hair.”
Beneath its concise form lies a grammatical structure rich with contrast — not only between youth and old age, but between two kinds of value: power and dignity.… Learn Hebrew
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If I Perish, I Perish: Imperatives, Volition, and Repetition in Esther 4:16
Esther 4:16
לֵךְ֩ כְּנֹ֨וס אֶת־כָּל־הַיְּהוּדִ֜ים הַֽנִּמְצְאִ֣ים בְּשׁוּשָׁ֗ן וְצ֣וּמוּ עָ֠לַי וְאַל־תֹּאכְל֨וּ וְאַל־תִּשְׁתּ֜וּ שְׁלֹ֤שֶׁת יָמִים֙ לַ֣יְלָה וָיֹ֔ום גַּם־אֲנִ֥י וְנַעֲרֹתַ֖י אָצ֣וּם כֵּ֑ן וּבְכֵ֞ן אָבֹ֤וא אֶל־הַמֶּ֨לֶךְ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־כַדָּ֔ת וְכַאֲשֶׁ֥ר אָבַ֖דְתִּי אָבָֽדְתִּי׃
Imperative Sequence: לֵךְ כְּנֹוס
לֵךְ and כְּנֹוס are masculine singular imperatives. לֵךְ (“Go!”) comes from י־ל־ךְ and כְּנֹוס (“Gather!”) from כ־נ־ס. These commands are direct and urgent, addressed to Mordekhai. The sequential imperatives stress immediate action and communal mobilization.
Participle Clause: הַנִּמְצְאִים
הַנִּמְצְאִים is a Niphal participle masculine plural from מ־צ־א (“to be found”).… Learn Hebrew
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“Her Iniquity Is Greater Than the Sin of Sodom”: The Grammar of Moral Collapse in Lamentations 4:6
וַיִּגְדַּל עֲוֹן בַּת־עַמִּי מֵחַטַּאת סְדֹם הַהֲפוּכָה כְמֹו־רָגַע וְלֹא־חָלוּ בָהּ יָדָיִם׃
In the lament over Jerusalem’s fall, Eikhah 4:6 delivers a declaration of staggering moral gravity:
וַיִּגְדַּל עֲוֹן בַּת־עַמִּי מֵחַטַּאת סְדֹם
“Her iniquity is greater than the sin of Sodom.”
This verse does not merely compare sins — it defines the nature of transgression through grammatical structure. At its center lies a comparative clause that uses an unusual form of contrast: not “like Sodom,” but “greater than the sin of Sodom.” This shift from simile to superlative intensifies the theological weight of the statement and marks a turning point in how Hebrew encodes moral failure.… Learn Hebrew
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Clothed in Protest: Syntax, Royal Space, and Social Boundaries in Esther 4:2
וַיָּבֹ֕וא עַ֖ד לִפְנֵ֣י שַֽׁעַר־הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ כִּ֣י אֵ֥ין לָבֹ֛וא אֶל־שַׁ֥עַר הַמֶּ֖לֶךְ בִּלְב֥וּשׁ שָֽׂק׃
Contextual Introduction
Esther 4:2 describes Mordokhai’s public mourning following the edict to destroy the Jews. Having clothed himself in sackcloth and ashes, he approaches the king’s gate but does not enter it. The verse highlights a critical boundary—both physical and symbolic—between royal authority and public lament. The grammar of this verse offers an instructive look at narrative sequencing, negated infinitive constructs, and the sociopolitical implications of biblical Hebrew syntax.
Grammatical Focus: Wayyiqtol Progression, Prepositional Clauses, and Negated Infinitive Construct
1.… Learn Hebrew
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