Category Archives: Grammar

Biblical Hebrew Grammar

When the Walk Ends in Heaven: The Hitpael Imperfect and Disappearance of Enoch in Genesis 5:24

Posted on May 24, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

וַיִּתְהַלֵּ֥ךְ חֲנֹ֖וךְ אֶת־הָֽאֱלֹהִ֑ים וְאֵינֶ֕נּוּ כִּֽי־לָקַ֥ח אֹתֹ֖ו אֱלֹהִֽים׃ “And Ḥanokh walked with God, and he was no more, for God took him.” Genesis 5:24 is one of the most enigmatic and theologically rich verses in the genealogies of Genesis. It describes the fate of Ḥanokh (Enoch) not with the typical death formula—“and he died”—but with poetic mystery: וְאֵינֶנּוּ, “and he was not,” because אֱלֹהִים had taken him. Central to this verse is the verb וַיִּתְהַלֵּךְ, a Hitpael form meaning “he walked himself,” suggesting sustained and intimate relationship, here uniquely “with God.”… Learn Hebrew

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Words Dissolved — Sequential Ritual and the Grammar of Erasure in Numbers 5:23

Posted on May 23, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

Opening the Ritual Scroll Numbers 5:23 comes from the strange and solemn ritual of the sotah—the woman suspected of adultery. This particular verse captures the moment when the priest takes the written curses and dissolves them into bitter water. The Hebrew is terse, sequential, and physical. The grammar moves in a straight ritual line: writing, erasing, infusing. This is the language of sacred procedure—where wayyiqtol sequencing, definite direct objects, and lexical placement carry theological weight. Each clause enacts sacred movement, and grammar becomes the container of ceremony.… Learn Hebrew

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Fear and the Boundaries of the Sea: Interrogatives, Imperfects, and Eternal Decrees in Jeremiah 5:22

Posted on May 22, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

הַאֹותִ֨י לֹא־תִירָ֜אוּ נְאֻם־יְהֹוָ֗ה אִ֤ם מִפָּנַי֙ לֹ֣א תָחִ֔ילוּ אֲשֶׁר־שַׂ֤מְתִּי חֹול֙ גְּב֣וּל לַיָּ֔ם חָק־עֹולָ֖ם וְלֹ֣א יַעַבְרֶ֑נְהוּ וַיִּֽתְגָּעֲשׁוּ֙ וְלֹ֣א יוּכָ֔לוּ וְהָמ֥וּ גַלָּ֖יו וְלֹ֥א יַעַבְרֻֽנְהוּ׃ (Jeremiah 5:22) ‘Will you not fear Me?’ says YHWH. ‘Will you not tremble before Me, who placed the sand as a boundary for the sea, an eternal statute, and it cannot pass over it? Though they roar, they are not able; and its waves rage, but they shall not pass over it. Rhetorical Rebuke: הַאֹותִי לֹא־תִירָאוּ הַאֹותִי — “Me” — formed with the interrogative prefix ה־ + אֹותִי (“me” as direct object).… Learn Hebrew

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In the Gaze of God — Fronted Prepositions and Grammatical Exposure

Posted on May 21, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

כִּ֤י נֹ֨כַח עֵינֵ֣י יְ֭הוָה דַּרְכֵי־אִ֑ישׁ וְֽכָל־מַעְגְּלֹתָ֥יו מְפַלֵּֽס׃ Opening the Gaze Proverbs 5:21 offers no command, no advice, no metaphor. It simply states a fact — that a man’s paths lie exposed before the eyes of YHWH. Yet even this simple truth is shaped with careful grammatical artistry. The Hebrew opens not with a subject or verb, but with a prepositional phrase: נֹכַח עֵינֵי יְהוָה (“in the presence of the eyes of YHWH”). This fronting heightens the sense of divine immediacy and surveillance.… Learn Hebrew

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Antithetical Parallelism and Object-Verb Inversion in Prophetic Woe Oracles

Posted on May 20, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

Introduction to Isaiah 5:20 This verse forms part of a series of woe oracles in Isaiah 5 that denounce moral perversion and societal corruption. It presents a poetic and rhetorical list of accusations against those who invert moral categories. The verse features antithetical parallelism, where one concept is juxtaposed with its opposite, and also displays instances of object-verb inversion for poetic emphasis. This lesson will focus on the use of semantic inversion and syntactic order variation to deliver prophetic condemnation. הֹ֣וי הָאֹמְרִ֥ים לָרַ֛ע טֹ֖וב וְלַטֹּ֣וב רָ֑ע שָׂמִ֨ים חֹ֤שֶׁךְ לְאֹור֙ וְאֹ֣ור לְחֹ֔שֶׁךְ שָׂמִ֥ים מַ֛ר לְמָתֹ֖וק וּמָתֹ֥וק לְמָֽר׃ Analysis of Key Words and Structures הֹ֣וי (hoy) – “Woe!”… Learn Hebrew

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Let It Come! — Jussives, Sarcasm, and the Grammar of Provocation

Posted on May 19, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

הָאֹמְרִ֗ים יְמַהֵ֧ר יָחִ֛ישָׁה מַעֲשֵׂ֖הוּ לְמַ֣עַן נִרְאֶ֑ה וְתִקְרַ֣ב וְתָבֹ֗ואָה עֲצַ֛ת קְדֹ֥ושׁ יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל וְנֵדָֽעָה׃ The Voice of the Scoffer Isaiah 5:19 places us in the mouth of the arrogant: those who dare the God of Yisra’el to act, mocking divine delay and justice. But the verse doesn’t merely quote their defiance — it mirrors it in grammar. The Hebrew is laced with jussive verbs, cohortative structures, and rhetorical inversion. Their words are arranged in commands, not prayers — in provocations, not petitions. The syntax is deliberate: the scoffer disguises rebellion as eagerness, and grammar becomes the very vessel of blasphemy.… Learn Hebrew

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Exodus 5:18 – Imperative Commands and Passive Verb Usage

Posted on May 18, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

וְעַתָּה֙ לְכ֣וּ עִבְד֔וּ וְתֶ֖בֶן לֹא־יִנָּתֵ֣ן לָכֶ֑ם וְתֹ֥כֶן לְבֵנִ֖ים תִּתֵּֽנּוּ׃ So now, go, work! And straw shall not be given to you, but the quota of bricks you must give. Explanation of Feature This verse from Exodus 5:18 contains: 1. Imperative verbs: לְכוּ (“Go!”) and עִבְדוּ (“Work!”), direct commands in the second person plural form. 2. A passive verb in the imperfect: יִנָּתֵן (“shall be given”) using the Nifʿal binyan. 3. A concessive structure: although no straw is provided, the required production remains unchanged.… Learn Hebrew

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Exodus 5:17 – Repetition for Emphasis and Causal עַל־כֵּן (“Therefore”)

Posted on May 17, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

וַיֹּ֛אמֶר נִרְפִּ֥ים אַתֶּ֖ם נִרְפִּ֑ים עַל־כֵּן֙ אַתֶּ֣ם אֹֽמְרִ֔ים נֵלְכָ֖ה נִזְבְּחָ֥ה לַֽיהוָֽה׃ And he said, “You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to YHWH.’” Explanation of Feature This verse from Exodus 5:17 demonstrates two key grammatical and rhetorical features: 1. Repetition for emphasis – the phrase נִרְפִּים אַתֶּם נִרְפִּים (“you are idle, idle!”) repeats the same verb to heighten accusation and intensity. 2. The use of עַל־כֵּן (“therefore”) as a causal connector, introducing the consequence or result of a perceived condition.… Learn Hebrew

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“Solomon Sent to Ḥiram”: Syntax of Royal Initiative and Diplomatic Speech in 1 Kings 5:16

Posted on May 16, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח שְׁלֹמֹ֔ה אֶל־חִירָ֖ם לֵאמֹֽר׃ And Shelomoh sent to Ḥiram, saying: Covenant Kingship and Political Dialogue 1 Kings 5:16 introduces a pivotal moment of international diplomacy: King Shelomoh initiates correspondence with King Ḥiram of Tsor (Tyre) to request assistance in building the temple. The verse is brief, yet the syntax establishes a formal and royal tone, using standard diplomatic conventions rooted in prophetic narrative style. This succinct verse serves as the formulaic opening of a longer unit of royal correspondence (vv. 16–26 Heb.;… Learn Hebrew

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Names and Lineage: Apposition and Construct Chains in 1 Chronicles 5:15

Posted on May 15, 2025 by Biblical Hebrew

אֲחִי֙ בֶּן־עַבְדִּיאֵ֣ל בֶּן־גּוּנִ֔י רֹ֖אשׁ לְבֵ֥ית אֲבֹותָֽם׃ 1 Chronicles 5:15 is a genealogical entry, but even the briefest list of names in the Hebrew Bible reveals grammatical precision. This verse highlights the syntax of genealogical construct chains and appositional phrases. The subject, אֲחִי (Aḥi), is identified through two successive genitive relationships—son of ʿAvdiʾel, son of Guni—followed by a status designation: רֹאשׁ לְבֵית אֲבֹותָם, “chief of the house of their fathers.” Literal Translation “Aḥi, son of ʿAvdiʾel, son of Guni, was chief of their ancestral house.”… Learn Hebrew

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