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Recent Articles
- Woven with Wonder: Syntax and Embodied Imagery in Job 10:11
- The Wink and the Wound: Syntax, Parallelism, and Irony in Proverbs 10:10
- The Grammar of Surprise: The Wayyiqtol Chain and Temporal Progression in Joshua 10:9
- The Birth of Power: The Grammar of Beginning and Becoming in Genesis 10:8
- Genealogical Syntax and the Grammar of Nations in Genesis 10:7
- Do Not Mourn as Others Do: Restraint and Reverence in the Aftermath of Fire
- The Blast and the Camp: Exploring Hebrew Commands and Movement in Numbers 10:5
- If You Refuse: The Threat of the Locusts in Translation
- Trumpet Blasts and Assembly Syntax in Numbers 10:3
- Right and Left: A Beginner’s Guide to Hebrew Word Order in Ecclesiastes 10:2
- A Call to Listen: A Beginner’s Guide to Hebrew Grammar in Jeremiah 10:1
- “Even If I Wash with Snow”: Job’s Cry of Purity and Futility in Hebrew
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Category Archives: Grammar
Causal כְּ־ with Comparative Structure and Divine Retribution Syntax
Introduction to Ezekiel 35:15
This verse concludes a prophecy of judgment against Mount Seʿir and the nation of Edom. It contrasts Edom’s joy at Israel’s devastation with the devastation that will now come upon Edom. Grammatically, it showcases the use of comparative כְּ־ clauses, divine speech verbs, and word order emphasizing retribution. This lesson will examine the use of causal-comparative כְּ־ constructions and the syntax of judgment declarations in prophetic Hebrew.
כְּשִׂמְחָ֨תְךָ֜ לְנַחְלַ֧ת בֵּֽית־יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל עַ֥ל אֲשֶׁר־שָׁמֵ֖מָה כֵּ֣ן אֶעֱשֶׂה־לָּ֑ךְ שְׁמָמָ֨ה תִֽהְיֶ֤ה הַר־שֵׂעִיר֙ וְכָל־אֱדֹ֣ום כֻּלָּ֔הּ וְיָדְע֖וּ כִּֽי־אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה׃
Analysis of Key Words and Structures
כְּשִׂמְחָ֨תְךָ֜ (kesimḥatkha) – “As you rejoiced.”… Learn Hebrew
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The Legal Structure of Obligation and the Function of Conditional Clauses in Leviticus 5:1
This study will analyze the grammatical structure of conditional clauses, the function of legal obligations in biblical law, and the theological significance of personal responsibility in maintaining justice.
וְנֶ֣פֶשׁ כִּֽי־תֶחֱטָ֗א וְשָֽׁמְעָה֙ קֹ֣ול אָלָ֔ה וְה֣וּא עֵ֔ד אֹ֥ו רָאָ֖ה אֹ֣ו יָדָ֑ע אִם־לֹ֥וא יַגִּ֖יד וְנָשָׂ֥א עֲוֹנֹֽו׃
(Leviticus 5:1)
When a soul sins and hears a voice of adjuration, and he is a witness, whether he has seen or known, if he does not report it, he shall bear his iniquity.
Introduction to Leviticus 5:1
Leviticus 5:1 is part of the Torah’s legal instructions concerning guilt offerings (אָשָׁם) and the responsibility of bearing witness in legal cases.… Learn Hebrew
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Joel 4:17 – Nominal Clauses and Future Negation
וִֽידַעְתֶּ֗ם כִּ֣י אֲנִ֤י יְהוָה֙ אֱלֹ֣הֵיכֶ֔ם שֹׁכֵ֖ן בְּצִיֹּ֣ון הַר־קָדְשִׁ֑י וְהָיְתָ֤ה יְרוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ קֹ֔דֶשׁ וְזָרִ֥ים לֹא־יַֽעַבְרוּ־בָ֖הּ עֹֽוד׃
And you shall know that I am the LORD your God, dwelling in Tsiyyon, my holy mountain, and Yerushalayim shall be holiness, and strangers shall not pass through her again.
Explanation of Feature
This verse from Joel 4:17 (Hebrew numbering; English Joel 3:17) illustrates two core grammatical features:
1. The nominal clause without a verb, used in the phrase אֲנִי יְהוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם, and
2. The future negation using לֹא + yiqtol in לֹא־יַעַבְרוּ (“they shall not pass”).… Learn Hebrew
The Poetic Use of Parallelism and the Syntax of Distress in Lamentations 4:4
Introduction to Lamentations 4:4
Lamentations 4:4 presents a vivid depiction of suffering during the siege of Jerusalem, emphasizing the plight of infants and children who lack food and water. The verse uses parallelism—a fundamental feature of Hebrew poetry—to contrast physical thirst and hunger, intensifying the emotional impact.
This passage consists of two parallel clauses:
The first clause describes a thirsty infant, whose tongue clings to the roof of its mouth.
The second clause portrays hungry children asking for bread, but no one gives it to them.… Learn Hebrew
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The Narrative Function and Theological Force of the Wayyiqtol in Genesis 4:3
Introduction: Context and Theological Prelude to Genesis 4:3
Genesis 4:3 initiates the Cain and Hevel narrative, one of the earliest and most theologically rich portrayals of human worship, sin, and divine response in the Hebrew Bible. The verse marks a transition from genealogical narration to a dramatic theological episode. It reads:
וַֽיְהִ֖י מִקֵּ֣ץ יָמִ֑ים וַיָּבֵ֨א קַ֜יִן מִפְּרִ֧י הָֽאֲדָמָ֛ה מִנְחָ֖ה לַֽיהוָֽה׃
And it came to pass at the end of days that Qayin brought from the fruit of the ground an offering to the LORD.… Learn Hebrew
Turning the Cheek: Volitional Imperfects and Theological Submission in Lamentations 3:30
יִתֵּ֧ן לְמַכֵּ֛הוּ לֶ֖חִי יִשְׂבַּ֥ע בְּחֶרְפָּֽה׃
Contextual Introduction
Lamentations 3:30 stands amid a poetic and theological meditation on suffering, justice, and divine discipline. The speaker, often identified with the suffering servant or representative of Israel, moves from complaint to hope, and here advocates a radical ethic of humility and submission. This verse calls for yielding to physical and social humiliation—”let him give his cheek to the one who strikes him; let him be filled with reproach.” It is echoed famously in later Jewish and Christian texts, including the words of Yeshuʿ in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:39).… Learn Hebrew
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The Definite Construct Chain and Appositional Precision in Biblical Hebrew
Introduction to 2 Kings 4:1
This verse opens with the heartfelt cry of a widow, introducing a remarkable construction: אִשָּׁ֣ה אַחַ֣ת מִנְּשֵׁ֣י בְנֵֽי־הַנְּבִיאִים. The phrase is a finely layered construct chain embedded with specificity and grammatical hierarchy. This lesson focuses on how definiteness in construct chains, especially those involving multiple levels (e.g., “one woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets”), operates in Biblical Hebrew and contributes to both syntactic accuracy and rhetorical impact.
וְאִשָּׁ֣ה אַחַ֣ת מִנְּשֵׁ֣י בְנֵֽי־֠הַנְּבִיאִים צָעֲקָ֨ה אֶל־אֱלִישָׁ֜ע לֵאמֹ֗ר עַבְדְּךָ֤ אִישִׁי֙ מֵ֔ת וְאַתָּ֣ה יָדַ֔עְתָּ כִּ֣י עַבְדְּךָ֔ הָיָ֥ה יָרֵ֖א אֶת־יְהוָ֑ה וְהַ֨נֹּשֶׁ֔ה בָּ֗א לָקַ֜חַת אֶת־שְׁנֵ֧י יְלָדַ֛י לֹ֖ו לַעֲבָדִֽים׃
Analysis of Key Words and Structures
אִשָּׁ֣ה אַחַ֣ת (ishah aḥat) – “One woman.”… Learn Hebrew
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Distributive Parallelism and Instrumentality in Proverbs 26:3
Introduction to Proverbs 26:3: Wisdom in the Whip and the Word
Proverbs 26:3 is a striking example of proverbial instruction employing both poetic symmetry and metaphorical economy. The verse connects three subjects (horse, donkey, fool) with three corresponding tools (whip, bridle, rod). This grammar lesson explores the verse’s use of distributive parallelism and how Hebrew syntax and morphology communicate instrumentality, purpose, and implied comparison through structure rather than explicit words.
שֹׁ֣וט לַ֭סּוּס מֶ֣תֶג לַחֲמֹ֑ור וְ֝שֵׁ֗בֶט לְגֵ֣ו כְּסִילִֽים׃
Analysis of Key Words and Structure
1.… Learn Hebrew
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Imperative and Cohortative Forms in Ruth 4:4
Introduction to Ruth 4:4
Ruth 4:4 records Boaz’s formal negotiation regarding the redemption of Naomi’s land and the levirate marriage to Ruth. The passage features legal terminology and speech formulas used in contracts and public declarations. A key grammatical aspect in this verse is the use of imperative and cohortative forms, which convey commands, requests, and volitional actions. This article will examine these forms in Ruth 4:4, their functions, and their nuances in Biblical Hebrew.
וַאֲנִ֨י אָמַ֜רְתִּי אֶגְלֶ֧ה אָזְנְךָ֣ לֵאמֹ֗ר קְ֠נֵה נֶ֥גֶד הַֽיֹּשְׁבִים֮ וְנֶ֣גֶד זִקְנֵ֣י עַמִּי֒ אִם־תִּגְאַל֙ גְּאָ֔ל וְאִם־לֹ֨א יִגְאַ֜ל הַגִּ֣ידָה לִּ֗י וְאֵדְעָה כִּ֣י אֵ֤ין זוּלָֽתְךָ֙ לִגְאֹ֔ול וְאָנֹכִ֖י אַחֲרֶ֑יךָ וַיֹּ֖אמֶר אָנֹכִ֥י אֶגְאָֽל׃
Analysis of Key Words/Phrases
The verse contains three key imperative and cohortative forms:
1.… Learn Hebrew
The Symbolism of Garment Removal and the Grammatical Function of Imperative and Perfect Verbs in Divine Purification in Zechariah 3:4
Introduction to Zechariah 3:4
Zechariah 3:4 presents a vision of divine purification, where the High Priest Yehoshua stands before the angel of YHWH and has his filthy garments removed as a sign of divine atonement. The verse consists of a series of commands and declarative statements, combining imperative verbs (for immediate action) and perfect verbs (for completed divine acts).
This passage highlights three key theological elements:
The removal of impurity through the stripping of soiled garments.
The declaration of divine atonement, shifting from sin to righteousness.… Learn Hebrew
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