Category Archives: Grammar

Biblical Hebrew Grammar

The Use of Conditional Structures in Leviticus 12:8

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Biblical Hebrew

וְאִם־לֹ֨א תִמְצָ֣א יָדָהּ֮ דֵּ֣י שֶׂה֒ וְלָקְחָ֣ה שְׁתֵּֽי־תֹרִ֗ים אֹ֤ו שְׁנֵי֙ בְּנֵ֣י יֹונָ֔ה אֶחָ֥ד לְעֹלָ֖ה וְאֶחָ֣ד לְחַטָּ֑את וְכִפֶּ֥ר עָלֶ֛יהָ הַכֹּהֵ֖ן וְטָהֵֽרָה׃ (Leviticus 12:8 ) And if her hand does not find enough for a lamb then she shall take two turtledoves or two sons of a dove one for a burnt offering and one for a sin offering and the priest shall make atonement for her and she shall be clean. Introduction to the Verse Leviticus 12:8 outlines the alternative sacrificial offering for a woman after childbirth when she cannot afford a lamb.… Learn Hebrew

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The Use of the Qal Imperfect and Negative Particles in Leviticus 12:4

Posted on July 4, 2014 by Biblical Hebrew

וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים יֹום֙ וּשְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָמִ֔ים תֵּשֵׁ֖ב בִּדְמֵ֣י טָהֳרָ֑ה בְּכָל־קֹ֣דֶשׁ לֹֽא־תִגָּ֗ע וְאֶל־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ֙ לֹ֣א תָבֹ֔א עַד־מְלֹ֖את יְמֵ֥י טָהֳרָֽהּ׃ (Leviticus 12:4) And thirty days and three days she shall sit in the blood of purification in any holy thing she shall not touch and to the sanctuary she shall not come until the fullness of the days of her purification Introduction to the Verse Leviticus 12:4 discusses the period of purification after childbirth, focusing on ritual purity laws. A key grammatical feature in this verse is the use of the Qal imperfect verbs along with the negative particles לֹא and עַד to express prohibitions and time restrictions.… Learn Hebrew

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Ezekiel 37:14 – Cohortative and Perfect Verbs of Promise

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Biblical Hebrew

וְנָתַתִּ֨י רוּחִ֤י בָכֶם֙ וִחְיִיתֶ֔ם וְהִנַּחְתִּ֥י אֶתְכֶ֖ם עַל־אַדְמַתְכֶ֑ם וִידַעְתֶּ֞ם כִּי־אֲנִ֧י יְהוָ֛ה דִּבַּ֥רְתִּי וְעָשִׂ֖יתִי נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃ (Ezekiel 37:14) And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you on your land; and you shall know that I am YHWH; I have spoken, and I have done it, declares YHWH. Explanation of Feature This verse from Ezekiel 37:14 highlights the use of perfect verbs in prophetic speech to express future certainty and fulfilled promise—a common prophetic technique in Biblical Hebrew.… Learn Hebrew

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The Use of the Niphal Imperfect in Exodus 35:2

Posted on July 3, 2014 by Biblical Hebrew

שֵׁ֣שֶׁת יָמִים֮ תֵּעָשֶׂ֣ה מְלָאכָה֒ וּבַיֹּ֣ום הַשְּׁבִיעִ֗י יִהְיֶ֨ה לָכֶ֥ם קֹ֛דֶשׁ שַׁבַּ֥ת שַׁבָּתֹ֖ון לַיהוָ֑ה כָּל־הָעֹשֶׂ֥ה בֹ֛ו מְלָאכָ֖ה יוּמָֽת׃ (Exodus 35:2) Six days work shall be done and on the seventh day there shall be for you holiness a sabbath of solemn rest to Yahweh whoever does work on it shall be put to death Introduction to Exodus 35:2 Exodus 35:2 provides a command regarding the observance of the Sabbath, emphasizing the six days of work and the seventh day as a holy day of rest.… Learn Hebrew

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The Use of the Hiphil Imperfect in 1 Samuel 27:11

Posted on July 2, 2014 by Biblical Hebrew

וְאִ֨ישׁ וְאִשָּׁ֜ה לֹֽא־יְחַיֶּ֣ה דָוִ֗ד לְהָבִ֥יא גַת֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר פֶּן־יַגִּ֥דוּ עָלֵ֖ינוּ לֵאמֹ֑ר כֹּֽה־עָשָׂ֤ה דָוִד֙ וְכֹ֣ה מִשְׁפָּטֹ֔ו כָּל־הַ֨יָּמִ֔ים אֲשֶׁ֥ר יָשַׁ֖ב בִּשְׂדֵ֥ה פְלִשְׁתִּֽים׃ (1 Samuel 27:11) And man and woman David would not let live to bring to Gath saying lest they tell about us saying thus David did and thus his judgment all the days which he dwelt in the field of the Philistines Introduction to the Verse 1 Samuel 27:11 contains a Hiphil imperfect verb, which is key to understanding David’s actions and intentions.… Learn Hebrew

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Hebrew Tenses

Posted on July 1, 2014 by Biblical Hebrew

Biblical Hebrew verbs defy the conventional notion of tense, operating instead through aspect—distinguishing completed (Perfect) from ongoing or incomplete (Imperfect) actions. This system, unlike Indo-European languages, does not inherently encode time; rather, temporal meaning emerges from context and syntax. The Perfect form can express past, present, or even prophetic future, while the Imperfect spans future, habitual, and modal uses. Participles serve as present-tense substitutes, and imperatives and infinitives enrich expression through command and emphasis. Mislabeling these forms as “past” or “future” imposes English categories that obscure Hebrew’s native logic.… Learn Hebrew

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Separation and Settlement: Accumulation, Coordination, and Displacement in Genesis 36:6

Posted on June 3, 2014 by Biblical Hebrew

וַיִּקַּ֣ח עֵשָׂ֡ו אֶת־֠נָשָׁיו וְאֶת־בָּנָ֣יו וְאֶת־בְּנֹתָיו֮ וְאֶת־כָּל־נַפְשֹׁ֣ות בֵּיתֹו֒ וְאֶת־מִקְנֵ֣הוּ וְאֶת־כָּל־בְּהֶמְתֹּ֗ו וְאֵת֙ כָּל־קִנְיָנֹ֔ו אֲשֶׁ֥ר רָכַ֖שׁ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנָ֑עַן וַיֵּ֣לֶךְ אֶל־אֶ֔רֶץ מִפְּנֵ֖י יַעֲקֹ֥ב אָחִֽיו׃ (Genesis 36:6) And Esau took his wives and his sons and his daughters and all the persons of his house and his livestock and all his animals and all his possessions which he had acquired in the land of Canaan and he went to a land away from Jacob his brother. Opening Verb: וַיִּקַּח עֵשָׂו וַיִּקַּח is a Qal wayyiqtol 3ms of ל־ק־ח (“to take”), introducing narrative progression: “Esav took.”… Learn Hebrew

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Sworn to Bury: Oaths, Infinitives, and Politeness Forms in Genesis 50:5

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Biblical Hebrew

אָבִ֞י הִשְׁבִּיעַ֣נִי לֵאמֹ֗ר הִנֵּ֣ה אָנֹכִי֮ מֵת֒ בְּקִבְרִ֗י אֲשֶׁ֨ר כָּרִ֤יתִי לִי֙ בְּאֶ֣רֶץ כְּנַ֔עַן שָׁ֖מָּה תִּקְבְּרֵ֑נִי וְעַתָּ֗ה אֶֽעֱלֶה־נָּ֛א וְאֶקְבְּרָ֥ה אֶת־אָבִ֖י וְאָשֽׁוּבָה׃ (Genesis 50:5) My father made me swear saying behold I am dying in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan there you shall bury me and now let me go up and bury my father and I shall return Oath Introduction: אָבִי הִשְׁבִּיעַנִי לֵאמֹר אָבִי (“my father”) is the subject of the sentence. הִשְׁבִּיעַנִי is a Hiphil perfect 3ms + 1cs suffix of ש־ב־ע (“to make someone swear”), meaning “he caused me to swear.”… Learn Hebrew

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Pursuit and Confrontation: Imperatives and Sequential Clauses in Genesis 44:4

Posted on April 4, 2014 by Biblical Hebrew

הֵ֠ם יָֽצְא֣וּ אֶת־הָעִיר֮ לֹ֣א הִרְחִיקוּ֒ וְיֹוסֵ֤ף אָמַר֙ לַֽאֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל־בֵּיתֹ֔ו ק֥וּם רְדֹ֖ף אַחֲרֵ֣י הָֽאֲנָשִׁ֑ים וְהִשַּׂגְתָּם֙ וְאָמַרְתָּ֣ אֲלֵהֶ֔ם לָ֛מָּה שִׁלַּמְתֶּ֥ם רָעָ֖ה תַּ֥חַת טֹובָֽה׃ (Genesis 44:4) They had gone out of the city they had not gone far and Joseph said to the one over his house arise pursue after the men and you shall overtake them and you shall say to them why have you repaid evil in place of good. Clause One: הֵם יָצְאוּ אֶת־הָעִיר הֵם (“they”) is the subject pronoun. יָצְאוּ (Qal perfect 3mp of י־צ־א) means “they went out.”… Learn Hebrew

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Clause Structure and Theological Expression in Esther 4:3

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Biblical Hebrew

וּבְכָל־מְדִינָ֣ה וּמְדִינָ֗ה מְקֹום֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר דְּבַר־הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ וְדָתֹו֙ מַגִּ֔יעַ אֵ֤בֶל גָּדֹול֙ לַיְּהוּדִ֔ים וְצֹ֥ום וּבְכִ֖י וּמִסְפֵּ֑ד שַׂ֣ק וָאֵ֔פֶר יֻצַּ֖ע לָֽרַבִּֽים׃ (Esther 4:3) And in every province and province, wherever the word of the king and his law reached, there was great mourning among the Jews, and fasting, and weeping, and lamenting; sackcloth and ashes were spread out for the many. Contextual and Literary Setting of Esther 4:3 Esther 4:3 captures the moment of national crisis in the Persian diaspora, following Haman’s genocidal decree against the Jews.… Learn Hebrew

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