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Recent Articles
- Syntax of Covenant Obedience: The Altar of Uncut Stones in Joshua 8:31
- Unlock the Secrets of the Tanakh: Why Hebrew Morphology is the Key
- The Poetics of Verbal Repetition in Proverbs 8:30
- Syntax of the Wave Offering: Moses and the Breast Portion in Leviticus 8:29
- Firm Skies and Deep Springs: Grammar in Proverbs 8:28
- Only the Spoil: A Hebrew Lesson on Joshua 8:27
- Binyanim Under Pressure: Exodus 8:26
- When Service Ends: A Hebrew Lesson on Numbers 8:25
- Consecration Through Syntax: The Priestly Ritual in Leviticus 8:24
- “A Three-Day Journey”: The Syntax of Volition and Deixis in Exodus According to Targum Onkelos
- Disaster That Flies Down: A Hebrew Lesson on Isaiah 8:22
- Purified and Presented: A Hebrew Lesson on Numbers 8:21
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Category Archives: Vocabulary
Analyzing Word Meaning in Context: A Guide for Biblical Hebrew Interpretation
In Biblical Hebrew, word meaning is inseparable from context. Lexicons offer possibilities, but only literary genre, syntax, collocations, and intertextual echoes reveal a word’s true function. Terms like שׁוּב, צֶל, or צַלְמָוֶת shift meaning across narrative, poetry, and prophecy—sometimes signaling physical action, sometimes theological depth. Accurate interpretation demands attention to clause structure, diachronic development, and canonical resonance. To understand a word is to understand its world—where grammar, theology, and history converge in sacred speech.
Why Context is King in Lexical Meaning
In Biblical Hebrew, the meaning of a word is rarely static.… Learn Hebrew
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Hebrew Numerals
Hebrew numeral system is divided in units, tens, hundreds, thousands, etc. Numbers are divided into cardinals and ordinals. The cardinals have masculine and feminine absolute and construct. The ordinal numbers have two genders, but no contruct state. The numbers have also pronominal suffixes e.g. שׁנינו׃ (us two) in Gen 31:37.
Genesis 31:37
כי־משׁשׁת את־כל־כלי מה־מצאת מכל כלי־ביתך שׂים כה נגד אחי ואחיך ויוכיחו בין שׁנינו׃
for you have felt all my vessels: what have you found of all the vessels of your house?… Learn Hebrew
Tools for Conducting Lexical Studies in Biblical Hebrew
Conducting lexical studies in Biblical Hebrew requires more than looking up definitions—it demands a layered approach using scholarly lexicons like HALOT, BDB, and TDOT, digital tools like Logos and Tanakh.Info, and ancient translations such as the LXX and Targumim. These resources help uncover a word’s semantic range, grammatical behavior, and theological resonance across genres and historical contexts. Whether parsing חֶסֶד or רוּחַ, lexical study reveals how Hebrew words carry covenantal depth, poetic nuance, and divine mystery—transforming linguistic inquiry into theological insight.… Learn Hebrew
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Word Families and Related Words in Biblical Hebrew: The Web of Semantic Kinship
Biblical Hebrew word families form a web of semantic kinship, where triliteral roots like ק־ד־שׁ or שׁ־פ־ט generate clusters of verbs, nouns, and adjectives that echo a shared theological core. These families unify grammar and meaning, allowing prophets and poets to layer concepts like holiness, justice, or redemption across genres. Patterns like מ- for agents or ת- for abstractions reinforce structure, while poetic repetition and contrast deepen emotional and doctrinal resonance. To read Scripture with insight is to trace these lexical threads—where every word is part of a divinely woven tapestry.… Learn Hebrew
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