To learn to read and to understand the words of Scripture
הַלְוִיִּם֩ בִּימֵ֨י אֶלְיָשִׁ֜יב יֹויָדָ֤ע וְיֹוחָנָן֙ וְיַדּ֔וּעַ כְּתוּבִ֖ים רָאשֵׁ֣י אָבֹ֑ות וְהַכֹּ֣הֲנִ֔ים עַל־מַלְכוּת דָּרְיָ֥וֶשׁ הַפָּֽרְסִֽי׃ (Nehemiah 12:22) The Levites in the days of Eliashib, Joiada, Johanan, and Jaddua were recorded as heads of fathers; and the priests under the reign of Darius the Persian. Names, Memory, and Power At first glance, Nehemiah 12:22 may appear to be…
וַיִּקַּ֣ח אַבְרָם֩ אֶת־שָׂרַ֨י אִשְׁתֹּ֜ו וְאֶת־לֹ֣וט בֶּן־אָחִ֗יו וְאֶת־כָּל־רְכוּשָׁם֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר רָכָ֔שׁוּ וְאֶת־הַנֶּ֖פֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־עָשׂ֣וּ בְחָרָ֑ן וַיֵּצְא֗וּ לָלֶ֨כֶת֙ אַ֣רְצָה כְּנַ֔עַן וַיָּבֹ֖אוּ אַ֥רְצָה כְּנָֽעַן׃ (Genesis 12:5) And Avram took Sarai, his wife, and Lot, his brother’s son, and all their possessions which they had acquired, and the persons they had made in Ḥaran. And they went forth to go to…
אֹהֵ֥ב טהור־לֵ֑ב חֵ֥ן שְׂ֝פָתָ֗יו רֵעֵ֥הוּ מֶֽלֶךְ׃ (Proverbs 22:11) He who loves purity of heart: grace is upon his lips; the king is his friend. Opening the Alignment In the terse elegance of Proverbs 22:11, we find a man who loves purity of heart and speaks graciously — and a king, drawn to him in quiet…
זֹורֵ֣עַ עַ֭וְלָה יקצור־אָ֑וֶן וְשֵׁ֖בֶט עֶבְרָתֹ֣ו יִכְלֶֽה׃ (Proverbs 22:8) Sowing injustice, he will reap iniquity, and the rod of his fury will come to an end. Introduction to Participial Constructions In Biblical Hebrew, participial constructions—especially those built on the Qal binyan—are far more than descriptive modifiers. They frequently function as predicates that carry temporal, habitual, or…
וְאִ֣ישׁ זְ֭רֹועַ לֹ֣ו הָאָ֑רֶץ וּנְשׂ֥וּא פָ֝נִ֗ים יֵ֣שֶׁב בָּֽהּ׃ (Job 22:8) But the man of strength—he possessed the land; and the one lifted in face dwelled in it. Opening the Frame Job 22:8 is part of Eliphaz’s sweeping accusation against Job, painting a world where the strong dominate and the elite are rewarded. But behind the…
וּלְזֶ֣בַח הַשְּׁלָמִים֮ בָּקָ֣ר שְׁנַיִם֒ אֵילִ֤ם חֲמִשָּׁה֙ עַתּוּדִ֣ים חֲמִשָּׁ֔ה כְּבָשִׂ֥ים בְּנֵי־שָׁנָ֖ה חֲמִשָּׁ֑ה זֶ֛ה קָרְבַּ֥ן נְתַנְאֵ֖ל בֶּן־צוּעָֽר׃ (Numbers 7:23) And for the sacrifice of the peace offerings: two oxen, five rams, five male goats, five year-old lambs. This was the offering of Nethanel son of Zuar. Parataxis and Worship Syntax This verse belongs to the ceremonial register…
כִּ֣י יִקָּרֵ֣א קַן־צִפֹּ֣ור לְפָנֶ֡יךָ בַּדֶּ֜רֶךְ בְּכָל־עֵ֣ץ אֹ֣ו עַל־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֶפְרֹחִים֙ אֹ֣ו בֵיצִ֔ים וְהָאֵ֤ם רֹבֶ֨צֶת֙ עַל־הָֽאֶפְרֹחִ֔ים אֹ֖ו עַל־הַבֵּיצִ֑ים לֹא־תִקַּ֥ח הָאֵ֖ם עַל־הַבָּנִֽים׃ (Deuteronomy 22:6) If a bird’s nest happens to be before you on the way, in any tree or on the ground, chicks or eggs, and the mother is sitting on the chicks or on the eggs,…
יִשְׂמַ֬ח צַדִּ֣יק בַּ֭יהוָה וְחָ֣סָה בֹ֑ו וְ֝יִתְהַֽלְל֗וּ כָּל־יִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב׃ (Psalm 64:11) The righteous shall rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in Him; and all the upright in heart shall glory. Poetic Theology of the Righteous in the Psalter Psalm 64 ends with a powerful triadic expression of righteous response to divine justice. Following a description of…
וַיִּרְא֤וּ בְנֵי־הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־בְּנֹ֣ות הָֽאָדָ֔ם כִּ֥י טֹבֹ֖ת הֵ֑נָּה וַיִּקְח֤וּ לָהֶם֙ נָשִׁ֔ים מִכֹּ֖ל אֲשֶׁ֥ר בָּחָֽרוּ׃ (Genesis 6:2) The sons of God saw the daughters of humankind, that they were good, and they took wives for themselves from all whom they chose. Heavenly Beings and Human Daughters Genesis 6:2 introduces one of the most enigmatic and debated passages…
יֵ֣שׁ רָעָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר רָאִ֖יתִי תַּ֣חַת הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ וְרַבָּ֥ה הִ֖יא עַל־הָאָדָֽם׃ "There is an evil that I have seen under the sun, and great it is upon the man." A Refrain of Disturbance Ecclesiastes 6:1 begins with a haunting declaration: יֵ֣שׁ רָעָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר רָאִ֖יתִי תַּ֣חַת הַשָּׁ֑מֶשׁ—“There is an evil that I have seen under the sun.” This…