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Recent Articles
- The Grammar of Divine Meteorology: Syntax and Pragmatic Force in Jeremiah 10:13
- When the Sun Stood Still: Syntax and Command in Joshua 10:12
- 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
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Category Archives: Syntax
Syntax and Strategy: Analyzing Poetic Combat Syntax in Judges 7:20
וַֽ֠יִּתְקְעוּ שְׁלֹ֨שֶׁת הָרָאשִׁ֥ים בַּשֹּֽׁופָרֹות֮ וַיִּשְׁבְּר֣וּ הַכַּדִּים֒ וַיַּחֲזִ֤יקוּ בְיַד־שְׂמאֹולָם֙ בַּלַּפִּדִ֔ים וּבְיַ֨ד־יְמִינָ֔ם הַשֹּׁופָרֹ֖ות לִתְקֹ֑ועַ וַֽיִּקְרְא֔וּ חֶ֥רֶב לַֽיהוָ֖ה וּלְגִדְעֹֽון׃
(Judges 7:20)
Strategic Word Order and Emphatic Actions
This verse vividly depicts the synchronized attack of Gideon’s 300 men through a sequence of tightly packed verbal clauses. The syntax mirrors the rapidity and coordination of the ambush:
וַיִּתְקְעוּ (“and they blew”) – initiates the clause with immediate action.
וַיִּשְׁבְּרוּ (“and they broke”) – continues the rapid progression.
וַיַּחֲזִ֤יקוּ (“and they grasped”) – introduces the detailed tactics with marked agency.… Learn Hebrew
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Sound and Fury: The Syntax and Strategy in Judges 7:18
וְתָקַעְתִּי֙ בַּשֹּׁופָ֔ר אָנֹכִ֖י וְכָל־אֲשֶׁ֣ר אִתִּ֑י וּתְקַעְתֶּ֨ם בַּשֹּׁופָרֹ֜ות גַּם־אַתֶּ֗ם סְבִיבֹות֙ כָּל־הַֽמַּחֲנֶ֔ה וַאֲמַרְתֶּ֖ם לַיהוָ֥ה וּלְגִדְעֹֽון׃
(Judges 7:18)
Word Order and Flow
This verse is a military directive. The sentence begins with a sequential waw-consecutive verb (וְתָקַעְתִּי), continuing a chain of action. The subject follows the verb (אָנֹכִי), and the object is clear: בַּשֹּׁופָר, “the shofar.” The second clause mirrors the first, reinforcing the coordinated movement of Gideon’s men.
Morphology
וְתָקַעְתִּי (vetāqaʿtī) –
Root: תקע;
Form: Qal waw-consecutive perfect 1cs;
Translation: “And I will blow”;
Notes: The perfect form with וְ indicates future action in narrative sequence.… Learn Hebrew
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The Seductive Scents of Syntax: A Close Reading of Proverbs 7:17
נַ֥פְתִּי מִשְׁכָּבִ֑י מֹ֥ר אֲ֝הָלִ֗ים וְקִנָּמֹֽון׃
(Proverbs 7:17)
Verse Structure and Thematic Role
This verse belongs to the seductive monologue of the אִשָּׁה זָרָה (“foreign woman”) in Proverbs 7. Through sensuous imagery and poetic rhythm, it captures the allure of temptation. The verse divides naturally into two syntactic parts:
– Clause A: נַ֥פְתִּי מִשְׁכָּבִ֑י – “I have perfumed my bed”
– Clause B: מֹ֥ר אֲ֝הָלִ֗ים וְקִנָּמֹֽון – “with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon”
Clause B may function as the means or material of the action in Clause A (despite no preposition), or it may act appositionally, explaining how the bed was perfumed.… Learn Hebrew
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When God Speaks: The Syntax of Divine Speech Frames in Biblical Hebrew
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר יְהוָ֔ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֥ה וְאֶֽל־אַהֲרֹ֖ן לֵאמֹֽר׃
(Exodus 7:8)
And YHWH said to Moshe and to Aharon, saying:
Setting the Stage for Revelation
This short but frequently occurring formulaic verse introduces a divine speech directed to two individuals—Moshe and Aharon. Though simple at first glance, the verse reveals the characteristic Hebrew structure of divine communication formulas, marked by sequential verb forms, prepositions, and the use of the infinitive construct לֵאמֹר. These forms shape not only narrative flow but also underscore the weight of revelation.… Learn Hebrew
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Guarded by Grammar: Purpose Clauses and Verbal Suffixes in Proverbs 7:5
לִ֭שְׁמָרְךָ מֵאִשָּׁ֣ה זָרָ֑ה מִ֝נָּכְרִיָּ֗ה אֲמָרֶ֥יהָ הֶחֱלִֽיקָה׃
(Proverbs 7:5)
To guard you from the foreign woman from the stranger whose words are smooth
Syntax in the Service of Wisdom
Wisdom literature in the Tanakh often couches moral exhortation within tightly wound grammatical structures. Proverbs 7:5 is one such verse. It opens with a purpose infinitive—לִשְׁמָרְךָ—that drives the verse’s intent: moral protection. The verse then develops through prepositional phrases and a verb with poetic inversion. At the center of its grammar lies the infinitive construct with pronominal suffix, a common yet semantically rich structure that both reveals and personalizes divine instruction.… Learn Hebrew
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Verb–Subject–Object (VSO) Word Order in Biblical Hebrew: Syntax, Style, and Theology
Word order in Biblical Hebrew is not rigidly fixed like in English or Latin, but it follows discernible patterns that shape meaning, style, and emphasis. Among these patterns, the verb–subject–object (VSO) sequence is often regarded as the default or unmarked word order in Biblical Hebrew—especially in narrative prose.
This article offers a comprehensive analysis of the VSO word order in Biblical Hebrew. We will examine its syntactic behavior, semantic implications, frequency across genres, relation to other word orders, and its theological and literary functions.… Learn Hebrew
When Wealth Feeds Strangers: Syntactic Irony in Qohelet’s Wisdom
אִ֣ישׁ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִתֶּן־לֹ֣ו הָאֱלֹהִ֡ים עֹשֶׁר֩ וּנְכָסִ֨ים וְכָבֹ֜וד וְֽאֵינֶ֨נּוּ חָסֵ֥ר לְנַפְשֹׁ֣ו מִכֹּ֣ל אֲשֶׁר־יִתְאַוֶּ֗ה וְלֹֽא־יַשְׁלִיטֶ֤נּוּ הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ לֶאֱכֹ֣ל מִמֶּ֔נּוּ כִּ֛י אִ֥ישׁ נָכְרִ֖י יֹֽאכֲלֶ֑נּוּ זֶ֥ה הֶ֛בֶל וָחֳלִ֥י רָ֖ע הֽוּא׃ (Ecclesiastes 6:2)
The Syntactic Puzzle of Possession and Deprivation
This verse from Ecclesiastes presents a complex yet masterfully constructed sentence describing an existential irony: a man granted everything by God—wealth, possessions, honor—yet prevented from enjoying it. The syntax emphasizes both abundance and alienation, establishing a theological tension that threads through the book.
Relative Clauses and Nominal Fronting
– The subject אִישׁ (“a man”) is defined by a long relative clause: אֲשֶׁר יִתֶּן־לֹו הָאֱלֹהִים…
– The relative clause itself contains nested object complements: עֹשֶׁר וּנְכָסִים וְכָבֹוד (“wealth, possessions, and honor”).… Learn Hebrew
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Forty Years of Syntax: The Structural Journey of Joshua 5:6
כִּ֣י אַרְבָּעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֗ה הָלְכ֣וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵל֮ בַּמִּדְבָּר֒ עַד־תֹּ֨ם כָּל־הַגֹּ֜וי אַנְשֵׁ֤י הַמִּלְחָמָה֙ הַיֹּצְאִ֣ים מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם אֲשֶׁ֥ר לֹֽא־שָׁמְע֖וּ בְּקֹ֣ול יְהוָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֨ר נִשְׁבַּ֤ע יְהוָה֙ לָהֶ֔ם לְבִלְתִּ֞י הַרְאֹותָ֣ם אֶת־הָאָ֗רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֩ נִשְׁבַּ֨ע יְהוָ֤ה לַֽאֲבֹותָם֙ לָ֣תֶת לָ֔נוּ אֶ֛רֶץ זָבַ֥ת חָלָ֖ב וּדְבָֽשׁ׃
(Joshua 5:6)
For forty years the children of Yisraʾel walked in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Mitsrayim, perished because they did not obey the voice of YHWH, to whom YHWH had sworn that He would not show them the land that YHWH had sworn to their fathers to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey.… Learn Hebrew
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Teaching the Law: Syntax of Instruction and Inheritance in Deuteronomy 4:14
וְאֹתִ֞י צִוָּ֤ה יְהוָה֙ בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֔וא לְלַמֵּ֣ד אֶתְכֶ֔ם חֻקִּ֖ים וּמִשְׁפָּטִ֑ים לַעֲשֹׂתְכֶ֣ם אֹתָ֔ם בָּאָ֕רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַתֶּ֛ם עֹבְרִ֥ים שָׁ֖מָּה לְרִשְׁתָּֽהּ׃
(Deuteronomy 4:14)
And YHWH commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that you may do them in the land which you are crossing over to possess.
Mediated Revelation and Covenant Continuity
Deuteronomy 4:14 presents Moshe’s retrospective account of receiving and transmitting YHWH’s law to Israel in preparation for entering the promised land. The verse sits at the intersection of memory and mandate, summarizing Israel’s calling to obedience through the lens of Moshe’s divine commission.… Learn Hebrew
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Conditional Syntax and Communal Anthropology in Ecclesiastes 4:11
גַּ֛ם אִם־יִשְׁכְּב֥וּ שְׁנַ֖יִם וְחַ֣ם לָהֶ֑ם וּלְאֶחָ֖ד אֵ֥יךְ יֵחָֽם׃
(Ecclesiastes 4:11)
Also, if two lie down together, they will be warm; but how can one be warm alone?
Companionship, Survival, and the Poetics of Two
Ecclesiastes 4:11 sits within a poetic unit (vv. 9–12) extolling the benefits of companionship over isolation. The passage uses practical imagery to promote shared life and mutual aid. This verse, in particular, draws from everyday physical experience to make a larger existential point.
In this concise and elegant verse, Hebrew grammar underscores the poet’s argument for partnership through conditional syntax, pragmatic emphasis using rhetorical question, and juxtaposition of verbs in complementary clauses.… Learn Hebrew
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