Category Archives: Syntax

“Efrayim Feeds the Wind”: Kinetic Verbs and Prophetic Irony in Hosea 12:2

Posted on December 2, 2023 by Biblical Hebrew

אֶפְרַ֜יִם רֹעֶ֥ה ר֨וּחַ֙ וְרֹדֵ֣ף קָדִ֔ים כָּל־הַיֹּ֕ום כָּזָ֥ב וָשֹׁ֖ד יַרְבֶּ֑ה וּבְרִית֙ עִם־אַשּׁ֣וּר יִכְרֹ֔תוּ וְשֶׁ֖מֶן לְמִצְרַ֥יִם יוּבָֽל׃ (Hosea 12:2) Efrayim feeds on wind and pursues the east wind all day. He multiplies falsehood and violence. They make a covenant with Ashshur, and oil is carried to Mitsrayim. Motion Without Meaning Hosea 12:2 presents a poetic and theological critique of Efrayim through a series of verbs describing restless motion and political treachery. The verse’s central metaphor—feeding the wind—highlights the futility of idolatrous pursuits and foreign alliances.… Learn Hebrew

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Grammatical-Theological Analysis of Jeremiah 23:11

Posted on November 23, 2023 by Biblical Hebrew

כִּֽי־גַם־נָבִ֥יא גַם־כֹּהֵ֖ן חָנֵ֑פוּ גַּם־בְּבֵיתִ֛י מָצָ֥אתִי רָעָתָ֖ם נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃ (Jeremiah 23:11) “For both prophet and priest have become profane; even in My house I have found their evil,” declares YHWH. 1. Intensification through Repetition and Syntax The verse opens with כִּֽי־גַם־נָבִ֥יא גַם־כֹּהֵ֖ן—“For both prophet and priest.” The repetition of גַם (“also” or “even”) is not casual but emphatic. It intensifies the indictment, emphasizing that corruption has penetrated all levels of Israel’s spiritual leadership. The structure גַם… גַם often expresses inclusive condemnation. Here, both prophetic and priestly offices—traditionally representing divine speech and sacred mediation—are declared guilty.… Learn Hebrew

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The Legal Warrior: Role of the Participial גֹאֵל in Proverbs 23:11

Posted on November 7, 2023 by Biblical Hebrew

כִּֽי־גֹאֲלָ֥ם חָזָ֑ק הֽוּא־יָרִ֖יב אֶת־רִיבָ֣ם אִתָּֽךְ׃ (Proverbs 23:11) For their redeemer is strong; He will plead their case against you. Proverbs 23:11 contains a short but weighty statement about divine justice. It warns against oppressing the weak by appealing to the presence of a powerful גֹאֵל—a kinsman-redeemer or legal advocate. But the grammar reveals more than comfort—it portrays God as an active litigant: יָרִיב אֶת־רִיבָם, “He will plead their case.” This verse illustrates the convergence of legal, familial, and covenantal roles embedded in a single Hebrew root: ג־א־ל.… Learn Hebrew

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“Do Not Rejoice, Yisra’el”: Imperative Prohibition and Metaphor of Cultic Betrayal in Hosea 9:1

Posted on September 1, 2023 by Biblical Hebrew

אַל־תִּשְׂמַ֨ח יִשְׂרָאֵ֤ל אֶל־גִּיל֙ כָּֽעַמִּ֔ים כִּ֥י זָנִ֖יתָ מֵעַ֣ל אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ אָהַ֣בְתָּ אֶתְנָ֔ן עַ֖ל כָּל־גָּרְנֹ֥ות דָּגָֽן׃ (Hosea 9:1) Do not rejoice, Yisra’el, with exultation like the nations, for you have prostituted yourself away from your God. You have loved a harlot’s payment on all the threshing floors of grain. Rejoicing Denied Through Divine Indictment Hosea 9:1 is a striking verse where YHWH, through the prophet, forbids the people from engaging in public joy. The grammatical structure is a negative jussive formed by אַל + imperfect verb, commanding Yisra’el to cease rejoicing.… Learn Hebrew

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Tears, Guidance, and Fatherhood: The Syntax of Comfort

Posted on August 31, 2023 by Advanced Hebrew Grammar

בִּבְכִ֣י יָבֹ֗אוּ וּבְתַחֲנוּנִים֮ אֹובִילֵם֒ אֹולִיכֵם֙ אֶל־נַ֣חֲלֵי מַ֔יִם בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ יָשָׁ֔ר לֹ֥א יִכָּשְׁל֖וּ בָּ֑הּ כִּי־הָיִ֤יתִי לְיִשְׂרָאֵל֙ לְאָ֔ב וְאֶפְרַ֖יִם בְּכֹ֥רִי הֽוּא׃ (Jeremiah 31:9) With weeping they shall come, and with supplications I will lead them; I will cause them to walk to streams of water, in a straight way in which they shall not stumble, for I have been to Yisraʾel for a father, and Efrayim is My firstborn. This verse is a tapestry of movement, emotion, and identity, woven together with a blend of verbal clauses, participial imagery, and nominal affirmations.… Learn Hebrew

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Syntax of Negotiation: Moses’ Conditional Speech in Exodus 8:25

Posted on August 25, 2023 by Advanced Hebrew Grammar

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֗ה הִנֵּ֨ה אָנֹכִ֜י יֹוצֵ֤א מֵֽעִמָּךְ֙ וְהַעְתַּרְתִּ֣י אֶל־יְהוָ֔ה וְסָ֣ר הֶעָרֹ֗ב מִפַּרְעֹ֛ה מֵעֲבָדָ֥יו וּמֵעַמֹּ֖ו מָחָ֑ר רַ֗ק אַל־יֹסֵ֤ף פַּרְעֹה֙ הָתֵ֔ל לְבִלְתִּי֙ שַׁלַּ֣ח אֶת־הָעָ֔ם לִזְבֹּ֖חַ לַֽיהוָֽה׃ (Exodus 8:25) And Moshe said, “Behold, I am going out from you, and I will plead to YHWH, and the swarm will depart from Parʿo, from his servants, and from his people tomorrow. Only, let not Parʿo continue to deceive by not sending the people to sacrifice to YHWH.” Clause Structure The verse presents Moses’ reply to Parʿo in a series of coordinated and subordinated clauses that balance divine promise with human responsibility: וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה – Main narrative introduction (“And Moses said”).… Learn Hebrew

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“As I Would Heal Yisra’el, the Iniquity of Ephrayim Is Uncovered”: Waw-Consecutive Tension and Reversal in Hosea 7:1

Posted on July 1, 2023 by Biblical Hebrew

כְּרָפְאִ֣י לְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל וְנִגְלָ֞ה עֲוֹ֤ן אֶפְרַ֨יִם֙ וְרָעֹ֣ות שֹֽׁמְרֹ֔ון כִּ֥י פָעֲל֖וּ שָׁ֑קֶר וְגַנָּ֣ב יָבֹ֔וא פָּשַׁ֥ט גְּד֖וּד בַּחֽוּץ׃ (Hosea 7:1) When I would heal Israel, the iniquity of Ephraim was uncovered and the evils of Samaria were revealed, for they have acted falsely. A thief enters; a band raids outside. Healing Interrupted by Revelation of Guilt Hosea 7:1 opens with what appears to be a hopeful note: YHWH is preparing to heal Yisra’el. However, the moment of healing is immediately inverted—Ephrayim’s guilt is “uncovered,” and the sins of Shomeron (Samaria) are laid bare.… Learn Hebrew

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“Come, Let Us Return to YHWH”: Cohortatives, Paradox, and Theological Healing in Hosea 6:1

Posted on June 1, 2023 by Biblical Hebrew

לְכוּ֙ וְנָשׁ֣וּבָה אֶל־יְהוָ֔ה כִּ֛י ה֥וּא טָרָ֖ף וְיִרְפָּאֵ֑נוּ יַ֖ךְ וְיַחְבְּשֵֽׁנוּ׃ (Hosea 6:1) Come, and let us return to YHWH: for He has torn, and He will heal us; He has struck, and He will bind us up. A Call to Return and Be Healed Hosea 6:1 begins a poetic and theological call for national repentance. Spoken by the prophet or the penitent community, the verse features a sequence of volitional and predictive verbs, framing divine discipline not as destruction but as a prelude to restoration.… Learn Hebrew

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Returning the Unjust Gain: Syntax and Restitution in Leviticus 5:23

Posted on May 23, 2023 by Biblical Hebrew

וְהָיָה֮ כִּֽי־יֶחֱטָ֣א וְאָשֵׁם֒ וְהֵשִׁ֨יב אֶת־הַגְּזֵלָ֜ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר גָּזָ֗ל אֹ֤ו אֶת־הָעֹ֨שֶׁק֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׁ֔ק אֹ֚ו אֶת־הַפִּקָּדֹ֔ון אֲשֶׁ֥ר הָפְקַ֖ד אִתֹּ֑ו אֹ֥ו אֶת־הָאֲבֵדָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר מָצָֽא׃ (Leviticus 5:23) And it shall be, when he sins and becomes guilty, that he shall restore what he took by robbery, or what he obtained by extortion, or the deposit that was entrusted to him, or the lost thing that he found: Legal Syntax, Moral Structure Leviticus 5:23 (Eng. 6:4) operates at the intersection of confession and reparation. Its syntax reveals a legal formula designed to enumerate the possibilities of theft or dishonesty while directing the offender to restitution.… Learn Hebrew

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A Royal Menu: Quantifiers and Species in 1 Kings 5:3

Posted on May 3, 2023 by Biblical Hebrew

עֲשָׂרָ֨ה בָקָ֜ר בְּרִאִ֗ים וְעֶשְׂרִ֥ים בָּקָ֛ר רְעִ֖י וּמֵ֣אָה צֹ֑אן לְ֠בַד מֵֽאַיָּ֤ל וּצְבִי֙ וְיַחְמ֔וּר וּבַרְבֻּרִ֖ים אֲבוּסִֽים׃ (1 Kings 5:3) Ten fattened oxen and twenty pasture-fed oxen and one hundred sheep, besides deer, gazelles, roebucks, and fattened fowl. Numerals and Nouns: עֲשָׂרָ֨ה בָקָ֜ר The phrase עֲשָׂרָ֨ה בָקָ֜ר (“ten fattened oxen”) demonstrates the masculine plural numeral עֲשָׂרָה agreeing in gender with בָקָר (“cattle, oxen”), which though singular in form is treated as a collective or plural in sense. The numeral precedes the noun, which is typical in Hebrew counting expressions.… Learn Hebrew

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