Category Archives: Syntax

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

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

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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Thorns in the Eyes: Syntax of Judgment in Joshua 23:13

יָדֹ֨ועַ֙ תֵּֽדְע֔וּ כִּי֩ לֹ֨א יֹוסִ֜יף יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֗ם לְהֹורִ֛ישׁ אֶת־הַגֹּויִ֥ם הָאֵ֖לֶּה מִלִּפְנֵיכֶ֑ם וְהָי֨וּ לָכֶ֜ם לְפַ֣ח וּלְמֹוקֵ֗שׁ וּלְשֹׁטֵ֤ט בְּצִדֵּיכֶם֙ וְלִצְנִנִ֣ים בְּעֵינֵיכֶ֔ם עַד־אֲבָדְכֶ֗ם מֵ֠עַל הָאֲדָמָ֤ה הַטֹּובָה֙ הַזֹּ֔את אֲשֶׁר֙ נָתַ֣ן לָכֶ֔ם יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃ (Joshua 23:13) Know for certain that YHWH your God will no longer drive out these nations from before you, and they shall be for you a trap and a snare, and a scourge in your sides and thorns in your eyes, until you perish from off this good land which YHWH your God has given you.… Learn Hebrew
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“You Have Strengthened Knees That Were Bowing”: Causative Stems and Parallelism in Job 4:4

כֹּ֭ושֵׁל יְקִימ֣וּן מִלֶּ֑יךָ וּבִרְכַּ֖יִם כֹּרְעֹ֣ות תְּאַמֵּֽץ׃ (Job 4:4) Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the knees that give way. Eliphaz and the Power of Speech Job 4:4 is part of Eliphaz’s opening speech, where he reminds Job of his past influence and moral strength. The verse praises Job for encouraging the weak, using evocative imagery of stumbling and bowed knees. The focus of this study is the poetic structure and the grammatical form תְּאַמֵּֽץ, a Piel stem that adds causative force to the meaning of the verb “to be strong.”… Learn Hebrew
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Rhetorical Questions and Poetic Syntax in Habakkuk 3:8

הֲבִנְהָרִים֙ חָרָ֣ה יְהוָ֔ה אִ֤ם בַּנְּהָרִים֙ אַפֶּ֔ךָ אִם־בַּיָּ֖ם עֶבְרָתֶ֑ךָ כִּ֤י תִרְכַּב֙ עַל־סוּסֶ֔יךָ מַרְכְּבֹתֶ֖יךָ יְשׁוּעָֽה׃ (Habakkuk 3:8) Was YHWH angry with the rivers? Was Your wrath against the rivers? Was Your rage against the sea, that You ride upon Your horses, Your chariots of salvation? Habakkuk 3:8 belongs to the prophet’s grand theophany vision, where the language of ancient Hebrew poetry is stretched to its fullest expressive power. The verse is built on a series of rhetorical questions framed by the particle הֲ and repeated אִם, culminating in a striking image of YHWH riding upon war horses and chariots of salvation.… Learn Hebrew
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The Throne Among the People: Syntax and Theology in Ezekiel 43:7

וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלַ֗י בֶּן־אָדָם֙ אֶת־מְקֹ֣ום כִּסְאִ֗י וְאֶת־מְקֹום֙ כַּפֹּ֣ות רַגְלַ֔י אֲשֶׁ֧ר אֶשְׁכָּן־שָׁ֛ם בְּתֹ֥וךְ בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לְעֹולָ֑ם וְלֹ֣א יְטַמְּא֣וּ עֹ֣וד בֵּֽית־֠יִשְׂרָאֵל שֵׁ֣ם קָדְשִׁ֞י הֵ֤מָּה וּמַלְכֵיהֶם֙ בִּזְנוּתָ֔ם וּבְפִגְרֵ֥י מַלְכֵיהֶ֖ם בָּמֹותָֽם׃ (Ezekiel 43:7) Clause Structure Overview The verse consists of two main thematic units, joined by a waw-consecutive, each with subordinate clauses: וַיֹּאמֶר אֵלַי — Narrative introduction, “And He said to me” Direct divine speech describing: The place of YHWH’s throne and footstool (אֶת־מְקֹום כִּסְאִי … אֶת־מְקֹום כַּפֹּות רַגְלַי) Purpose clause (אֲשֶׁר אֶשְׁכָּן־שָׁם … לְעוֹלָם) Prohibition clause with future negation (וְלֹא יְטַמְּאוּ עוֹד …) Detailed Grammatical Observations Phrase Morphology Syntactic Role Notes וַיֹּאמֶר Wayyiqtol Qal 3ms from אָמַר Main narrative verb Signals a new prophetic utterance.… Learn Hebrew
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“He Stirred Up His Spirit”: Divine Motivation and the Idiom הֵעִיר אֶת־רוּחֹו in Ezra 1:5

וַיָּק֜וּמוּ רָאשֵׁ֣י הָאָבֹ֗ות לִֽיהוּדָה֙ וּבִנְיָמִ֔ן וְהַכֹּהֲנִ֖ים וְהַלְוִיִּ֑ם לְכֹ֨ל הֵעִ֤יר הָאֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־רוּחֹ֔ו לַעֲלֹ֣ות לִבְנֹ֔ות אֶת־בֵּ֥ית יְהוָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃ (Ezra 1:5) Then the heads of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites, arose: all those whom God stirred up his spirit to go up to build the house of Yahweh which is in Jerusalem. Awakening the Will to Rebuild Ezra 1:5 narrates a monumental moment in the return from exile: the divine stirring of human hearts to begin rebuilding the Temple.… Learn Hebrew
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Betrayal at the Border: Disintegrating Alliances in the Syntax of Obadiah 1:7

עַֽד־הַגְּב֣וּל שִׁלְּח֗וּךָ כֹּ֚ל אַנְשֵׁ֣י בְרִיתֶ֔ךָ הִשִּׁיא֛וּךָ יָכְל֥וּ לְךָ֖ אַנְשֵׁ֣י שְׁלֹמֶ֑ךָ לַחְמְךָ֗ יָשִׂ֤ימוּ מָזֹור֙ תַּחְתֶּ֔יךָ אֵ֥ין תְּבוּנָ֖ה בֹּֽו׃ (Obadiah 1:7) All the men of your covenant sent you to the border; the men of your peace deceived you, prevailed against you; your bread they set as a trap beneath you—there is no understanding in him. Syntax as the Anatomy of Treachery Obadiah 1:7 outlines in poetic and prophetic syntax the downfall of Edom by those it trusted most. This verse builds through parallel clauses, anaphora, and syntactic inversion to portray betrayal from within.… Learn Hebrew
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Genealogies in Ink: Syntax and Structure in Nehemiah 12:22

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 a dry administrative note. But beneath its surface lies a syntactic architecture that mirrors Israel’s theological record-keeping. The verse is a syntactically dense list that maps Levitical and priestly continuity during Persian imperial rule.… Learn Hebrew
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Syntax of Migration: The Grammatical Journey of Genesis 12:5

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 the land of Kenaʿan, and they came to the land of Kenaʿan. Syntax as Pilgrimage Genesis 12:5 is the narrative unfolding of Avram’s obedience to YHWH’s call.… Learn Hebrew
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