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Recent Articles
- 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
- A Call to Listen: A Beginner’s Guide to Hebrew Grammar in Jeremiah 10:1
- “Even If I Wash with Snow”: Job’s Cry of Purity and Futility in Hebrew
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Category Archives: Theology
“Sweeping Away All Things”: The Use of Infinitive Absolute for Emphasis in Zephaniah 1:3
אָסֵ֨ף אָדָ֜ם וּבְהֵמָ֗ה אָסֵ֤ף עֹוף־הַשָּׁמַ֨יִם֙ וּדְגֵ֣י הַיָּ֔ם וְהַמַּכְשֵׁלֹ֖ות אֶת־הָרְשָׁעִ֑ים וְהִכְרַתִּ֣י אֶת־הָאָדָ֗ם מֵעַ֛ל פְּנֵ֥י הָאֲדָמָ֖ה נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃
(Zephaniah 1:3)
I will sweep away man and beast, I will sweep away the birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, and the stumbling blocks with the wicked. I will cut off man from the face of the earth, declares YHWH.
Cosmic Judgment through Grammatical Emphasis
Zephaniah 1:3 belongs to the opening judgment oracle of the book, where YHWH declares a sweeping destruction across all creation—humans, beasts, birds, and fish.… Learn Hebrew
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“He Makes My Feet Like the Deer’s”: Simile and Ascent in Habakkuk 3:19
יְהוִ֤ה אֲדֹנָי֙ חֵילִ֔י וַיָּ֤שֶׂם רַגְלַי֙ כָּֽאַיָּלֹ֔ות וְעַ֥ל בָּמֹותַ֖י יַדְרִכֵ֑נִי לַמְנַצֵּ֖חַ בִּנְגִינֹותָֽי׃
(Habakkuk 3:19)
YHWH my Lord is my strength; He makes my feet like the deer’s, and He causes me to tread upon my high places. To the choirmaster, with my stringed instruments.
Divine Enablement in Poetic Triumph
Habakkuk 3:19 concludes the prophet’s prayer with an expression of exaltation and movement. The imagery of sure-footedness and elevation captures the essence of divine empowerment amid suffering. This article explores the grammatical structure and theological implications of the simile כָּאַיָּלֹות, the verb יַדְרִכֵנִי, and the construct phrase עַל בָּמֹתַי.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Grammar, Theology
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“Do Not Arouse Love Until It Desires”: Volition, Oath, and the Conditional אִם in Song of Songs 2:7
הִשְׁבַּ֨עְתִּי אֶתְכֶ֜ם בְּנֹ֤ות יְרוּשָׁלִַ֨ם֙ בִּצְבָאֹ֔ות אֹ֖ו בְּאַיְלֹ֣ות הַשָּׂדֶ֑ה אִם־תָּעִ֧ירוּ וְאִם־תְּעֹֽורְר֛וּ אֶת־הָאַהֲבָ֖ה עַ֥ד שֶׁתֶּחְפָּֽץ׃
(Song of Songs 2:7)
I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem, by the hosts or by the gazelles of the field: do not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.
A Poetic Oath of Restraint
This iconic verse from the Song of Songs is the first of three poetic refrains that appear throughout the book (cf. 3:5, 8:4). Here, the female speaker addresses the “daughters of Yerushalayim” and adjures them by the wild creatures of the field not to awaken love before its proper time.… Learn Hebrew
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“But Only Cities to Live In”: The Restrictive Construction כִּי אִם in Joshua 14:4
כִּֽי־הָי֧וּ בְנֵֽי־יֹוסֵ֛ף שְׁנֵ֥י מַטֹּ֖ות מְנַשֶּׁ֣ה וְאֶפְרָ֑יִם וְלֹֽא־נָתְנוּ֩ חֵ֨לֶק לַלְוִיִּ֜ם בָּאָ֗רֶץ כִּ֤י אִם־עָרִים֙ לָשֶׁ֔בֶת וּמִ֨גְרְשֵׁיהֶ֔ם לְמִקְנֵיהֶ֖ם וּלְקִנְיָנָֽם׃
(Joshua 14:4)
For the sons of Yosef were two tribes, Menashshe and Efrayim, and they did not give a portion to the Levi’im in the land, except cities to dwell in, and their pasturelands for their livestock and for their possessions.
Tribal Allocation and Levitical Exception
Joshua 14:4 outlines the distribution of the land among the tribes of Yisra’el, highlighting the unique position of the descendants of Yosef and the tribe of Levi.… Learn Hebrew
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“Lacked Nothing in the Wilderness”: Divine Sufficiency and the Verb חָסַר in Deuteronomy 2:7
כִּי֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֶ֜יךָ בֵּֽרַכְךָ֗ בְּכֹל֙ מַעֲשֵׂ֣ה יָדֶ֔ךָ יָדַ֣ע לֶכְתְּךָ֔ אֶת־הַמִּדְבָּ֥ר הַגָּדֹ֖ל הַזֶּ֑ה זֶ֣ה אַרְבָּעִ֣ים שָׁנָ֗ה יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֨יךָ֙ עִמָּ֔ךְ לֹ֥א חָסַ֖רְתָּ דָּבָֽר׃
(Deuteronomy 2:7)
For YHWH your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has known your journey through this great wilderness. These forty years, YHWH your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.
YHWH’s Provision Over Forty Years
As Moshe reflects on the long journey through the wilderness, he emphasizes not just the hardships but also the unrelenting provision of YHWH.… Learn Hebrew
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“Destroyers and Scatterers of My Flock”: Analyzing the Participles מְאַבְּדִים and מְפִצִים in Jeremiah 23:1
הֹ֣וי רֹעִ֗ים מְאַבְּדִ֧ים וּמְפִצִ֛ים אֶת־צֹ֥אן מַרְעִיתִ֖י נְאֻם־יְהוָֽה׃
(Jeremiah 23:1)
“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the flock of My pasture!” declares YHWH.
Prophetic Indictment Against False Shepherds
Jeremiah 23:1 opens a powerful oracle of woe against the leaders of Yisra’el, metaphorically called “shepherds” who have failed in their responsibility to care for the flock of YHWH. The use of participles—מְאַבְּדִים (“destroying”) and מְפִצִים (“scattering”)—not only describes their actions but also conveys an ongoing and habitual pattern of corruption. This article explores the grammatical form, function, and theological force of these participles within the verse.… Learn Hebrew
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“Please Pray for Us”: Analyzing הִתְפַּלֶּל־נָא in Jeremiah 37:3
וַיִּשְׁלַח֩ הַמֶּ֨לֶךְ צִדְקִיָּ֜הוּ אֶת־יְהוּכַ֣ל בֶּן־שֶֽׁלֶמְיָ֗ה וְאֶת־צְפַנְיָ֤הוּ בֶן־מַֽעֲשֵׂיָה֙ הַכֹּהֵ֔ן אֶל־יִרְמְיָ֥הוּ הַנָּבִ֖יא לֵאמֹ֑ר הִתְפַּלֶּל־נָ֣א בַעֲדֵ֔נוּ אֶל־יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃
(Jeremiah 37:3)
And King Tsidqiyyahu sent Yehukhal son of Shelemya and Tsefanyahu son of Maʿaseya the priest to Yirmeyahu the prophet, saying, “Pray, please, on our behalf to YHWH our God.”
A King’s Desperate Request
Jeremiah 37:3 records a politically and spiritually significant moment: King Tsidqiyyāh sends envoys to request intercessory prayer from the prophet Yirmeyāhū. The plea is encapsulated in the verb הִתְפַּלֶּל־נָא, meaning “Please pray!”—a… Learn Hebrew
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The Struggle Within: Analyzing וַיִּתְרֹצֲצוּ in Genesis 25:22
וַיִּתְרֹֽצֲצ֤וּ הַבָּנִים֙ בְּקִרְבָּ֔הּ וַתֹּ֣אמֶר אִם־כֵּ֔ן לָ֥מָּה זֶּ֖ה אָנֹ֑כִי וַתֵּ֖לֶךְ לִדְרֹ֥שׁ אֶת־יְהוָֽה׃
(Genesis 25:22)
And the children struggled together within her, and she said, “If it is thus, why am I?” And she went to inquire of YHWH.
Prenatal Prophecy and Maternal Distress
Genesis 25:22 presents a moment of profound mystery: Rivqah experiences intense internal movement during pregnancy. The verb וַיִּתְרֹצֲצוּ describes what the unborn children are doing within her, and her response leads to a divine oracle that shapes biblical history.… Learn Hebrew
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Training Up a Child: Analyzing חֲנֹךְ in Proverbs 22:6
חֲנֹ֣ךְ לַ֭נַּעַר עַל־פִּ֣י דַרְכֹּ֑ו גַּ֥ם כִּֽי־֝יַזְקִ֗ין לֹֽא־יָס֥וּר מִמֶּֽנָּה׃
(Proverbs 22:6)
Train the youth according to his way; even when he grows old, he will not turn from it.
The Way a Child Should Go
Proverbs 22:6 stands as one of the most quoted and widely discussed verses in the Hebrew Bible regarding parenting and education. At its heart is the imperative verb חֲנֹךְ (ḥănōkh), “Train!” or “Dedicate!”—a rare yet powerful word that conveys far more than basic instruction. This analysis explores its morphology, semantic range, contextual meaning, and theological implications, showing how the verb roots this proverb in the deep soil of moral formation and lifelong direction.… Learn Hebrew
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The Idiomatic Expression וַתָּ֥שָׁב רוּחֹ֖ו אֵלָ֑יו (“His Spirit Returned to Him”) in 1 Samuel 30:12
This study will analyze the function of וַתָּ֥שָׁב רוּחֹ֖ו אֵלָ֑יו in biblical idiom, its grammatical structure, and its theological significance.
וַיִּתְּנוּ־לֹו֩ פֶ֨לַח דְּבֵלָ֜ה וּשְׁנֵ֤י צִמֻּקִים֙ וַיֹּ֔אכַל וַתָּ֥שָׁב רוּחֹ֖ו אֵלָ֑יו כִּ֠י לֹֽא־אָ֤כַל לֶ֨חֶם֙ וְלֹא־שָׁ֣תָה מַ֔יִם שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה יָמִ֖ים וּשְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה לֵילֹֽות׃
And they gave him a slice of pressed fig cake and two clusters of raisins, and he ate, and his spirit returned to him—for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights.
Introduction to 1 Samuel 30:12
1 Samuel 30:12 describes an Egyptian servant found in a weakened state by David’s men, who is then revived with food and water.… Learn Hebrew
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