בְּהִלֹּ֣ו נֵ֭רֹו עֲלֵ֣י רֹאשִׁ֑י לְ֝אֹורֹו אֵ֣לֶךְ חֹֽשֶׁךְ׃
When his lamp shone upon my head, by his light I walked through darkness.
Explanation of Feature
In Job 29:3, the phrase בְּהִלֹּ֣ו demonstrates a temporal clause using a preposition + infinitive construct + pronominal suffix. This is a common Biblical Hebrew construction to express “when [someone] did something.”
The preposition בְּ (“in,” “when”) is attached to the infinitive construct of the verb הָלַל (“to shine”)—here in the Hifʿil stem, meaning “to cause to shine.” The suffix -וֹ refers to his lamp, i.e., God’s lamp.
Thus, בְּהִלֹּ֣ו means “when he caused to shine” or more smoothly, “when his light shone.”
Examples from Job 29:3
| Form | Component Analysis | Function |
|---|---|---|
| בְּהִלֹּו | בְּ (when) + הִלֹּו (his causing to shine, Hifʿil infinitive construct of הָלַל + 3ms suffix) | Marks a temporal clause – “when his lamp shone” |
| לְאֹורֹו | לְ (by/through) + אוֹר (light) + -וֹ (his) | Prepositional phrase: “by his light” |
Related Grammatical Insight
The use of the infinitive construct with a preposition (especially בְּ, כְּ, or לְ) is a common way to mark time, manner, or purpose. When attached to pronominal suffixes, it can indicate the subject or object of the verbal action.
Common temporal clause pattern:
– בְּבוֹא מֹשֶׁה – “when Moshe came”
– כְּדַבֵּר יְהוָה – “when the LORD spoke”
Understanding this construction helps with recognizing subordinate clauses in Hebrew that don’t use conjunctions like in English (“when,” “because,” etc.) but rely on prepositions + infinitives for nuance.
