לֹֽא־רָא֞וּ אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־אָחִ֗יו וְלֹא־קָ֛מוּ אִ֥ישׁ מִתַּחְתָּ֖יו שְׁלֹ֣שֶׁת יָמִ֑ים וּֽלְכָל־בְּנֵ֧י יִשְׂרָאֵ֛ל הָ֥יָה אֹ֖ור בְּמֹושְׁבֹתָֽם׃
(Exodus 10:23)
They did not see a man his brother, and they did not rise a man from beneath him for three days; but for all the sons of Yisraʾel there was light in their dwellings.
Exodus 10:23 records the ninth plague, the plague of darkness, with extraordinary grammatical economy. The verse is built on a carefully structured sequence of negations, distributive expressions, and a final adversative contrast. The syntax does more than narrate; it embodies paralysis and then reverses it with a burst of luminous stability.
This lesson explores three major grammatical features:
- The repetition of negated perfect verbs
- The distributive use of אִישׁ (“each man”)
- The adversative transition marked by וּלְכָל
Double Negation as Structural Paralysis
The verse begins with two parallel clauses:
לֹא־רָאוּ אִישׁ אֶת־אָחִיו
וְלֹא־קָמוּ אִישׁ מִתַּחְתָּיו
- לֹא־רָאוּ: Qal perfect 3mp of ראה, “they did not see.”
- לֹא־קָמוּ: Qal perfect 3mp of קום, “they did not rise.”
The repetition of לֹא creates rhythmic stagnation. Hebrew narrative typically advances with wayyiqtol verbs. Here, however, the text uses perfect verbs with negation, halting motion. The grammar itself becomes static. Nothing progresses. Nothing changes.
The perfect tense describes completed states. Combined with negation, it portrays absolute immobility. The darkness is not fleeting, it is total and sustained.
The Distributive אִישׁ: Individual Isolation
- אִישׁ אֶת־אָחִיו: “a man his brother.”
- אִישׁ מִתַּחְתָּיו: “a man from beneath him.”
The repetition of אִישׁ functions distributively—“each man.” Hebrew often uses singular nouns this way to emphasize universality. The plague’s effect is not corporate but individual. Every person is isolated.
Notice the symmetry:
- Clause 1: Visual separation — no one sees another.
- Clause 2: Physical immobility — no one rises from his place.
The preposition מִן in מִתַּחְתָּיו (“from beneath him”) suggests that each remained fixed exactly where he was when darkness fell. The syntax compresses three days into a single frozen grammatical moment.
Temporal Duration: שְׁלֹשֶׁת יָמִים
- שְׁלֹשֶׁת: Construct form of “three.”
- יָמִים: Plural noun “days.”
The duration appears after the paralysis clauses, almost as an aftershock. The reader already feels immobility; the time marker confirms it. Hebrew places temporal expressions flexibly, and here its delayed position intensifies the dramatic effect.
Three days in Hebrew narrative often signal transition or judgment, yet here there is no movement—only suspended existence.
The Adversative Pivot: וּלְכָל־בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
- וּלְכָל: Conjunction + preposition לְ + “all.”
- בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל: “sons of Yisraʾel.”
The conjunction וְ here functions adversatively: “but.” Hebrew does not require a separate word for “but”; context determines contrast. The preposition לְ marks possession or benefit—“for all the sons of Yisraʾel.”
The syntax pivots sharply. After two negations describing Egypt, the clause shifts to a positive existential statement.
Existential Stability: הָיָה אֹור בְּמֹושְׁבֹתָם
- הָיָה: Qal perfect 3ms of היה, “there was.”
- אֹור: Noun, “light.”
- בְּמֹושְׁבֹתָם: Preposition בְּ + noun “dwelling places” + suffix 3mp.
The existential verb הָיָה is singular because its subject אֹור is singular. After two plural verbs describing collective paralysis, we encounter a singular stable state: light simply “was.”
The preposition בְּ locates the light precisely, within their dwellings. The grammar confines illumination to covenantal space. Darkness is universal in Egypt; light is localized in Yisraʾel’s homes.
Structural Symmetry Overview
| Egypt | Yisraʾel |
|---|---|
| לֹא־רָאוּ | הָיָה אֹור |
| לֹא־קָמוּ | בְּמֹושְׁבֹתָם |
| Paralysis | Presence |
When Negation Becomes Theology
Exodus 10:23 demonstrates how Hebrew grammar can embody divine judgment. The repeated לֹא forms create linguistic darkness; clauses stripped of motion and interaction. Human society collapses grammatically before it collapses historically.
Then, without extended explanation, a simple existential clause restores order: הָיָה אֹור. Light requires no elaboration. Its grammatical simplicity contrasts with the complexity of paralysis.
The verse teaches through syntax: judgment immobilizes; covenant sustains. In biblical Hebrew, theology often shines through the smallest particles and verb forms. Here, negation and existence tell the entire story.
