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Recent Articles
- “A Three-Day Journey”: The Syntax of Volition and Deixis in Exodus According to Targum Onkelos
- Disaster That Flies Down: A Hebrew Lesson on Isaiah 8:22
- Purified and Presented: A Hebrew Lesson on Numbers 8:21
- Like the Nations Before You: A Hebrew Walkthrough of Deuteronomy 8:20
- Voices of the Dead or the Living God? A Hebrew Lesson on Isaiah 8:19
- When the Ground Denies Him: A Hebrew Walkthrough of Job 8:18
- From Dust to Gnats: A Hebrew Lesson in Action
- The Power of Repetition: Exploring the Waw-Consecutive
- Through the Great and Fearsome Wilderness: From Fiery Serpent to Flowing Spring
- “Counsel Is Mine” — Exploring the Voice of Wisdom in Proverbs 8:14
- From the Garden to the Ear: Participles and Imperatives in Song of Songs 8:13
- Wisdom’s Self-Introduction: Where Insight Meets Strategy
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“Send Me!” — Volition, Syntax, and the Prophetic Calling in Isaiah 6:8
וָאֶשְׁמַ֞ע אֶת־קֹ֤ול אֲדֹנָי֙ אֹמֵ֔ר אֶת־מִ֥י אֶשְׁלַ֖ח וּמִ֣י יֵֽלֶךְ־לָ֑נוּ וָאֹמַ֖ר הִנְנִ֥י שְׁלָחֵֽנִי׃
(Isaiah 6:8)
And I heard the voice of my Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here I am; send me.”
Morphology
וָאֶשְׁמַ֞ע (vaʾeshmaʿ) – Root: שָׁמַע; Form: Qal wayyiqtol 1cs (consecutive imperfect, first common singular); Translation: “And I heard”; Notes: The wayyiqtol form advances the narrative past action in Biblical Hebrew prose.
אֶת־קֹ֤ול (ʾet-qol) – Root: קוֹל; Form: masculine singular construct; Translation: “the voice of”; Notes: Construct chain linking to the following proper name.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Theology
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Tanakh : Hebrew Bible Project
Tanakh Hebrew Bible Project is a Polyglot Online Bible that contains the Hebrew Bible and its ancient versions in parallel – Masoretic Text, Samaritan Pentateuch, Targum Onkelos, Samaritan Targum, Syriac Peshitta, Septuagint, Old Latin, and Latin Vulgate, and also the Greek versions of Aquila of Sinope, Theodotion, and Symmachus the Ebionite.
Tanakh : Hebrew Bible Project aims at producing:
A new critical text of the Hebrew Bible that is as close as possible to the original text.
A new English translation for the Hebrew Bible and its ancient versions (Septuagint, Peshitta, Targums, Vetus Latina, and Vulgate).… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Textual Criticism
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Arrows and Advocacy: Blessing, Fulfillment, and Courtroom Imagery in Psalm 127:5
אַשְׁרֵ֤י הַגֶּ֗בֶר אֲשֶׁ֤ר מִלֵּ֥א אֶת־אַשְׁפָּתֹ֗ו מֵהֶ֥ם לֹֽא־יֵבֹ֑שׁוּ כִּֽי־יְדַבְּר֖וּ אֶת־אֹיְבִ֣ים בַּשָּֽׁעַר׃
(Psalm 127:5)
Blessed is the man who has filled his quiver with them; they will not be ashamed, for they shall speak with enemies in the gate.
Blessed Is the Man: אַשְׁרֵי הַגֶּבֶר
אַשְׁרֵי (“blessed is”) is a construct form of אֶשֶׁר (“happiness, blessedness”), functioning as a declaration of commendation or felicity.
הַגֶּבֶר — “the man,” a strong term (as opposed to אָדָם) implying individual strength or valor
This common formula appears in wisdom and praise texts, linking moral or familial success with divine approval.… Learn Hebrew
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Hebrew Verbs Occuring 500 – 5000 Times
The chief difficulty to overcome in the mastery of Hebrew language is the acquisition of a vocabulary. Out of the 7,000 vocables in the Hebrew language, about 1,000 occur over 25 times. The following are the list of verbs which occur most frequently in the Hebrew Bible.
(1) אָכַל (Eat)
(2) אָמַר (Say)
(3) בּוֹא (Go in)
(4) דָּבַר (Speak)
(5) הָיָה (Be)
(6) הָלַךְ (Walk)
(7) ידַָע (Know)
(8) יָלַד (Bring forth)
(9) יָצָא (Go out)
(1o) יָשַׁב (Sit, dwell)
(11) לָקַח (Take)
(12) מוּת (Die)
(13) נָשָׂא (Lift up)
(14) נָתַן (Give)
(15) עָבַר (Pass over)
(16) עָלָה (Go up)
(17) עָשָׂה (Do, make)
(18) צָוָה (Command)
(19) קֹום (Rise, stand)
(20) קָרָא (Call, meet)… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Vocabulary
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Syntax of Vengeance: Parallelism and Curse in Psalm 83:12
שִׁיתֵ֣מֹו נְ֭דִיבֵמֹו כְּעֹרֵ֣ב וְכִזְאֵ֑ב וּֽכְזֶ֥בַח וּ֝כְצַלְמֻנָּ֗ע כָּל־נְסִיכֵֽמֹו׃
(Psalm 83:12)
He placed their nobles like Orev and Zeev, and like Zevaḥ and Tsalmunnaʿ: all their princes.
Contextual Overview: A Poetic Petition for Justice
Psalm 83 is a national lament and imprecatory psalm, calling for YHWH’s judgment on Israel’s enemies. Verse 12 offers a vivid poetic request to strike down enemy leaders, invoking historical figures associated with divine judgment. The syntax here is not only poetic—it is strategically structured to reinforce emotional impact and theological memory.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Syntax
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The Influence of Heart and the Hifil Verb הִשִּׁיאֶ֔ךָ in Obadiah 1:3
זְדֹ֤ון לִבְּךָ֙ הִשִּׁיאֶ֔ךָ שֹׁכְנִ֥י בְחַגְוֵי־סֶּ֖לַע מְרֹ֣ום שִׁבְתֹּ֑ו אֹמֵ֣ר בְּלִבֹּ֔ו מִ֥י יֹורִדֵ֖נִי אָֽרֶץ׃
(Obadiah 1:3)
The pride of your heart has deceived you: you who dwell in the clefts of the rock, the height of his habitation; who says in his heart, “Who will bring me down to the ground?”
Introduction to Obadiah 1:3
Obadiah 1:3 continues the prophetic judgment against Edom, emphasizing its arrogance and false sense of security. The verse contains several significant grammatical elements, including the noun זְדֹ֤ון (zedon, “pride”), the Hifil verb הִשִּׁיאֶ֔ךָ (hishi’ekha, “has deceived you”), and the construct phrase שֹׁכְנִ֥י בְחַגְוֵי־סֶּ֖לַע (shokhni beḥagvei-sela‘, “dwelling in the clefts of the rock”).… Learn Hebrew
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The Use of the Participle and Passive Constructions in Obadiah 1:2
הִנֵּ֥ה קָטֹ֛ן נְתַתִּ֖יךָ בַּגֹּויִ֑ם בָּז֥וּי אַתָּ֖ה מְאֹֽד׃
(Obadiah 1:2)
Behold, I have made you small among the nations; you are greatly despised.
Introduction to Obadiah 1:2
Obadiah 1:2 is part of a divine declaration against Edom, emphasizing its diminished status among the nations. This verse contains notable grammatical features, including the passive participle בָּזוּי (bazui, “despised”), the Qal perfect נְתַתִּיךָ (netattikha, “I have made you”), and the emphatic use of מְאֹד (me’od, “very much”). These linguistic elements reinforce the judgmental tone and theological significance of divine retribution.… Learn Hebrew
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The Use of Imperative and Interrogative Constructions in Joel 1:2
שִׁמְעוּ־זֹאת֙ הַזְּקֵנִ֔ים וְהַֽאֲזִ֔ינוּ כֹּ֖ל יֹושְׁבֵ֣י הָאָ֑רֶץ הֶהָ֤יְתָה זֹּאת֙ בִּֽימֵיכֶ֔ם וְאִ֖ם בִּימֵ֥י אֲבֹֽתֵיכֶֽם׃
(Joel 1:2)
Hear this, you elders; and give ear, all inhabitants of the land: has this happened in your days, or in the days of your fathers?
Introduction to Joel 1:2
Joel 1:2 begins with a prophetic call to attention, addressing both the elders (הַזְּקֵנִים) and the inhabitants of the land (יֹושְׁבֵי הָאָרֶץ). This verse employs imperative verbs (שִׁמְעוּ, הַאֲזִינוּ) to command the audience to listen, followed by an interrogative clause (הֶהָיְתָה זֹּאת בִּימֵיכֶם?)… Learn Hebrew
אב
אב (‘âb):
(1) father of an individual
(2) of God as father of his people
(3) head or founder of a household, group, family, or clan
(4) ancestor
(a) grandfather, forefathers – of person
(b) of people
(5) originator or patron of a class, profession, or art
(6) of producer, generator (figuratively)
(7) of benevolence and protection (figuratively)
(8) term of respect and honour
(9) ruler or chief (specifically)
Part of Speech: noun masculine
Latin: pater, parens, progenitor
Genesis 4:20
וַתֵּלֶד עָדָה אֶת־יָבָל הוּא הָיָה אֲבִי יֹשֵׁב אֹהֶל וּמִקְנֶֽה׃
Gen 4:20 (KJV)
And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.… Learn Hebrew
Posted in Vocabulary
Tagged Gen 26:3, Gen 27:19, Gen 31:9, Gen 4:20, Gen 48:21, Gen 9:23, Genesis 26:3, Genesis 27:19, Genesis 31:9, Genesis 4:20, Genesis 48:21, Num 1:2, Numbers 1:2, אב, אֲבִי, אֲבִיהֶם, אָבִיו, אֲבִיכֶם, אֲבֹתֵיכֶֽם, אֲבֹתָם
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Hebrew Names of God in The Bible
List of the different Hebrew names of God in the Bible and their meaning.
(1) יהוה (YHWH) – The Tetragrammaton
The most important and most often written name of God in the Hebrew Bible is יהוה (YHWH, or YHVH), the four-letter name of God, also known as “Tetragrammaton” derives from the prefix tetra- (“four”) and gramma (“letter”). The Hebrew letters are named Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh: יהוה. In English it is written as YHWH, YHVH, or JHVH depending on the transliteration convention that is used.… Learn Hebrew