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Recent Articles
- Scroll Marginalia: Weighted Syntax and Sanctified Measures (Numbers 7:31, Onkelos)
- “His Hands Shall Bring the Fire-Offerings”: Learning Sacred Hebrew Through Priestly Ritual
- Grammar of Offering: Enumerative Syntax and Appositional Closure
- The Nation That Would Not Listen: Relative Clauses, Coordinated Verbs, and Elliptical Judgment
- Wisdom in Layers: Demonstrative Syntax and Infinitive Purpose in Qohelet
- The Syntax of Sacred Prohibition: Blood in Leviticus 7:26
- From Exodus to Exhortation: The Syntax of Divine Persistence
- Gathered for Judgment: Syntactic Accumulation in Joshua 7:24
- Flying into the Trap: Syntactic Irony in Proverbs 7:23
- Little by Little: Divine Delay and Wild Beasts
- “And the Fish Died and the Nile Stank”: A Hebrew Lesson from Egypt’s First Plague
- The Subtle Grammar of Possession in Biblical Hebrew
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Grammatical Structure
1. The formation of the parts of speech from the stems (derivation), and their inflexion, are effected in two ways:
(a) internally by changes in the stem itself, particularly in its vowels:
(b) externally by the addition of formative syllables before or after it. The expression of grammatical relations (e.g. the comparative degree and some case-relations in Hebrew) periphrastically by means of separate words belongs, not to etymology, but to syntax.
The external method (b) of formation, by affixing formative syllables, which occurs e.g.… Learn Hebrew
Semitic Languages
1. The Hebrew language is one branch of a great family of languages in Western Asia which was indigenous in Palestine, Phoenicia, Syria, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Assyria, and Arabia, that is to say, in the countries extending from the Mediterranean to the other side of the Euphrates and Tigris, and from the mountains of Armenia to the southern coast of Arabia. In early times, however, it spread from Arabia over Abyssinia, and by means of Phoenician colonies over many islands and sea-boards of the Mediterranean, as for instance to the Carthaginian coast.… Learn Hebrew
Niphal (Niph˓al)
1. The essential characteristic of this conjugation consists in a prefix to the stem. This exists in two forms:
(a) the (probably original) prepositive nă, as in the Hebrew perfect and participle, although in the strong verb the ă is always attenuated to ĭ: נִקְטַל for original nă-qăṭăl, participle נִקְטָל, infinitive absolute sometimes נִקְטוֹל;
(b) the (later) proclitic in (as in all the forms of the corresponding Arabic conjugation vii. ˒inqătălă), found in the imperfect יִקָּטֵל for yinqāṭēl, in the imperative and infinitive construct, with a secondary ה added, הִקָּטֵל (for hinqāṭēl), and in the infinitive absolute הִקָּטֹל The inflexion of Niph˓al is perfectly analogous to that of Qal.… Learn Hebrew
Pronominal Suffixes
1. The independent principal forms of the personal pronoun (the separate pronoun), given in the preceding section, express only the nominative. The accusative and genitive are expressed by forms, usually shorter, joined to the end of verbs, nouns, and particles (pronominal suffixes or simply suffixes); e.g. הוּ (toneless) and וֹ (from āhû) eum and eius, קְטַלְתִּ֫יהוּ I have killed him (also קְטַלְתִּיו), קְטַלְתָּ֫הוּ or (with āhû contracted into ô) קְטַלְתּ֫וֹ thou hast killed him; אוֹר֫וֹ (also אוֹרֵ֫הוּ) lux eius.
The same method is employed in all the other Semitic languages, as well as in the Egyptian, Persian, Finnish, Tartar, and others; in Greek, Latin, and German we find only slight traces of the kind, e.g.… Learn Hebrew
Adverbs תואר הפועל
The Hebrew term for adverb is תואר הפועל.
1. Primitive Adverbs
Primitive adverbs are those of negation, such as לֹא “not” = οὐ, οὐκ; אַל = μη; אֵין “there is not”; and a few others of place and time, such as שָׁם “there,” “then.”
These adverbs may at least for grammatical purposes be regarded as primitive, even if it is possible to trace them to other roots, particularly pronominal roots.
2. Other Parts of Speech Used Adverbially
(a) Substantives with Prepositions
Examples include: בִּמְאֹד מְאֹד “with might,” i.e.,… Learn Hebrew
Biblical Hebrew Grammar: Qal Perfect in Genesis 1:1
Introduction
Verse in Focus
Grammar Topic
Morphology Analysis
Syntax Notes
Additional Examples
Practice Exercises
Introduction
This Biblical Hebrew grammar lesson focuses on the Qal Perfect verb form as seen in Genesis 1:1. The Qal Perfect is often used to express completed actions and is one of the foundational verb stems in Biblical Hebrew.
Verse in Focus: Genesis 1:1
בְּרֵאשִׁית בָּרָא אֱלֹהִים אֵת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֵת הָאָרֶץ
Translation: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
Grammar Topic: The Qal Perfect Verb Form
The verb בָּרָא (bara) is in the Qal Perfect form.… Learn Hebrew
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Biblical Hebrew Grammar: Wayyiqtol and Construct Chains in Genesis 2:7
Overview
Hebrew Verse
Literal Translation
Morphological Analysis
Syntax and Word Order
The Wayyiqtol Verb Form
Construct Chains and Word Pairs
Theological and Linguistic Insights
Exercises
Summary
Overview
This in-depth Biblical Hebrew lesson is based solely on the Hebrew of Genesis 2:7. It explores two key grammatical features foundational to Biblical Hebrew: the wayyiqtol verb form, which expresses narrative past tense, and the construct chain, which binds nouns into possessive or descriptive relationships. These structures are essential for students advancing from beginner to intermediate levels of Biblical Hebrew grammar.… Learn Hebrew
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Verbal Patterns In Hebrew
The Structure of Hebrew Verbs: An In-Depth Exploration
Hebrew is a language rich in structure and meaning, and one of its most fascinating aspects is the way verbs are formed. Every Hebrew verb (פועל) is constructed by inserting a three- or four-consonant root (שורש) into specific verbal patterns known as binyanim (בינינים), a term meaning “buildings” or “constructions.” These binyanim serve as frameworks that shape the verb’s meaning, voice, and grammatical function.
Most Hebrew roots can be cast into more than one binyan, creating multiple verbs from the same root.… Learn Hebrew
Shalom Aleikhem
Shalom Aleikhem (שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם)! Shalom aleikhem is a traditional greeting in Hebrew-language. It means “Peace be upon you.” The appropriate response should be “Aleikhem shalom” (עֲלֵיכֶם שָׁלוֹם) or “Upon you be peace.”
The Beautiful Meaning Behind “Shalom Aleikhem”
If you’ve ever greeted someone in Hebrew, chances are you’ve heard or used the phrase Shalom Aleikhem (שָׁלוֹם עֲלֵיכֶם). More than just a simple “hello,” this traditional greeting carries deep cultural and spiritual significance, resonating with themes of peace, connection, and community.
The Meaning of “Shalom Aleikhem”
At its core, Shalom Aleikhem translates to “Peace be upon you.”… Learn Hebrew
29. The Tone, Its Changes and the Pause
In Biblical Hebrew, the principal tone (accent) typically falls on the final syllable of a word, though it may shift to the penultimate syllable under specific phonological conditions—especially when the final syllable is open or when certain suffixes are added. Closed penultimate syllables can bear the tone if the ultima is open (e.g., קָטַ֫לְתָּ), while closed ultimas usually retain the tone unless preceded by an open penult. A secondary accent, often marked by Metheg, may appear when words are closely connected, though it can be lost with Maqqeph.… Learn Hebrew
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