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Recent Articles
- 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
- Your People and Your Inheritance: Strength and Arm Between Hebrew and Greek
- Who is Abimelek? Political Defiance in Hebrew Speech
- May God Enlarge Japheth: Syntax, Blessing, and Subordination in Genesis 9:27
- The Plea of the Prophet: Syntax, Intercession, and Covenant Echoes in Deuteronomy 9:26
- The Swift Flight of Life: Syntax and Poetic Motion in Job 9:25
- Fear and Syntax in Giveʿon: Nested Clauses and Theological Strategy in Joshua 9:24
- Wayyiqtol Verbs, Ruach Imagery, and Political Betrayal in Judges 9:23
- Imperatives, Prophetic Syntax, and Stark Imagery in Jeremiah 9:22
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Negative Imperatives and Prohibitions in Leviticus 26:1
לֹֽא־תַעֲשׂ֨וּ לָכֶ֜ם אֱלִילִ֗ם וּפֶ֤סֶל וּמַצֵּבָה֙ לֹֽא־תָקִ֣ימוּ לָכֶ֔ם וְאֶ֣בֶן מַשְׂכִּ֗ית לֹ֤א תִתְּנוּ֙ בְּאַרְצְכֶ֔ם לְהִֽשְׁתַּחֲוֹ֖ת עָלֶ֑יהָ כִּ֛י אֲנִ֥י יְהוָ֖ה אֱלֹהֵיכֶֽם׃
(Leviticus 26:1)
You shall not make idols for yourselves, nor shall you set up a graven image or a pillar for yourselves, nor shall you place a figured stone in your land to bow down to it, for I am YHWH your God.
Syntax of Covenant Prohibitions
Leviticus 26:1 opens the chapter of blessings and curses with a firm reminder of Israel’s exclusive devotion to YHWH.… Learn Hebrew
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Sequential Perfects and Future Conditionals in Deuteronomy 26:1
וְהָיָה֙ כִּֽי־תָבֹ֣וא אֶל־הָאָ֔רֶץ אֲשֶׁר֙ יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֔יךָ נֹתֵ֥ן לְךָ֖ נַחֲלָ֑ה וִֽירִשְׁתָּ֖הּ וְיָשַׁ֥בְתָּ בָּֽהּ׃
(Deuteronomy 26:1)
And it shall be when you come into the land which YHWH your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell in it.
Legal Conditional Syntax and Sequential Events
This verse marks the beginning of a legal ritual that is to be performed upon entering the land of YHWH. The grammar is especially rich with perfect verbs used to describe future actions—a unique feature of Hebrew law codes.… Learn Hebrew
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The Hebrew Verb הֶאֱמִין: To Believe and Trust
The Hebrew verb הֶאֱמִין (from the root א-מ-ן) is the standard verb for expressing faith, belief, and trust in biblical Hebrew. It appears most frequently in the Hiphil binyan, the causative stem, and literally means “to cause to be firm” or “to cause to trust.” This fits well with the theological context in which the verb often appears—most notably in expressions of trusting in God.
For example, in Genesis 15:6, it says of Avram: וְהֶאֱמִן בַּיהוָה — “And he believed in the LORD,” a foundational verse for both Jewish and Christian theology.… Learn Hebrew
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Introduction to Biblical Hebrew Phonology
Biblical Hebrew, the language of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), presents a rich and complex phonological system that evolved significantly over time. Its phonology—concerned with the sound system of the language—offers essential insights into historical linguistics, comparative Semitics, and the reconstruction of ancient pronunciations. This article explores the consonantal and vocalic inventory of Biblical Hebrew, historical shifts, and key phonological phenomena within a scholarly framework.
Consonantal Inventory and Phonemic Distinctions
Classical Biblical Hebrew (ca. 1000–400 BC) possessed a well-defined set of 22 consonantal phonemes, corresponding to the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.… Learn Hebrew
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The Hebrew Root א-מ-ן: Meanings, Binyanim, and Development
The root א-מ-ן (Aleph–Mem–Nun) in Hebrew is one of the most theologically rich and versatile roots in the Bible. From this root come several related verbs and nouns associated with ideas of faith, firmness, trustworthiness, and training. It lies behind well-known words like אָמֵן (“amen”) and אֱמוּנָה (“faith, faithfulness”).
This root appears in multiple binyanim, each with distinct shades of meaning:
Qal (rare): to be firm, confirmed
Niphal: to be faithful, to be established
Piel: to train, to bring up (especially a child)
Hiphil: to believe, to trust, to regard as true
Below are the conjugation tables for the most prominent forms: Niphal, Piel, and Hiphil.… Learn Hebrew
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The Hebrew Verb אִלֵּץ: To Compel or Force or Urge
The Hebrew verb אִלֵּץ comes from the root א-ל-ץ and means “to compel,” “to coerce,” or “to force.” It is typically found only in the Piel binyan, which expresses intensive or causative action. This verb is not used in the Qal or Niphal forms in the Hebrew Bible and Modern Hebrew. Its meaning carries a strong sense of pressure or obligation placed on a person or group.
The verb is rarely found in biblical Hebrew but appears more often in later Hebrew literature and Modern Hebrew, especially in contexts involving laws, duties, or emotional/psychological pressure.… Learn Hebrew
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“Forty Stripes He May Give Him, He Shall Not Add”: Legal Limits and Syntactic Boundaries in Deuteronomy 25:3
אַרְבָּעִ֥ים יַכֶּ֖נּוּ לֹ֣א יֹסִ֑יף פֶּן־יֹסִ֨יף לְהַכֹּתֹ֤ו עַל־אֵ֨לֶּה֙ מַכָּ֣ה רַבָּ֔ה וְנִקְלָ֥ה אָחִ֖יךָ לְעֵינֶֽיךָ׃
(Deuteronomy 25:3)
He shall strike him forty times; he shall not add more, lest he continue to strike him with many blows beyond these, and your brother be degraded in your eyes.
Justice, Mercy, and the Limits of Punishment
Deuteronomy 25:3 addresses the punishment of a guilty person by flogging, setting a maximum number of lashes to prevent public degradation. This law encapsulates the Torah’s unique combination of justice and compassion, and the Hebrew syntax reflects this balance.… Learn Hebrew
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“Rising Early to Speak”: Temporal Expressions and Iterative Syntax in Jeremiah 25:3
This article focused on Jeremiah 25:3, with a grammatical emphasis on the temporal expressions and iterative aspect of the Hebrew verb “הַשְׁכֵּם”. This verse richly combines temporal markers, perfect and imperfect verb sequences, and the repeated divine initiative in speech.
מִן־שְׁלֹ֣שׁ עֶשְׂרֵ֣ה שָׁנָ֡ה לְיֹאשִׁיָּ֣הוּ בֶן־אָמֹון֩ מֶ֨לֶךְ יְהוּדָ֜ה וְעַ֣ד הַיֹּ֣ום הַזֶּ֗ה זֶ֚ה שָׁלֹ֤שׁ וְעֶשְׂרִים֙ שָׁנָ֔ה הָיָ֥ה דְבַר־יְהוָ֖ה אֵלָ֑י וָאֲדַבֵּ֧ר אֲלֵיכֶ֛ם אַשְׁכֵּ֥ים וְדַבֵּ֖ר וְלֹ֥א שְׁמַעְתֶּֽם׃
(Jeremiah 25:3)
From the thirteenth year of Yoshiyyahu son of ʾAmon, king of Yehuda, and until this day, these twenty-three years, the word of YHWH has been to me, and I have spoken to you, rising early and speaking, but you have not listened.… Learn Hebrew
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“Good of Understanding and Beautiful in Appearance”: Construct Chains and Characterization in 1 Samuel 25:3
This article analyzes 1 Samuel 25:3, focusing on the construct chain and adjective-noun coordination in the character descriptions of Nabal and Avigayil. It explores how the syntactic structure and word order reflect theological and narrative characterization.
וְשֵׁ֤ם הָאִישׁ֙ נָבָ֔ל וְשֵׁ֥ם אִשְׁתּ֖וֹ אֲבִגָ֑יִל וְהָאִשָּׁ֤ה טֽוֹבַת־שֶׂ֨כֶל֙ וִ֣יפַת תֹּ֔אַר וְהָאִ֥ישׁ קָשֶׁ֛ה וְרַ֥ע מַעֲלָלִ֖ים וְה֥וּא כָלִבִּֽי׃
(1 Samuel 25:3)
Now the name of the man was Nabal, and the name of his wife was Abigail. And the woman was intelligent and beautiful in appearance, but the man was harsh and evil in his deeds.… Learn Hebrew
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Verb Study: אָכַל — “to eat, consume”
The Hebrew verb אָכַל (ʾakhal) means “to eat,” but it also extends metaphorically to mean “to consume,” “to devour,” or even “to destroy.” It is one of the most common verbs in the Bible and is used in both literal and figurative contexts — such as people eating food, or fire consuming offerings, or judgment consuming the wicked.
Below is a complete conjugation of אָכַל in the Qal stem, covering all major tenses and persons. All Hebrew forms are bolded for clarity.… Learn Hebrew
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