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Recent Articles
- Woven with Wonder: Syntax and Embodied Imagery in Job 10:11
- The Wink and the Wound: Syntax, Parallelism, and Irony in Proverbs 10:10
- The Grammar of Surprise: The Wayyiqtol Chain and Temporal Progression in Joshua 10:9
- The Birth of Power: The Grammar of Beginning and Becoming in Genesis 10:8
- Genealogical Syntax and the Grammar of Nations in Genesis 10:7
- Do Not Mourn as Others Do: Restraint and Reverence in the Aftermath of Fire
- The Blast and the Camp: Exploring Hebrew Commands and Movement in Numbers 10:5
- If You Refuse: The Threat of the Locusts in Translation
- 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
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“And Job Answered and Said”: A Hebrew Lesson on Job 9:1
וַיַּ֥עַן אִיֹּ֗וב וַיֹּאמַֽר׃
(Job 9:1)
And Job answered and said:
Word-by-Word Explanation
וַיַּעַן — “and he answered.”
– Root: עָנָה (“to answer, respond”).
– Form: Qal wayyiqtol (imperfect with vav-consecutive) 3rd masculine singular.
– Usage: The standard narrative form, moving the story forward.
אִיֹּוב — “Job.” The subject of the verb, a proper name in pause form.
וַיֹּאמַר — “and he said.”
– Root: אָמַר (“to say”).
– Form: Qal wayyiqtol 3ms.
– Function: Hebrew often pairs וַיַּעַן with וַיֹּאמַר as a fixed storytelling formula: “And he answered and said.”… Learn Hebrew
Syntax of Covenant Obedience: The Altar of Uncut Stones in Joshua 8:31
כַּאֲשֶׁ֣ר צִוָּה֩ מֹשֶׁ֨ה עֶֽבֶד־יְהוָ֜ה אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל כַּכָּתוּב֙ בְּסֵ֨פֶר֙ תֹּורַ֣ת מֹשֶׁ֔ה מִזְבַּח֙ אֲבָנִ֣ים שְׁלֵמֹ֔ות אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹֽא־הֵנִ֥יף עֲלֵיהֶ֖ן בַּרְזֶ֑ל וַיַּעֲל֨וּ עָלָ֤יו עֹלֹות֙ לַֽיהוָ֔ה וַֽיִּזְבְּח֖וּ שְׁלָמִֽים׃
(Joshua 8:31)
As Moshe, the servant of YHWH, commanded the children of Yisraʾel, as it is written in the book of the Torah of Moshe: an altar of unhewn stones upon which no iron tool was wielded, and they offered burnt offerings on it to YHWH and sacrificed peace offerings.
Syntax in Service of Covenant Memory
Joshua 8:31 narrates the building of an altar on Mount Ebal as commanded in the Torah of Moses.… Learn Hebrew
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Unlock the Secrets of the Tanakh: Why Hebrew Morphology is the Key
Imagine reading Shakespeare not just in translation, but in the original Early Modern English—understanding every pun, every poetic twist, every hidden layer of meaning. Now imagine doing the same with the Tanakh, the Hebrew Bible, in its ancient, powerful tongue. But here’s the catch: Biblical Hebrew doesn’t work like English. Its soul lies in a system older than vowels and grammar drills—its morphology. And mastering it is like finding the master key to the entire text.
The DNA of Biblical Hebrew: Roots and Patterns
Biblical Hebrew is built on a fascinating genetic code: the triconsonantal root.… Learn Hebrew
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The Poetics of Verbal Repetition in Proverbs 8:30
וָֽאֶהְיֶ֥ה אֶצְלֹ֗ו אָ֫מֹ֥ון וָֽאֶהְיֶ֣ה שַׁ֭עֲשֻׁעִים יֹ֤ום יֹ֑ום מְשַׂחֶ֖קֶת לְפָנָ֣יו בְּכָל־עֵֽת׃ (Proverbs 8:30)
Then I was beside Him, like a master-worker, and I was His delight day by day, playing before Him at all times.
This verse is a masterpiece of Hebrew poetic artistry, where the speaker—personified Wisdom—uses verbal repetition and parallelism to create rhythm, emphasis, and intimacy with the divine Creator. Two repeated verbal structures stand out: וָאֶהְיֶה (“and I was”) and the iterative יֹום יֹום (“day by day”). These elements reveal how Hebrew grammar leverages repetition not as redundancy, but as a stylistic and rhetorical device.… Learn Hebrew
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Syntax of the Wave Offering: Moses and the Breast Portion in Leviticus 8:29
וַיִּקַּ֤ח מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶת־הֶ֣חָזֶ֔ה וַיְנִיפֵ֥הוּ תְנוּפָ֖ה לִפְנֵ֣י יְהוָ֑ה מֵאֵ֣יל הַמִּלֻּאִ֗ים לְמֹשֶׁ֤ה הָיָה֙ לְמָנָ֔ה כַּאֲשֶׁ֛ר צִוָּ֥ה יְהוָ֖ה אֶת־מֹשֶֽׁה׃
(Leviticus 8:29)
And Moses took the breast and waved it as a wave offering before YHWH; from the ram of ordination it was Moses’s portion, just as YHWH commanded Moses.
The Language of Ordination
Leviticus 8:29 belongs to the priestly narrative of the ordination of Aharon and his sons. The verse describes Moses taking the breast of the ram of ordination and presenting it as a wave offering before YHWH.… Learn Hebrew
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Firm Skies and Deep Springs: Grammar in Proverbs 8:28
בְּאַמְּצֹ֣ו שְׁחָקִ֣ים מִמָּ֑עַל בַּ֝עֲזֹ֗וז עִינֹ֥ות תְּהֹום׃
(Proverbs 8:28)
When He strengthened the skies above, in the strengthening of the fountains of the deep.
This verse compresses creation imagery into a poetic frame, showcasing two distinctive features of Biblical Hebrew: (1) the temporal use of בְּ prefixed to an infinitive-construct–type form, and (2) the elegant binding of nouns in a construct chain. Both phenomena highlight the compact and precise beauty of Hebrew expression.
The Moment of Strengthening
בְּאַמְּצֹו: בְּ + infinitive-construct/abstract from אָמַץ with 3ms suffix, yielding “when He strengthened.”… Learn Hebrew
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Only the Spoil: A Hebrew Lesson on Joshua 8:27
רַ֣ק הַבְּהֵמָ֗ה וּשְׁלַל֙ הָעִ֣יר הַהִ֔יא בָּזְז֥וּ לָהֶ֖ם יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל כִּדְבַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר צִוָּ֖ה אֶת־יְהוֹשֻֽׁעַ׃
(Joshua 8:27)
Only the livestock and the spoil of that city Israel plundered for themselves, according to the word of the LORD which He commanded Joshua.
Word-by-Word Explanation
רַק — “only.” Limiting particle, emphasizing restriction.
הַבְּהֵמָה — “the livestock.” Definite article + בְּהֵמָה (“beast, animal, cattle”).
וּשְׁלַל — “and the spoil.” Conjunction ו + noun שָׁלָל (“spoil, plunder”).
הָעִיר — “of the city.” Definite article + עִיר (“city”).… Learn Hebrew
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Binyanim Under Pressure: Exodus 8:26
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מֹשֶׁ֗ה לֹ֤א נָכוֹן֙ לַעֲשׂ֣וֹת כֵּ֔ן כִּ֚י תּוֹעֲבַ֣ת מִצְרַ֔יִם נִזְבַּ֖ח לַיהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֵ֑ינוּ הֵ֣ן נִזְבַּ֞ח אֶת־תּוֹעֲבַ֥ת מִצְרַ֛יִם לְעֵינֵיהֶ֖ם וְלֹ֥א יִסְקְלֻֽנוּ׃
(Exodus 8:26)
And Moshe said not right to do thus for abomination of Mitsrayim we sacrifice to YHWH our God behold we sacrifice abomination of Mitsrayim before their eyes and will they not stone us
What This Verse Lets Us See About Binyanim
In one breath, this line moves from calm speech to ritual identity to public danger. The בִּנְיָנִים sharpen each step: a plain narrative move (וַיֹּאמֶר), an evaluative predicate built from a verb root (נָכוֹן), a core act of worship (נִזְבַּח), and an anticipated crowd reaction (יִסְקְלֻנוּ).… Learn Hebrew
When Service Ends: A Hebrew Lesson on Numbers 8:25
וּמִבֶּן֙ חֲמִשִּׁ֣ים שָׁנָ֔ה יָשׁ֖וּב מִצְּבָ֣א הָעֲבֹדָ֑ה וְלֹ֥א יַעֲבֹ֖ד עֹֽוד׃
(Numbers 8:25)
And from the age of fifty years he shall return from the service of the work, and shall serve no more.
Word-by-Word Explanation
וּמִבֶּן — “and from the age of.” Preposition מִן (“from”) + בֵּן (“son”), used idiomatically for age (“years old”).
חֲמִשִּׁים — “fifty.” Numeral for the age marker.
שָׁנָה — “year.” Noun in singular, completing the phrase: “fifty years old.”
יָשׁוּב — “he shall return.” Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular from שׁוּב (“to return, turn back”).… Learn Hebrew
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Consecration Through Syntax: The Priestly Ritual in Leviticus 8:24
וַיַּקְרֵ֞ב אֶת־בְּנֵ֣י אַהֲרֹ֗ן וַיִּתֵּ֨ן מֹשֶׁ֤ה מִן־הַדָּם֙ עַל־תְּנ֤וּךְ אָזְנָם֙ הַיְמָנִ֔ית וְעַל־בֹּ֤הֶן יָדָם֙ הַיְמָנִ֔ית וְעַל־בֹּ֥הֶן רַגְלָ֖ם הַיְמָנִ֑ית וַיִּזְרֹ֨ק מֹשֶׁ֧ה אֶת־הַדָּ֛ם עַל־הַֽמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ סָבִֽיב׃ (Leviticus 8:24)
And he brought near the sons of Aharon, and Moshe put some of the blood on the lobe of their right ear, and on the thumb of their right hand, and on the big toe of their right foot; and Moshe sprinkled the blood on the altar all around.
Clause Structure
This verse unfolds in a sequence of ritual actions, marked by the repetitive use of wayyiqtol verbs to show step-by-step progression:
וַיַּקְרֵב אֶת־בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן – “And he brought near the sons of Aharon.”… Learn Hebrew
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