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Recent Articles
- Living and Dying in Syntax: Waw-Consecutive and Numerical Structure in Genealogies
- The Hebrew Verb זָכָה: To Be Innocent, To Be Pure, or To Attain
- Who Has Heard and Lived? — Interrogatives, Apposition, and the Grammar of Wonder
- The Hebrew Verb זָחַל: To Crawl, Creep, or Slither
- What Turned It All Away — Fronted Guilt and the Syntax of Withheld Goodness
- The Hebrew Verb הָרַס: To Destroy, Tear Down, or Demolish
- When the Walk Ends in Heaven: The Hitpael Imperfect and Disappearance of Enoch in Genesis 5:24
- The Hebrew Verb הָרַג: To Kill, Slay, or Put to Death
- Words Dissolved — Sequential Ritual and the Grammar of Erasure in Numbers 5:23
- The Hebrew Verb הָפַךְ: To Turn, Overturn, or Transform
- Fear and the Boundaries of the Sea: Interrogatives, Imperfects, and Eternal Decrees in Jeremiah 5:22
- The Hebrew Verb הִנֵּה: To Behold, Look, or See (Interjectional Usage)
Categories
Clause Structure and Theological Expression in Esther 4:3
Introduction: Contextual and Literary Setting of Esther 4:3
Esther 4:3 captures the moment of national crisis in the Persian diaspora, following Haman’s genocidal decree against the Jews. The verse is positioned within the narrative tension that prompts Esther’s eventual intervention. It reads:
וּבְכָל־מְדִינָ֣ה וּמְדִינָ֗ה מְקֹום֙ אֲשֶׁ֨ר דְּבַר־הַמֶּ֤לֶךְ וְדָתֹו֙ מַגִּ֔יעַ אֵ֤בֶל גָּדֹול֙ לַיְּהוּדִ֔ים Read more [...]
The Use of the Cohortative and Jussive in Saul’s Final Request in 1 Samuel 31:4
Introduction to 1 Samuel 31:4
1 Samuel 31:4 records the tragic final moments of King Saul, where he commands his armor-bearer to kill him, fearing humiliation at the hands of the Philistines. This verse features the cohortative and jussive verb forms, which express Saul’s urgent request and the armor-bearer’s refusal. The interplay between cohortative (self-motivated volition) and jussive (third-person commands) provides insight into Saul’s desperation and his attempt to maintain control over Read more [...]
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Volitional Modality and Antithetical Parallelism in Psalm 25:3
Introduction to Psalm 25:3: Volition, Shame, and Contrast in Hebrew Poetry
Psalm 25:3 presents a theological contrast between two groups: those who קִוּוּ (“wait” or “hope”) for YHWH, and those who act treacherously. The grammatical structure distinguishes these groups by using volitional imperfect forms (expressing desire or prediction), strong negation, and poetic parallelism. This analysis will explore how Hebrew syntax, verb aspect, and poetic structure express profound theological Read more [...]
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Perfect Aspect and Divine Judgment in Isaiah 13:11: The Grammar of Prophetic Certainty
Introduction: Oracular Certainty in the Context of Global Judgment
Isaiah 13 forms part of the so-called “Oracles Against the Nations,” focusing here on Babylon. Verse 11 stands as a divine pronouncement of cosmic justice, where YHWH himself announces judgment on the world and its arrogant rulers. The verse reads:
וּפָקַדְתִּ֤י עַל־תֵּבֵל֙ רָעָ֔ה וְעַל־רְשָׁעִ֖ים עֲוֹנָ֑ם וְהִשְׁבַּתִּי֙ גְּאֹ֣ון זֵדִ֔ים וְגַאֲוַ֥ת Read more [...]
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“They Were Among the Rebels Against the Light”: Syntax of Moral Rebellion in Job 24:13
Introduction: Darkness, Defiance, and the Syntax of Rejection
Job 24:13 marks the beginning of a unit within Job’s speech cataloguing moral evildoers who operate in secret, particularly under the cover of darkness. This verse serves as a heading of sorts for a poetic meditation on moral inversion—a world where justice seems delayed and the wicked thrive unseen. The grammar and structure of the verse intensify its theological charge:
הֵ֤מָּה הָיוּ֮ בְּֽמֹרְדֵ֫י־אֹ֥ור Read more [...]
Repetition, Aspect, and Poetic Judgment in Psalm 96:13
Introduction: Eschatological Expectation in Liturgical Poetry
Psalm 96 celebrates the kingship of YHWH and His coming judgment over all the earth. The final verse, 96:13, brings the psalm to a climax with a powerful prophetic declaration, repeated for emphasis:
לִפְנֵ֤י יְהוָ֨ה כִּ֬י בָ֗א כִּ֥י בָא֮ לִשְׁפֹּ֪ט הָ֫אָ֥רֶץ יִשְׁפֹּֽט־תֵּבֵ֥ל בְּצֶ֑דֶק וְ֝עַמִּ֗ים בֶּאֱמוּנָתֹֽו׃
Before the LORD, Read more [...]
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1 Kings 6:1 – Temporal Clauses and Construct State in Date Formulas
וַיְהִ֣י בִשְׁמֹונִ֣ים שָׁנָ֣ה וְאַרְבַּ֣ע מֵאֹ֣ות שָׁנָ֡ה לְצֵ֣את בְּנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֣ל מֵאֶֽרֶץ־מִצְרַיִם֩ בַּשָּׁנָ֨ה הָרְבִיעִ֜ית בְּחֹ֣דֶשׁ זִ֗ו ה֚וּא הַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשֵּׁנִ֔י לִמְלֹ֥ךְ שְׁלֹמֹ֖ה עַל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּ֥בֶן הַבַּ֖יִת לַיהוָֽה׃
And it came to be, in the four hundred and Read more [...]
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Relative Clauses and Appositional Expansion in Narrative Description
Introduction to Nehemiah 13:5
This verse narrates how a large chamber was prepared for Eliyashiv, which had previously housed sacred contributions and offerings. The verse is rich in appositional constructions, participial clauses, and relative expansions, which accumulate descriptively. This lesson will focus on clause chaining in Hebrew, especially the use of participial forms and relative-like expansions without explicit relative pronouns, common in post-exilic narrative Hebrew.
וַיַּ֨עַשׂ Read more [...]
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Hebrew Words You Should Know
List of Hebrew words you need to know in order to read the Hebrew Bible and Modern Hebrew.
גַּם - also
מיִ - who
מַה, מָה, מֱה - what
אֵיפֹה - where
מָתַי - when
מַדּוּעַ - why
אֵיזֶה - which (m.s.)
אֵיזוֹ - which (f.s.)
?אֶת מִי - whom?
הַאִם - an interrogative particle
חושֵׁב - thinks
יוֹדֵעַ - knows
כִּי - because
אֲבָל - but
אִם - if
אִם כֵּן - if so
כָּל Read more [...]
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Calling Witnesses to Injustice: Imperatives, Construct Chains, and Geopolitical Irony in Amos 3:9
Amos 3:9
הַשְׁמִ֨יעוּ֙ עַל־אַרְמְנֹ֣ות בְּאַשְׁדֹּ֔וד וְעַל־אַרְמְנֹ֖ות בְּאֶ֣רֶץ מִצְרָ֑יִם וְאִמְר֗וּ הֵאָֽסְפוּ֙ עַל־הָרֵ֣י שֹׁמְרֹ֔ון וּרְא֞וּ מְהוּמֹ֤ת רַבֹּות֙ בְּתֹוכָ֔הּ וַעֲשׁוּקִ֖ים בְּקִרְבָּֽהּ׃
Proclamation to Foreign Palaces: הַשְׁמִיעוּ עַל־אַרְמְנֹות בְּאַשְׁדּוֹד
הַשְׁמִיעוּ Read more [...]