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Recent Articles
- When Service Ends: A Hebrew Lesson on Numbers 8:25
- Consecration Through Syntax: The Priestly Ritual in Leviticus 8:24
- “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
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When the Soul Sinks and Soars: The Binyanim of Inner Dialogue
מַה־תִּשְׁתֹּ֬וחֲחִ֨י נַפְשִׁי֮ וַתֶּהֱמִ֪י עָ֫לָ֥י הֹוחִ֣ילִי לֵֽ֭אלֹהִים כִּי־עֹ֥וד אֹודֶ֗נּוּ יְשׁוּעֹ֥ות פָּנָֽיו׃ (Psalm 42:6)
Why are you cast down my soul and why do you murmur within me hope in God for I shall yet praise Him the salvations of His face
Introduction: Verbs in Conversation with the Self
Psalm 42:6 captures a spiritual conversation—not with God, but within the self. The psalmist questions his soul, rebukes its despair, and rekindles hope. But this inward discourse is framed by carefully chosen binyanim that mirror the emotional swing from depression to praise.… Learn Hebrew
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“Why Does the Way of the Wicked Prosper?”: Analyzing מַדּוּעַ דֶּרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים צָלֵחָה in Jeremiah 12:1
Introduction to Jeremiah 12:1: A Prophet’s Theological Complaint
Jeremiah 12:1 begins a unique prophetic lament in which the prophet directly challenges divine justice. Despite affirming the righteousness of YHWH, Jeremiah boldly raises a question of moral perplexity: מַדּוּעַ דֶּרֶךְ רְשָׁעִים צָלֵחָה—“Why does the way of the wicked prosper?” This interrogative sentence is not merely informational; it is rhetorical and emotionally charged, revealing a tension at the heart of biblical theology: the apparent prosperity of the wicked in a world governed by a righteous God.… Learn Hebrew
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“The Word That Came”: Analyzing דְּבַר־יְהוָה in Jeremiah 11:1
Introduction to Jeremiah 11:1: A Superscription of Divine Authority
Jeremiah 11:1 introduces a new oracle with the recurring prophetic formula: הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר הָיָה אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ מֵאֵת יְהוָה. Though succinct, this clause is deeply significant. It not only establishes the divine origin of the message but also prepares the audience for a section of covenantal confrontation and judgment. This article explores the grammatical structure and literary force of the superscription, focusing especially on the phrase דְּבַר־יְהוָה.
הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר הָיָה אֶל־יִרְמְיָהוּ מֵאֵת יְהוָה לֵאמֹר׃
Grammatical and Structural Analysis
1.… Learn Hebrew
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They Heard and They Released: Syntax of Covenant Compliance in Jeremiah 34:10
Introduction: Prophetic Command and Social Reform in Crisis
Jeremiah 34:10 recounts the initial compliance of Judah’s leaders and people with a prophetic covenant to release their Hebrew slaves. Set during the Babylonian siege of Yerushalayim, the event temporarily reflected covenantal repentance and social righteousness. The verse uses repetition and coordinated clauses to depict public obedience, drawing attention to its legal and liturgical character:
וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ֩ כָל־הַשָּׂרִ֨ים וְכָל־הָעָ֜ם אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֣אוּ בַבְּרִ֗ית לְ֠שַׁלַּח אִ֣ישׁ אֶת־עַבְדֹּ֞ו וְאִ֤ישׁ אֶת־שִׁפְחָתֹו֙ חָפְשִׁ֔ים לְבִלְתִּ֥י עֲבָד־בָּ֖ם עֹ֑וד וַֽיִּשְׁמְע֖וּ וַיְשַׁלֵּֽחוּ׃
Then all the officials and all the people who had entered into the covenant heard, to release each his male servant and each his female servant—free, that none should enslave them again—and they listened and released them.… Learn Hebrew
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“Hear the Word”: Analyzing שִׁמְע֣וּ in Jeremiah 10:1
Introduction to Jeremiah 10:1: Prophetic Appeal to the House of Yisra’el
Jeremiah 10:1 begins a new section of prophetic address with a commanding call to attention: שִׁמְע֣וּ אֶת־הַדָּבָר (“Hear the word”). This is a formulaic opening found in various prophetic books, marking a transition into a divine pronouncement. The command is directed at בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל (“House of Yisra’el”) and underscores both the urgency and covenantal weight of the speech to follow. This article explores the grammar of the verb שִׁמְע֣וּ, the construction of the clause, and the theological and rhetorical significance of this prophetic summons.… Learn Hebrew
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Untroubled Houses: Negation, Construct Chains, and Divine Irony in Job 21:9
Job 21:9
בָּתֵּיהֶ֣ם שָׁלֹ֣ום מִפָּ֑חַד וְלֹ֤א שֵׁ֖בֶט אֱלֹ֣והַּ עֲלֵיהֶֽם׃
The Illusion of Peace: בָּתֵּיהֶם שָׁלֹום מִפָּחַד
בָּתֵּיהֶם — “Their houses,” a construct form from בַּיִת (“house”) + 3rd person plural suffix. The construct state links directly to the following noun or description.
שָׁלֹום — Literally “peace,” this functions as the predicate noun, describing the state of the houses: peace, wholeness, well-being.
מִפָּחַד — “from fear” or “from dread.” The preposition מִן here indicates separation or exemption: the peace described is specifically freedom from fear.… Learn Hebrew
“Oh, That My Head Were Water!”: Analyzing מִי־יִתֵּן in Jeremiah 9:1
Introduction to Jeremiah 9:1: The Prophet’s Lament in Optative Form
Jeremiah 9:1 opens with one of the most intense laments in prophetic literature. The prophet cries out in deep grief over the slain of his people, expressing an uncontainable desire to weep continuously. The verse begins with the phrase מִי־יִתֵּן—a classical optative construction in Biblical Hebrew that introduces a longing or wish, usually impossible or hypothetical. This article will examine the grammar, syntax, and literary significance of this powerful phrase in Jeremiah’s lamentation.… Learn Hebrew
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Searching Forward and Back: Disorientation in Job’s Syntax
הֵ֤ן קֶ֣דֶם אֶהֱלֹ֣ךְ וְאֵינֶ֑נּוּ וְ֝אָחֹ֗ור וְֽלֹא־אָבִ֥ין לֹֽו׃
(Job 23:8)
Poetry of Absence
This verse from Job powerfully expresses the despair of divine absence. The syntax is both elliptical and compressed, typical of Biblical Hebrew poetry, but particularly poignant here. Job’s search for God turns into a journey through linguistic voids—forward, backward, but without understanding.
Clause-by-Clause Breakdown
1. הֵן קֶ֣דֶם אֶהֱלֹ֣ךְ וְאֵינֶ֑נּוּ
– הֵן – “Behold,” marks a shift to a narrative declaration.
– קֶ֣דֶם – “forward” or “east,” serving as a directional adverb.… Learn Hebrew
Invitation and Imagery: The Syntax of Ascent in Song of Songs 4:8
אִתִּ֤י מִלְּבָנֹון֙ כַּלָּ֔ה אִתִּ֖י מִלְּבָנֹ֣ון תָּבֹ֑ואִי תָּשׁ֣וּרִי מֵרֹ֣אשׁ אֲמָנָ֗ה מֵרֹ֤אשׁ שְׂנִיר֙ וְחֶרְמֹ֔ון מִמְּעֹנֹ֣ות אֲרָיֹ֔ות מֵֽהַרְרֵ֖י נְמֵרִֽים׃ (Song of Songs 4:8)
Overview: Romantic Appeal Woven into Syntax
Song of Songs 4:8 is a verse rich in poetic appeal, drawing the beloved from majestic and wild heights into intimacy. The syntax functions as a lyrical summons, with parallel imperatives, geographic imagery, and deep structural repetition. The emotional and geographical movement is mirrored by the verbal motion and syntactic flow.
Clause Structure: Imperatives in Poetic Parallel
This verse comprises three major clause sets, all tied by imperatives and locational prepositional phrases:
1.… Learn Hebrew
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“Then They Will Bring Out the Bones”: Analyzing וְהֹוצִיאוּ in Jeremiah 8:1
Introduction to Jeremiah 8:1: Desecration as Judgment Symbol
Jeremiah 8:1 begins a chilling oracle of judgment, declaring that even the honored dead—kings, priests, prophets, and residents of Yerushalayim—will be disinterred from their graves. The key verb in this verse, וְהֹוצִיאוּ (“and they will bring out”), is grammatically marked by the waw-consecutive imperfect form, which carries a strong narrative and prophetic function in Biblical Hebrew. This article will explore the morphology, syntax, and theological-literary function of this verb within the verse.
בָּעֵ֣ת הַהִ֣יא נְאֻם־יְהוָ֡ה ויציאו אֶת־עַצְמֹ֣ות מַלְכֵֽי־יְהוּדָ֣ה וְאֶת־עַצְמֹות־שָׂרָיו֩ וְאֶת־עַצְמֹ֨ות הַכֹּהֲנִ֜ים וְאֵ֣ת עַצְמֹ֣ות הַנְּבִיאִ֗ים וְאֵ֛ת עַצְמֹ֥ות יֹושְׁבֵֽי־יְרוּשָׁלִָ֖ם מִקִּבְרֵיהֶֽם׃
Grammatical Analysis of וְהֹוצִיאוּ (ויציאו)
The verb ויציאו (more precisely vocalized as וְהֹוצִיאוּ) is from the root יָצָא in the Hifil stem, meaning “to bring out” or “to cause to go out.”… Learn Hebrew
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