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Recent Articles
- “Even in Your Thoughts”: The Subtle Hebrew Wisdom of Ecclesiastes 10:20
- The Silence of Wisdom: Verbal Restraint and Hebrew Syntax in Proverbs 10:19
- Intercession in Action: The Hebrew Flow of Exodus 10:18
- Endless Trials: Exploring the Hebrew of Job 10:17
- “I Have Sinned”: The Grammar of Urgency and Confession in Exodus 10:16
- Order in Motion: Nethanʾel son of Tsuʿar and the March of Issachar
- The Grammar of Vision: Enumerative Syntax and Symbolic Order in Ezekiel 10:14
- The Grammar of Divine Meteorology: Syntax and Pragmatic Force in Jeremiah 10:13
- When the Sun Stood Still: Syntax and Command in Joshua 10:12
- 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
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“If Your Soul Were in My Place”: The Grammar of Empathy and Irony in Job 16:4
גַּ֤ם אָנֹכִי֮ כָּכֶ֪ם אֲדַ֫בֵּ֥רָה ל֤וּ־יֵ֪שׁ נַפְשְׁכֶ֡ם תַּ֤חַת נַפְשִׁ֗י אַחְבִּ֣ירָה עֲלֵיכֶ֣ם בְּמִלִּ֑ים וְאָנִ֥יעָה עֲ֝לֵיכֶ֗ם בְּמֹ֣ו רֹאשִֽׁי׃
In one of the most poignant moments of the Book of Job, the suffering protagonist turns to his friends with a bitter irony. In Ayov 16:4, he declares that if their souls were in his place — if they were the ones crushed by divine affliction — then he too would speak as they do. But more than rhetorical flair is at work here: beneath this lament lies a grammatical structure rich with emotional nuance, where conditional syntax becomes the vehicle for both empathy and accusation.… Learn Hebrew
The Syntax of Anticipation: Grammatical Readiness in Exodus 19:11
וְהָי֥וּ נְכֹנִ֖ים לַיֹּ֣ום הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֑י כִּ֣י בַּיֹּ֣ום הַשְּׁלִישִׁ֗י יֵרֵ֧ד יְהוָ֛ה לְעֵינֵ֥י כָל־הָעָ֖ם עַל־הַ֥ר סִינָֽי׃ (Exodus 19:11)
Overview: Grammar as Sacred Preparation
Exodus 19:11 prepares Israel for the most pivotal moment in the Torah—YHWH’s descent upon Mount Sinai. The verse’s syntax conveys both temporal tension and communal gravity. Through coordinated clauses, perfective and imperfective verb forms, and fronted time markers, this sentence stages the future with grammatical precision, evoking both urgency and sacred order.
Clause Structure: Coordination and Causation
The verse consists of two main clauses connected by the causal conjunction כִּי:
1.… Learn Hebrew
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The Rhetorical Question and Parallelism in Job 11:2
Introduction to Job 11:2
Job 11:2 is part of Zophar’s first speech, in which he rebukes Job for his words and insists that Job’s suffering is the result of his sin. The verse employs a rhetorical question and parallel structure, both of which are common features in Hebrew poetry. The interrogative particle הֲ introduces a rhetorical question, while the parallelism between the two clauses reinforces Zophar’s argument that excessive speech does not justify innocence.
This study will analyze the syntax, grammatical features, and literary function of Job 11:2.… Learn Hebrew
Deceptive Weights and Divine Justice: Analyzing מֹאזְנֵי מִרְמָה in Proverbs 11:1
Introduction to Proverbs 11:1: The Scales of Righteousness
Proverbs 11:1 presents a powerful moral and theological declaration about honesty in commerce and divine justice. The phrase מֹאזְנֵי מִרְמָה (moznê mirmāh, “deceitful scales”) serves as a metaphor for fraudulent business practices, which are described as an abomination to YHWH. This verse contrasts dishonest dealings with righteous weights, demonstrating that economic ethics are fundamentally linked to divine favor or disapproval.
מֹאזְנֵ֣י מִ֭רְמָה תֹּועֲבַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה וְאֶ֖בֶן שְׁלֵמָ֣ה רְצֹונֹֽו׃
The Weight of Words: Understanding מֹאזְנֵי מִרְמָה
מֹאזְנֵי מִרְמָה תֹּועֲבַ֣ת יְהוָ֑ה
מֹאזְנֵי (moznê) – “Scales” (plural construct form of מֹאזְנַיִם, moznayim, “balances, scales”).… Learn Hebrew
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“Before Me”: Pronominal Prepositions and Divine Proximity in Targum Onkelos
בְּעִדָּנָא הַהִיא אֲמַר יְיָ לִי פְּסַל לָךְ תְּרֵין לוּחֵי אַבְנַיָּא כְּקַדְמָאֵי וְסַק לָקֳדָמַי לְטוּרָא וְתַעְבֵּד לָךְ אֲרוֹנָא דְאָעָא
(Deuteronomy 10:1)
At that time the LORD said to me, “Carve for yourself two tablets of stone like the first ones and go up before Me to the mountain, and make for yourself an ark of wood.”
Why This Verse?
This verse from Targum Onkelos contains a rich variety of morphological and syntactic constructions, but our focus will be on the phrase לָקֳדָמַי — a superb illustration of compound prepositions with attached pronominal suffixes in literary Jewish Aramaic.… Learn Hebrew
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Infinitives, Verbal Parallelism, and Philosophical Irony in Ecclesiastes 10:19
לִשְׂחֹוק֙ עֹשִׂ֣ים לֶ֔חֶם וְיַ֖יִן יְשַׂמַּ֣ח חַיִּ֑ים וְהַכֶּ֖סֶף יַעֲנֶ֥ה אֶת־הַכֹּֽל׃
Bread is made for laughter, and wine gladdens life, and money answers everything.
Wisdom Discourse and Literary Ambiguity in Qohelet
Ecclesiastes 10:19 is a compact yet theologically and grammatically dense aphorism. As with much of Qohelet, its ambiguity is deliberate, and its grammar is tightly structured to allow multiple interpretive layers. The verse reads:
This verse concludes a section reflecting on folly and wisdom in political and social life. It is syntactically structured in a triadic form: each clause presents a subject, a verb, and an object or complement.… Learn Hebrew
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When Silence Becomes Guilt
וְהָיָ֗ה הָאִישׁ֙ אֲשֶׁ֤ר לֹֽא־יִשְׁמַע֙ אֶל־דְּבָרַ֔י אֲשֶׁ֥ר יְדַבֵּ֖ר בִּשְׁמִ֑י אָנֹכִ֖י אֶדְרֹ֥שׁ מֵעִמֹּֽו׃
(Deuteronomy 18:19)
A Voice That Must Be Heard
This verse is a solemn divine warning. YHWH declares that He Himself will hold accountable any person who refuses to heed the prophet who speaks in His name. The setting is covenantal: Israel has asked for an intermediary so they won’t hear God’s overwhelming voice directly (see v. 16), and God agrees—yet with one condition: the prophet’s word must still carry divine authority.… Learn Hebrew
Iron, Effort, and Wisdom: Poetic Economy and Syntax in Ecclesiastes 10:10
אִם־קֵהָ֣ה הַבַּרְזֶ֗ל וְהוּא֙ לֹא־פָנִ֣ים קִלְקַ֔ל וַחֲיָלִ֖ים יְגַבֵּ֑ר וְיִתְרֹ֥ון הַכְשֵׁ֖יר חָכְמָֽה׃
(Ecclesiastes 10:10)
If the iron is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, then he must strengthen with force; but the advantage of success is wisdom.
Ecclesiastes 10:10 presents a metaphor of labor and effort: a dull iron blade, extra exertion, and the wisdom required to succeed. It fits within the broader themes of Qohelet, where wisdom is praised, yet human limitations and futility are acknowledged. This verse invites reflection on the balance between brute force and strategic thinking.… Learn Hebrew
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The Joy and Sorrow of a Son: Analyzing יְשַׂמַּח in Proverbs 10:1
Introduction to Proverbs 10:1: Wisdom and Folly in the Household
Proverbs 10:1 marks the beginning of a new literary section—the collected sayings of Solomon. This verse presents a stark contrast between wisdom and folly, framed within the parental relationship. The verb יְשַׂמַּח (yəsammaḥ), “he makes glad,” plays a central role, revealing the power of a child’s actions to shape the emotional world of the family.
מִשְׁלֵ֗י שְׁלֹ֫מֹ֥ה פ בֵּ֣ן חָ֭כָם יְשַׂמַּח־אָ֑ב וּבֵ֥ן כְּ֝סִ֗יל תּוּגַ֥ת אִמֹּֽו׃
Examining the Core Structure: The Parallelism of Joy and Sorrow
The two-part parallelism of this verse is clear:
בֵּ֣ן חָ֭כָם יְשַׂמַּח־אָ֑ב
בֵּן (bēn) – “A son” (subject).… Learn Hebrew
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When Heaven Answers with Song: Sound, Response, and Divine Dialogue in Exodus 19:19 (Targum Jonathan)
וְהַוָּה קַל שׁוֹפָרָא אָזִיל וְתַקִּיף לַחֲדָא משֶׁה הֲוָה מְמַלֵּיל וּמִן קֳדָם יְיָ הֲוָה מִתְעַנֵי בְקַל נָעִים וּמְשַׁבַּח וּנְעִימָתָא מַלְיָא
And the sound of the shofar kept going and becoming very strong; Moshe was speaking, and from before YHWH, there came a pleasant voice responding and praising—full of melody.
Poetic Reflection: The Mountain that Listened
The giving of the Torah was not only law—it was music. Targum Jonathan’s rendering of Exodus 19:19 transforms Sinai from a site of thunder into a place of harmony.… Learn Hebrew
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