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Recent Articles
- “Stand on the Paths and Ask”: The Grammar of Refusal in Jeremiah 6:16
- “My Brothers Have Dealt Treacherously Like a Stream”: The Grammar of Betrayal in Job 6:15
- “Peace, Peace”—The Syntax and Irony of Faux Healing
- Syntax of Judgment: Divine Legal Language in Genesis 6:13 (Onkelos)
- “Beware, Lest You Forget”: The Grammar of Warning in Deuteronomy 6:12
- The Cup That Overflows: Emphatic Repetition and Divine Wrath in Jeremiah 6:11
- The Sons of Noah: Morphological Patterns and Narrative Precision in Genesis 6:10
- The Logic of Signs: Conditional Syntax and Theological Doubt in 1 Samuel 6:9
- “Whom Shall I Send?” — The Grammar of Divine Inquiry and Human Response in Isaiah 6:8
- Erasure by Divine Speech: Volition, Object Marking, and Decreation in Genesis 6:7
- On the Heart and from the Mouth: Command Syntax in Targum Onkelos on Deuteronomy 6:6
- “With All Your Heart, Soul, and Might”: The Grammar of Total Devotion in Deuteronomy 6:5
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Hidden Defilement, Known Guilt: Conditional Clauses and Ritual Awareness in Leviticus 5:3
אֹ֣ו כִ֤י יִגַּע֙ בְּטֻמְאַ֣ת אָדָ֔ם לְכֹל֙ טֻמְאָתֹ֔ו אֲשֶׁ֥ר יִטְמָ֖א בָּ֑הּ וְנֶעְלַ֣ם מִמֶּ֔נּוּ וְה֥וּא יָדַ֖ע וְאָשֵֽׁם׃
Contextual Introduction
Leviticus 5:3 appears in a section addressing unintentional sins and their required expiations. This verse considers a scenario in which someone becomes ritually impure through contact with human defilement, remains unaware of it initially, Read more [...]
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The Hebrew Verb גָּנַן: To Shield, Cover, or Defend
The Hebrew verb גָּנַן (root: ג-נ-ן) means “to shield,” “to cover,” or “to protect.” It is often used in poetic and prophetic contexts to describe divine protection—particularly God’s shielding of His people, city, or sanctuary. The imagery behind the root involves enclosing or surrounding something to keep it safe.
This verb typically appears in the Qal and Pual stems:
- Qal: to shield, to cover (rare)
- Pual: to be shielded, to be surrounded (passive or intensive)
It Read more [...]
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Exodus 5:2 – Interrogative Pronoun, Relative Clause, and Double Negation
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר פַּרְעֹ֔ה מִ֤י יְהוָה֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר אֶשְׁמַ֣ע בְּקֹלֹ֔ו לְשַׁלַּ֖ח אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לֹ֤א יָדַ֨עְתִּי֙ אֶת־יְהוָ֔ה וְגַ֥ם אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֹ֥א אֲשַׁלֵּֽחַ׃
And Parʿo said, “Who is YHWH that I should listen to His voice to send Yisraʾel? I do not know YHWH, and also I will not send Yisraʾel.”
Explanation of Feature
This verse from Exodus 5:2 Read more [...]
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The Hebrew Verb גָּנַב: To Steal or Deceive
The Hebrew verb גָּנַב (root: ג-נ-ב) means “to steal,” “to carry away secretly,” or “to deceive” in certain contexts. It is most often used in the context of theft—whether property, people (as in kidnapping), or abstractly in acts of stealth and trickery.
This verb appears primarily in the Qal binyan for basic theft and in the Pual (to be stolen). It is often found in legal texts, commandments, and narratives involving wrongdoing.
Qal Binyan Conjugation of גָּנַב Read more [...]
Incline Your Ear: Imperatives, Parallelism, and the Poetic Call to Wisdom in Proverbs 5:1
בְּ֭נִי לְחָכְמָתִ֣י הַקְשִׁ֑יבָה לִ֝תְבוּנָתִ֗י הַט־אָזְנֶֽךָ׃
Contextual Introduction
Proverbs 5:1 begins a fatherly appeal warning against the seductive power of immorality, urging the hearer to embrace wisdom. As is typical in biblical wisdom literature, the verse uses poetic parallelism, imperative mood, and possessive structures to engage the hearer emotionally and intellectually. The language is not simply instructional—it is relational Read more [...]
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The Hebrew Verb גָּמַר: To Complete, Finish, or Accomplish
The Hebrew verb גָּמַר (root: ג-מ-ר) means “to complete,” “to finish,” “to bring to an end,” or “to accomplish.” It conveys a strong sense of finishing something fully, whether that be an action, a project, a process, or even a period of time.
גָּמַר mainly appears in the Qal binyan (simple action: to complete) and occasionally in the Piel binyan (intensive: to finish thoroughly).
Qal Binyan Conjugation of גָּמַר ("to complete, finish")
Past (Perfect) Read more [...]
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Speaking and Showing: Sequential Actions and Demonstrative Syntax in Exodus 4:30
Exodus 4:30
וַיְדַבֵּ֣ר אַהֲרֹ֔ן אֵ֚ת כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֔ים אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּ֥ר יְהוָ֖ה אֶל־מֹשֶׁ֑ה וַיַּ֥עַשׂ הָאֹתֹ֖ת לְעֵינֵ֥י הָעָֽם׃
Main Speech Act: וַיְדַבֵּר אַהֲרֹן
וַיְדַבֵּר (“and he spoke”) is a Piel wayyiqtol 3ms of ד־ב־ר (“to speak”), showing intensive verbal communication. אַהֲרֹן (“Aaron”) is the clear subject. This verb form Read more [...]
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The Hebrew Verb גִּלַּח: To Shave or Shear
The Hebrew verb גִּלַּח (root: ג-ל-ח) means “to shave,” “to shear,” or “to remove hair.” It primarily appears in the Piel binyan, which expresses intensive or purposeful action, particularly when shaving the head, beard, or body. It is used in ritual contexts (such as purification rites) and in descriptions of mourning or humiliation.
The verb also appears in the Hithpael form (reflexive), meaning “to shave oneself.”
Piel Binyan Conjugation of גִּלַּח Read more [...]
Seeking with All Your Heart: Imperfects, Conditionals, and Covenant Pursuit in Deuteronomy 4:29
Deuteronomy 4:29
וּבִקַּשְׁתֶּ֥ם מִשָּׁ֛ם אֶת־יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ וּמָצָ֑אתָ כִּ֣י תִדְרְשֶׁ֔נּוּ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ֖ וּבְכָל־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃
Initiation of Seeking: וּבִקַּשְׁתֶּם מִשָּׁם אֶת־יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ
וּבִקַּשְׁתֶּם (“and you will seek”) is a Piel perfect 2mp from ב־ק־שׁ (“to seek, inquire”), preceded by vav-consecutive, Read more [...]
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The Hebrew Verb גָּלָה: To Uncover, Reveal, or Exile
The Hebrew verb גָּלָה (root: ג-ל-ה) has a range of meanings depending on the context and binyan:
- In the Qal binyan, it often means “to uncover,” “to reveal,” or “to be exposed.”
- In the Hiphil binyan, it often means “to take into exile,” “to remove,” or “to deport.”
- In some cases, especially in Niphal, it can mean “to be revealed” or “to be uncovered.”
This verb plays a significant role in biblical narratives involving revelation, exposure (of Read more [...]
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